Why it matters to you
Paint’s functions may still be available in Paint 3D, but the end of the 1985 program is likely to leave some a bit nostalgic.
Microsoft Paint, the doodling program that’s as old as Windows 1.0 itself is getting erased from Microsoft’s list. The company recently moved Paint — along with Outlook Express and both the Reader app and Reader list — to the list of removed or deprecated features for the upcoming launch of Windows 10. What that means is that the company is longer updating Paint (not to be confused with the separate Paint 3D), though when the program will be fully removed isn’t yet clear.
Paint launched in 1985 with Windows 1.0. The program has always included only pretty basic controls, with the option to actually save a JPEG not arriving until more than ten years after the program launched, with Windows 98. But, as a pre-installed, easy-to-use program, the software was, for many users, a first introduction into basics graphics programs (or at the least, an early boredom buster alongside Solitaire and Minesweeper).
Microsoft already has a Paint alternative, Paint 3D, which includes similar tools along with, as the name suggests, a few 3D editing options. Paint 3D contains tools for layering graphics into a scene, including 3D objects and selection tools. The program isn’t a continuation of the original program, however, so while the 3D option may pay homage to the original, Paint as most users know it appears to be getting the ax sometime in the future.
While Paint is a longstanding app, the graphics editor has remained fairly basic, often being beaten out in features by other free graphics editors, including the more advanced GIMP and Paint.net, both free downloads that include several tools found in more advanced programs like Adobe Photoshop.
With Paint 3D existing alongside Paint, it’s not too hard to see why Microsoft is no longer updating the basic program, since the new 3D program offers similar functionality though a very different interface. Paint may be standard when it comes to quick, simple sketches, but it has been far outpaced by other options. Google Research even recently created an artificial intelligence program that can create its own sketches. The research came shortly after the launch of AutoDraw, an AI that can interpret rough sketches and replace them with higher quality, artist-designed sketches of the same object.
While Paint’s move to the deprecated features list means the program will no longer be updated, it’s unclear when Microsoft will be removing the program entirely.