If you’ve been around Windows for a while, you’ve probably noticed that Microsoft has a habit of quietly killing off apps. Just like those Windows features you probably never used but are gone for good, these apps are now history, whether you realized it or not.
Interestingly, they don’t even spare ones that once felt like staples of the operating system. Some of these retirements hardly make a ripple, while others leave users scrambling for alternatives.
Internet Explorer
Godfather of modern browsers
For a long stretch of time, Internet Explorer wasn’t just another browser—it was the browser. Ever since it shipped with Windows back in 1995, that little blue “e” became the gateway to the web for most people. At its peak, IE commanded more than 90% of the market, and for a while, it felt like the internet itself was practically built around it.
But momentum shifted. By the late 2000s, Chrome and Firefox were speeding ahead, and IE’s flaws became impossible to ignore. Pages started to load slowly, newer web standards often broke, and security gaps felt endless. What had once been a cornerstone started to look more like dead weight.
Eventually, Microsoft officially retired Internet Explorer in 2022, replacing it with Edge, which was a faster, Chromium-based browser built to meet modern web standards and improve security. Edge gave Microsoft a clean slate while continuing to offer an “IE Mode” for businesses that relied on legacy web apps.
Paint 3D
Promised a creative future, yet we all stuck to regular Paint
Paint 3D arrived in 2017 with Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, with Microsoft pitching it as the next big leap in creativity. The idea was to take the no-frills Paint everyone knew, and turn it into a creative playground where you could spin up 3D models, slap on stickers, and remix other people’s designs. It was meant to make 3D work feel less intimidating—something kids, students, and hobbyists could jump into without a steep learning curve.
However, the grand vision never really stuck. Most people still opened classic Paint for the usual doodles and quick screenshot edits, and professionals stayed loyal to heavyweight software like Blender and its alternatives. By the time Microsoft’s interest in VR cooled off, the app’s fate was sealed. In November 2024, Paint 3D quietly bowed out and was removed from the Microsoft Store.
Movies & TV
Netflix wannabe
Movies & TV (originally branded as Xbox Video) was Microsoft’s early attempt at carving out a space in the digital video storefront world. Preloaded on Windows PCs and Xbox consoles (and even syncing with Windows Phones back when that was a thing), it let you buy or rent movies and shows while also doubling as a simple player for whatever files you already had saved locally.
Over time, streaming services eclipsed this model, and on July 18, 2025, Microsoft quietly pulled the plug on new purchases and rentals. The buttons for buying or renting are gone; however, you can still watch (and even download in HD on Windows) your previously purchased content via the Movies & TV app. Refunds aren’t available, and Microsoft encourages users to turn to services like Amazon Prime, Apple TV, or Movies Anywhere (U.S. only) to build a new digital library.
With recent Windows 11 updates, the local playback function of the Movies & TV app has been replaced by Microsoft’s newer Media Player app, though the old app can still be downloaded from the Store. And while the classic Windows Media Player Legacy technically still exists as one of the useful decades-old Windows tools, most people these days have drifted to VLC, Plex, or just the new default Media Player to get the job done.
Groove Music
Never really found its groove
Groove Music had quite the identity shuffle before it landed on that name. It started as the Zune Music Pass, morphed into Xbox Music, and finally, in 2015, Microsoft rebranded it as Groove to go hand-in-hand with Windows 10. The app itself wasn’t bad at all; it had a slick, minimalist interface and tight integration with Windows. But stacked up against the juggernauts of Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music, Groove never really stood a chance at becoming people’s go-to music service.
By October 2, 2017, Microsoft waved the white flag. It announced that Groove Music Pass would be shut down at the end of that year. Subscribers got prorated refunds and, in a surprisingly user-friendly move, Microsoft even partnered with Spotify to transfer playlists and libraries, so people didn’t have to start over from scratch.
Once January 2018 rolled around, Groove abandoned its streaming ambitions. Online music purchases and streaming features disappeared, leaving behind a simple music player that could handle local files and OneDrive tracks. The writing was on the wall for mobile, too: by December 1, 2018, the Groove apps for Android and iOS were gone for good.
Mail
A little too simple for survival
The Mail app was the default email client bundled with Windows 10 and early Windows 11. It was lightweight, touch-friendly, and integrated neatly with Outlook.com, Gmail, and Exchange accounts. If you didn’t want the full Outlook experience, Mail was a clean, simple option. It worked well if you just needed to check a few inboxes.
However, as part of its “One Outlook” rollout, Microsoft replaced Mail (along with Calendar and People) with the new Outlook for Windows, which has been preinstalled on Windows 11 since around October 2023 and introduced to Windows 10 starting early 2025. Official support for Mail ended on December 31, 2024, after which it could no longer send or receive emails. Though this simplifies Microsoft’s app lineup, it leaves me (and maybe many others) missing the ease and minimalism of the old Mail interface.
Consolidation is the name of the game
If there’s a pattern behind all these retirements, it’s consolidation. Microsoft clearly doesn’t want to prop up a patchwork of smaller apps anymore. Instead, it’s tightening the lineup around a handful of bigger, unified ones.
