Microsoft has begun separating Windows 10 from the apps that the OS usually ships with. Moving ahead, MS Paint and the Snipping Tool will reside on the Microsoft Store.
Microsoft Paint app, one of the simple yet beloved apps of the Windows OS, has a permanent residence inside the Microsoft Store. With the release of Windows 10 build 21354 to Insiders in the Dev channel, even the Snipping Tool is headed to the Windows 10 app marketplace.
MS Paint is here to stay but won’t come with Windows 10 OS as a native app:
Microsoft has had a rather strange relationship with MS Paint, especially for the last four years. The Windows 10 OS makers had planned to retire the simple image editing software and replace it with Paint 3D.
The change was to take place with the Fall Creators Update back in 2018. However, Microsoft received a lot of user backlash and hence, completely backtracked on the decision.
Microsoft promised that the classic Paint app is “here to stay”. However, the company moved the app to the Windows Store. Microsoft promised doing so would ensure the MS Paint receives faster updates.
Microsoft Paint and Snipping Tool Will Both Be Updated in the Store – https://t.co/sbfoSUvUiD pic.twitter.com/gWDSLbX7F9
— Paul Thurrott (@thurrott) April 7, 2021
Strangely, Microsoft started offering MS Paint as an “optional feature”. A few years after the debacle, Microsoft has put up MS Paint on the Microsoft Windows Store.
MS Paint is free to download on the Windows Store. Needless to add, all future updates to the app, if there are any, will come through the Store.
Microsoft Paint is Finally Available in the Microsoft Store, Sort Of – https://t.co/6frRqHo488 pic.twitter.com/hifrGCEkkt
— Paul Thurrott (@thurrott) April 7, 2021
It is not clear how long Microsoft will keep supporting MS Paint. The company has shown a lot of interest in developing and offering Paint 3D.
Windows 10 OS users who do not want the MS Paint app, can still remove it by following these steps:
- Open Settings > Apps & Features.
- Click on the link to manage optional features.
- Select and uninstall Paint.
Microsoft shifting several apps from the ‘Accessories’ folder to Windows Store:
Apart from MS Paint, the Snipping Tool has also undergone transition and relocation as well. The successor to the app is called Snip & Sketch.
Microsoft included the original version of Snip & Sketch as a built-in app for Windows 10 back in 2018. Now Microsoft is shifting the app to the Windows Store.
Microsoft will update Snipping Tool and Paint through the Microsoft Store https://t.co/hk6G5qV33W
— Harjit Dhaliwal [MVP] (@Hoorge) April 8, 2021
Microsoft has been sending updates to the Snip & Sketch app for quite some time. Strangely, the Snipping Tool is also available. It is not clear if or when Microsoft will retire the same.
Incidentally, alongside MS Paint and the Snip & Sketch, Microsoft has also moved the Notepad out of the accessories folder in the Start Menu.
Moving ahead, during clean installs of Windows 10 version 21H2, these apps may not be available as integrated platforms. Microsoft is also eliminating several options for these apps from the Context Menu. Needless to add, the upcoming Sun Valley 21H2 Cumulative Feature Update could usher the changes and more.