- Paint 3D won’t be available from the Microsoft Store after today
- Microsoft warned us the app was on the way out a few months ago
- If you install it, you can keep Paint 3D, but it won’t be patched up
Windows 11 (and 10) users should be aware that it’s the final day for one of the optional apps for Microsoft’s operating system, namely Paint 3D.
We should clarify that this is the ‘3D’ spin on Paint, not the vanilla Microsoft Paint app which remains a core part of Windows 11 to this day (and is still being actively developed).
The scrapping of Paint 3D isn’t a surprise, mind, as we’ve had ample warning about the impending demise of the application.
To recap the tale of Paint 3D, you may recall it first graced Windows 10 as a new stock app in 2016, not long after the OS launched, as part of the first update. (This was the ‘Creators Update’ back when Microsoft had a plan to run themed feature updates for Windows 10, an idea that rapidly ran out of steam and evaporated into nothingness).
However, Paint 3D never really got off the ground (we’ll come back to why in a moment), and was removed from the collection of stock apps installed with Windows by default in 2021.
Since then, you could still grab Paint 3D from the Microsoft Store if you wanted the app, but now the final curtain is being drawn. After today, it will no longer be available to download as an option from the store (a fact that Microsoft warned us about via a pop-up back in August 2024).
So, if you want Paint 3D, grab it now, before today is over – and be aware that this is the final nail in the coffin for the venerable app.
Who cares about Paint 3D anyway?
Well, it’s a fair question. Indeed, you may have forgotten about Paint 3D completely. It wasn’t a big hit with the Windows 10 audience in general – or indeed Windows 11, though it had been dropped by that time – hence the reason for it getting the elbow.
Paint 3D tried something different in offering the functionality for creating 3D models, as the name suggests, so you could for example use it to turn a photo into a 3D model.
Also, as Ghacks – which reminded us about today’s deadline – points out, it was built to be more touch-friendly than vanilla Paint (with larger icons and sliders that make it easier to use with your fingers).
There was a niche audience that appreciated Paint 3D, certainly, but it was just that, a pretty small number of fans – so Microsoft didn’t push forward with any real drive to further develop the app as a result.
We should note that if you’ve installed Paint 3D, it won’t go anywhere, or be removed from your PC. But if you don’t have it, this is your last chance to get the app.
Bear in mind, though, that Microsoft won’t be doing any work with the client going forward, so if vulnerabilities pop up for example, they’ll remain unpatched. (In theory anyway, though if something particularly huge and gaping opened up exploit-wise, the software giant might take action). In short, you can continue using Paint 3D at your own risk, should you wish to do so.