Windows 10 to dump Paint and Outlook Express in the recycle bin

We’ve talked a lot about the smart new features coming with the Fall Creators Update, but it has just emerged that Microsoft is cutting some of Windows 10’s capabilities with the upgrade, too, and that includes the likes of Microsoft Paint and Outlook Express.

As Microsoft explains in a support post, some of these features are being completely removed, while others have been marked as ‘deprecated’, meaning they aren’t being developed at all anymore and will be removed in a future version of Windows 10 (i.e. they’re effectively dead, just not buried, as it were).

As mentioned, Microsoft Paint, the simple graphics app which has been a part of Windows since the very beginning, will be dumped. Of course, that’s mainly because it’s been superseded by Paint 3D, but still, some folks might shed a nostalgic tear over the lightweight program.

Living on the Edge

Outlook Express also gets the push with Microsoft explaining that it is non-functioning legacy code, and the Reader app is gone – mainly because in the latter case it’s been integrated into the Edge web browser.

Screensaver functionality has been removed from Themes, and it’s deprecated elsewhere (such as in the Control Panel). Also, the 3D Builder app is no longer installed by default in Windows (although you can still grab it from the Windows Store should you wish).

There are a multitude of other capabilities being dropped: for example, the use of the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) will be blocked (Microsoft suggests that Windows Defender Exploit Guard’s exploit protection feature should be used instead). For the full list of cuts, check here.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that while it hasn’t been dropped, we recently heard that Microsoft’s smart Timeline feature, which was originally planned to be part of the Fall Creators Update, won’t be ready in time. It will be in a future update though (the first one of next year, almost certainly).

Lest we focus all our attention on what won’t be in the next major update, you can check out all the new goodies Microsoft is bringing to Windows 10 this fall right here.

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

Latest in Windows
Printer
No, your printer isn't possessed: a Windows 11 23H2 bug could be making it print random characters when connected via USB
Man having Windows 11 problems with his laptop
Fed up of adverts creeping into Windows 11? You won’t like Microsoft’s latest update, then, although it does provide some important bug fixes
Acer Aspire 14 AI laptop display showing the Windows 11 login screen
Shock, horror – I’m not going to argue with Microsoft’s latest bit of nagging in Windows 11, as this pop-up is justified
A laptop on a desk with the Windows 11 background on its screen.
Microsoft is adding image editing and compression to its Windows Share feature - and I couldn't be happier
AOC Agon Pro AG276FK gaming monitor tilted slightly to the side, showing the Windows desktop screen
Windows 11 users get ready for more ‘recommendations’ from Microsoft – but I’m relieved to say these suggestions might actually be useful
Microsoft Store logo on a blurred background
There's finally a fix for an annoying Microsoft Store bug that's older than Windows 11
Latest in News
Man using iMessage on an iPhone
Apple will finally enable encrypted RCS messages between iOS and Android, and it's about time
Jason Sudeikis' Ted Lasso pointing at someone in Ted Lasso season 2
Believe it, baby: Ted Lasso season 4 is officially in development for Apple TV+ and Jason Sudeikis will reprise his role as the titular soccer coach
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #1146)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #377)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #643)
Wix automation
The world's leading website builder aims to save businesses time with new tool