Paint it black – today is your last chance to download Paint 3D in Windows 11
- Paint 3D will no longer be available in the Microsoft Store after today
- Microsoft warned us a few months ago that the app was coming
- If you install it, you can keep Paint 3D, but no improvements will be made
Windows 11 (and 10) users should be aware that this is the last day for one of the optional apps for Microsoft’s operating system, namely Paint 3D.
We should clarify that this is the ‘3D’ variant of Paint, and not the standard Microsoft Paint app that remains a core part of Windows 11 to this day (and is still actively developed).
The scrapping of Paint 3D is no surprise, as we’ve given ample warning of the application’s impending demise.
To summarize the story of Paint 3D, you may remember that it first appeared on Windows 10 as a new stock app in 2016, not long after the operating system launched, as part of the first update. (This was the ‘Creators Update’ when Microsoft had a plan to do theme updates for Windows 10, an idea that quickly ran out of steam and evaporated into thin air).
However, Paint 3D never really took off (we’ll get to it in a moment) and was removed in 2021 from the collection of stock apps that came installed by default with Windows.
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 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 actually cares about Paint 3D?
Well, it’s a fair question. Maybe you’ve completely forgotten about Paint 3D. It wasn’t a big hit with the Windows 10 crowd in general (or even Windows 11, although it had already been scrapped by then) hence the reason it got the elbow.
Paint 3D tried something different by offering the functionality for creating 3D models, as the name suggests, so you can, for example, turn a photo into a 3D model.
Also if Ghacks – which reminded us of today’s deadline – points out that it’s 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 certainly a niche audience that appreciated Paint 3D, but it was just that, a fairly small number of fans – so Microsoft didn’t move forward with any real push to further develop the app as a result.
Please note that if you have Paint 3D installed, it will not go anywhere or be deleted from your PC. But if you don’t have it, this is your last chance to get the app.
However, keep in mind that Microsoft won’t be doing any more work with the client in the future, so if any vulnerabilities emerge, for example, they won’t be patched. (At least in theory, but if something particularly big and gaping were to open up in terms of exploitation, the software giant could take action). In short, you can continue to use Paint 3D at your own risk if you wish.