MS Paint is extremely popular. Despite the fact that it has fallen far behind competing drawing programmes, MS Paint has remained a mainstay of memery and amusing doodles on Windows for decades due to its simplicity, speed, and ease of use. Rumors that Microsoft was planned to eliminate the tool in favour of Paint 3D sparked outrage, prompting the company to explain they had no plans to do so in the first place.
Later this year, Windows 11 will update the operating system, bringing greater graphics and consistency to the user interface, as well as a new yet recognisable Start Menu and a slew of other enhancements. Some of the older apps appear to be getting some love as well.
On the surface, the latest version of MS Paint doesn’t appear to have any new features, but it does have an updated UI, complete with dark mode. However, the “Edit in Paint 3D” button appears to have vanished, implying that Paint 3D may be on its way out. I’ve previously argued that MS Paint should adopt some of Paint 3D’s more interesting capabilities, such as the amazing backdrop removal tool. It would also be nice if MS Paint had layering capabilities for better editing and collage, but we can’t always have what we want.
It’s exciting to speculate what else might be on the horizon now that MS Paint is receiving a makeover. Because Microsoft’s present implementation of the deceased Groove Music, Photos, and Movies & TV for playing media is, shall we say, a little inconsistent, I’d argue that combining music and videos into a single programme makes more sense than it does now. When will Windows Media Player 11 be released? What about the latest version of Windows Movie Maker, Windows Movie Maker 11? MSN Messenger version 11?! 11 CLIPPY?! Okay, perhaps not. However, a man can fantasise.
In any event, Panay promises that the new MS Paint app will be available to Windows Insiders using Windows 11 builds “soon,” so keep a watch out.
