Reprieve for Paint as Microsoft backtracks on plan to cut it from Windows 10

Microsoft had planned to take Paint out of Windows 10 and only make it available via the Windows Store

Microsoft has backtracked on plans to remove Paint from Windows 10, only making it available to users as a free download from the Microsoft Store.

The aim of the plan had been to push users into using Paint 3D instead, but the company has confirmed that the plan has been scrapped - at least for now.

The popularity of Paint, a basic drawing and painting utility bundled with Windows for the past 33 years, has forced the company into the U-turn, meaning that the forthcoming May 2019 Update to Windows 10 will continue to have Paint pre-installed.

Originally included as a rebadged version of third-party app PC Paintbrush back in 1985, Paint has been regularly updated but still has the pretty much the same functionality of that first edition, albeit with support for more file formats and an updated interface.

News of a possible U-turn came as Windows Insiders spotted that the reference to the removal of Paint had been taken out of the latest build of Windows 10.

At present, that's all we know - there's no official explanation as to why Paint has been reprieved, and whether that means it is back in active development, having previously been declared as depreciated.

It's also not clear where this leaves Paint 3D, which Microsoft was keen to promote when the Windows 10 Creators Update was launched in 2017. It appears that, for the time being, the two will be left to run side-by-side, allowing users to pick whichever one they prefer.

Microsoft has been working to update some of the older elements of the Windows 10 user experience in recent updates. Another popular app on the chopping block is the screen 'snipping tool' - activated by pressing ‘shift-Windows key-S' - which is set to be replaced by a more function-rich ‘snip and sketch' tool in future editions.

It has already been updated from a simple rectangular snipping device to offer free-form screen-snipping.

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