They f'd up 12 days since Microsoft f'd up
Killed 0.1 Vistas Walked back officially acknowledged Jul 24, 2017 their #37 worst kill on record

Microsoft tried to retire Paint; the internet RSVP'd for the funeral

2017 "deprecating features" list included MS Paint; backlash kept it

↳ caused by Fall Creators Update deprecation list

One of only 22 things they have ever fully walked back.

The market's verdict: -1.5% on MSFT in the week after.

Status: Walked back. Who could have seen this coming?

What actually happened

A July 2017 list of Windows features being "deprecated" casually included Microsoft Paint, the little pixel doodler that had shipped since 1985. The internet immediately started writing eulogies. Within weeks, Microsoft confirmed Paint would live on in the Microsoft Store. Fastest reversal of the decade, and standing proof that sometimes yelling on the internet works.

This one is officially acknowledged.

They did it more than once

Later, again: WordPad outlived Clippy, but not the roadmap (Sep 2023)

First attempt flinched under backlash. Second attempt shipped quietly years later.

Later, again: Notepad, free since 1985, grew a subscription (Feb 2025)

Paint survived the scare. Notepad got a subscription.

Links

↳ caused by Fall Creators Update deprecation list

Timeline

  • Jul 24, 2017 Walked back Microsoft walked it back.