Microsoft is pulling the plug on Paint 3D. On November 4, the app will be removed from the Microsoft Store and will no longer be available for download. Those who already have the app in Windows 10 or 11 can continue to use it, but will no longer receive updates.
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The impending end of Paint 3D was revealed by a banner that appears for some users in the app itself, as spotted in an X-post from an account named @phantomofearth. I couldn’t find the banner in any of my regular Windows 10 or 11 instances, but I did spot it in a Windows 11 Insiders preview. Clicking the “Learn more” link in the banner takes you to a Microsoft page for deprecated features, although Paint 3D isn’t listed among the future retirements.
Introduced in 2017 as part of an update to Windows 10, Paint 3D allows you to create and design 3D shapes and images. The update was part of Microsoft’s efforts to bring 3D-oriented graphics to Windows, so the 3D variant was designed to replace or complement the regular Paint app.
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Now Paint seems to be the survivor of the two. Paint has long been available in Windows for creating and editing graphics, and at least in Windows 11 it has gained expanded capabilities. Layers allow you to design an image with multiple elements and create your own images via an AI-powered co-creator tool.
The banner in Paint 3D didn’t reveal why Microsoft is shutting down the app, but it’s probably the usual reason – not enough users to justify its existence. The traditional Paint app also has a certain simplicity and ease of use that Paint 3D lacks.
Paint 3D fans should make sure they download the latest version of the app before November. After that, you’ll need to use Paint or another editor to create and refine the images you want.
