Windows 10’s Fall Creators Update could be last that supports Microsoft Paint

Why it matters to you

Microsoft’s Windows Paint tool now has a shaky future, so following the Fall Creators Update, get your time in with it, as its days may be numbered.

Microsoft’s upcoming Fall Creators Update for Windows 10 will signal the end of life for a number of traditional tools, including Outlook Express, Reader App, and Reading List. Beyond that reasonably small selection though, Microsoft will also reduce support for a number of other features, including Microsoft Paint, leaving the door open to shuttering them for good in the future.

The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is designed to further bring together Microsoft’s various platforms under one roof, and add improved support for augmented and mixed reality applications. However, Microsoft is also taking the opportunity to trim some of its legacy fat, by bringing together certain features in new software and ending the life of those that are no longer needed.

In the case of the Reader app and Reading List, their functionality will be bundled into Microsoft Edge. Outlook Express is being killed off entirely, as part of what Microsoft calls a removal of “non-functional legacy code.”

Other features getting the ax include screen-saver functionality in Windows themes, though they can still be adjusted in the control panel. Syskey.exe is being removed to improve security and Microsoft is also ditching the 3D Builder app as a default installation. It recommends instead that users try Print 3D or Paint 3D.

Microsoft Paint itself isn’t being killed off just yet, but it is listed as deprecated in Microsoft’s Fall Creators Update breakdown. That means Microsoft sees it as a potential feature to remove in the future, so may not be with us for long. It is also not undergoing active development, so if there were any features you were hoping would be added in the future, that’s not going to happen.

It’s joined by the “Sync Your Settings” cloud system and System Image Backup Solution, with Microsoft instead recommending that users use a full-disk backup service. Powershell 2.0 is set to be deprecated, too — Microsoft suggests users migrate to PowerShell 5.0+ instead.

Although this may seem like a list of harsh culls from the software giant, ultimately Microsoft is looking to bundle more services into the core Windows 10 experience. It’s using the current process to encourage more people to upgrade to the contemporary operating system, which already has hundreds of millions of users, but Microsoft wants that number to grow far higher in the years to come.