Microsoft has announced the 'death date' of the Paint 3D application for Windows 11

Back in 2016, Microsoft made headlines when it announced it would boost investment in 3D experiences on the Windows environment. The company has already unveiled its HoloLens technology and wants its software to also offer compatible 3D features. That is also the reason why Microsoft decided to launch an improved version of the Paint application for Windows 10 called Paint 3D in October 2016.

Instead of just creating familiar 2D works of art like on the old Paint application, Microsoft wants anyone to be able to create 3D works of art with this Paint 3D. Indeed, this application was originally designed to completely replace the old Paint application for Windows 10.

However, user feedback for the new Paint 3D application was not as positive as expected, and Microsoft was forced to continue maintaining the old Paint application in parallel with the new Paint 3D. By 2021, due to low user numbers, Windows 10 build 21332 removed Paint 3D from clean installs of the operating system.

Now, it seems the time has come as the Paint 3D app reaches its end of life, three years after being removed from new Windows 10 installations. According to technology blogger @phantomofearth, Paint 3D users will now see a banner appear at the top of the application interface. This banner indicates that Paint 3D will no longer be available for download from the Microsoft Store after November 4. Updates to the app will also officially end on that date. In other words, Paint 3D will be discontinued from November 4.

The decision to discontinue Paint 3D comes just as Microsoft has added a series of new features to the regular Paint application for Windows 10 and 11. Members of the Windows Insider Program can now experience these features. New Paint functionality, including a new size slider for the pencil, brush, and eraser tools, along with some new features for the pen and eraser options.