Why it matters: MS Paint's move to the Microsoft Store appears to be progressing four years after the company announced the change. The app isn't in the store just yet, but there are reports of a placeholder appearing in preparation for its arrival.
Way back in 2017, Microsoft announced it would be killing off the graphics app after 32 years. While it's not exactly people's first choice when working with images, birthing the phrase, "What did you make that atrocity on? Paint?", the program is still used by millions for quick and easy editing.
News of Paint's demise brought a chorus of disapproval from fans, leading to Microsoft clarifying that while it would be removed from a core group of bundled Windows applications, MS Paint was moving to the company's store as a free download.
In 2019, Brandon LeBlanc, a senior program manager on the Windows Insider Team, tweeted that Paint would be included with Windows 10 "for now."
Italian tech site Aggiornamenti Lumia (via Thurrott.com) reports that MS Paint is finally listed in the Microsoft Store, though it can't be downloaded, suggesting a placeholder. It's not showing up for us yet.
Making Paint part of the Microsoft Store will be appreciated by many users. Not everyone wants the app bundled in with Windows 10, and as Microsoft said at the time, it allows Paint to be updated more regularly---the updates currently arrive via Windows 10 feature upgrades.
Microsoft expected Paint 3D to replace the venerable MS Paint, but it failed to find the popularity enjoyed by its predecessor. As such, it's also being dropped as one of Windows 10's core apps and will become a free download in the Microsoft Store.