Microsoft: MS Paint Isn't Dead, It's Just Moving

Yesterday, Microsoft woke up to a lot of anger and frustration from Windows users that probably came as a big surprise. It was in response to Microsoft's decision to deprecate MS Paint from Windows 10, which is the first sign that the software is being killed off.

Following all that feedback yesterday, Microsoft has now clarified the situation. MS Paint is indeed being removed as a standard feature of Windows 10, meaning when you install Windows 10 it won't be immediately available. However, the popular graphics app will still be available in the Windows Store for free, meaning if you want it you'll have to download and install it.

While it's great news that MS Paint will live on, I think Microsoft missed the point a bit. The reason MS Paint is so popular and appreciated is because it's always there. You knew if you were working on Windows then Paint was available to quickly adjust or make an image. That is disappearing even if the graphics app isn't.

Microsoft points to Paint 3D as the "new app for creativity." Maybe that will become the new MS Paint, but other than reducing the Windows 10 install size by a few megabytes, Microsoft hasn't yet explained why MS Paint needs to become a non-standard feature of the operating system.