Microsoft Paint given reprieve after outpouring of love from childhood fans

Microsoft Paint has been given reprieve following an outpouring of support from lovers of the sketching app after the tech company reportedly confirmed its demise.

The technology giant said the 32-year-old tool “isn’t going anywhere” despite appearing on a list of software that was to be axed from the next Windows 10 update.

It comes after thousands took to social media to mourn what they thought was the death of their favourite childhood software, which was introduced in 1985.

Twitter users posted screenshots of memorials they had made for the app, which they had aptly created using MS Paint, using the hashtag #RIPMSPaint.

Some nostalgic Paint lovers tweeted pictures of a tomb stone carrying the words “RIP MS Paint, 1985-2017”, with others adding that their “childhood memory” was being erased.

One fan even wrote a seven-stanza poem for the software, which he wrote using the app, before it was announced that it would still be available to download.

After the outpouring of support, Microsoft said in a blog post: “If there's anything we learned, it's that after 32 years, MS Paint has a lot of fans.

It added: "Amidst today's commentary around MS Paint we wanted to take this opportunity to set the record straight, clear up some confusion and share some good news: MS Paint is here to stay.”

The app will no longer be a built-in feature when the new software is updated, but it will be moved to the Windows Store and will be available to download for free.

Paint has been built into every version of Windows since 1985.

On Monday, the app appeared on a list of software that would no longer be actively developed by Microsoft and would eventually be removed from Windows software.

The list was released as Microsoft prepares to issue its next major update to Windows 10 - the Fall Creators Update - in the autumn.

In a previous update earlier this year, the tech giant also introduced Paint 3D, an upgraded version of Paint that enables users to create 3D images in the software for the first time.

The move led to suggestions that Paint 3D would eventually replace the original Paint as the software's native creativity app.