Microsoft Paint isn’t being brushed out of existence after all

Microsoft Paint will not be axed after all, it has been confirmed.

A recent update which listed MS Paint as an application that would be removed from Microsoft Windows had fans fearing the worst.

However, those concerns have been allayed by the tech company, who have said the much-loved MS Paint, formerly Paintbrush, isn’t being killed off.

The company published a blog post on Monday titled: ‘MS Paint fans rejoice: The original art app isn’t going anywhere – except to the Windows Store for free!’

In the post, Microsoft general manager Megan Saunders wrote: ‘Today, we’ve seen an incredible outpouring of support and nostalgia around MS Paint.

‘If there’s anything we learned, it’s that after 32 years, MS Paint has a lot of fans.

‘It’s been amazing to see so much love for our trusty old app. 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, it will just have a new home soon, in the Windows Store where it will be available for free.’

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Microsoft Paint was packaged in the first version of Windows back in 1985 and went on to become a phenomenon.

MS Paint had been listed in a Microsoft rundown called, ‘Features that are removed or deprecated in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update’.

Windows 10 does include Paint 3D, which is a separate application to the original Paint.

When it was launched in 1985 with Windows 1.0, Paint only supported 1-bit monochrome graphics.

Later versions of Windows allowed Paint users to save images in JPEG, GIF and PNG formats.

Versions such as Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10 all launched with Microsoft Paint.

Ms Saunders said that Paint 3D – a spin-off of MS Paint – will continue to receive new feature updates.

She said: ‘In addition to the new 3D capabilities, many of the MS Paint features people know and love like photo editing, line and curve tools, and 2D creation are in Paint 3D.

‘So, thanks for all the MS Paint love, keep the feedback coming via the Paint 3D app, and keep creating!’

(Main picture: Microsoft)