You remember that Microsoft was about to move the classic Paint app to the Microsoft Store and exclude it from Windows 10 by default. This decision has been cancelled, but looks like that story is not over yet. Now Paint appears in the list of optional features in Windows 10.
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The classic Paint app which comes bundled with Windows 10 is familiar to almost every user.
As you may remember, starting with build 17063, the classic Microsoft Paint app in Windows 10 had a "Product Alert" button. Clicking on the button opens a dialog that suggests that the app will be occasionally replaced with Paint 3D, and will be moved to the Store. Many people were not happy with this move from Microsoft. They were not ready to exchange the good old mspaint.exe with a completely different Store app because the old Paint has its own advantages and Paint 3D does not surpass it in every way. Classic Paint always loaded much faster, and had a more usable and friendlier user interface with superior mouse and keyboard usability.
Starting in Windows 10 Insider Preview build 18334 Microsoft has silently removed the Product Alert notice. See the screenshot from that build:
The button is missing in the toolbar.
So, MSPaint is still included in 1903. It'll remain included in Windows 10. Also, it was updated with a set if accessibility features.
However, in the recently released Windows 10 build 18956 the Paint app is now listed under Optional Features. As of now, the button does nothing (at least here). It also suggests to install the app, despite it is available out of the box.
If you are running Windows 10 build 18956, check out the change as follows.
- Open Settings.
- Navigate to Apps > Apps & features.
- Click on the Optional features link on the right.
- On the next page, click on the button Add a feature.
- Finally, on the next page you will see the classic Paint app in the list.
This change may give as a hint that Microsoft will eventually remove the Paint app from the OS by making it optional.
Thanks to Andre Rocha.
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It also exist in build 18950.
Would it really be Microsoft if they didn’t look for things to change or remove that people are happy with? They are a wrecking crew. Is that too harsh? I fear it isn’t. OK, to be fair, every now and again they pause the degradation and improve something just to show they can but it’s not what they really like to do.
I don’t using a lot Microsoft Paint.
Exactly. Microsoft has become very arrogant, proving once again that there is such thing as too big to care.