Windows 10 Fall Creators Update to remove several OS features

The Fall Creators Update for Windows 10 will be released in the coming weeks, and Microsoft promises it will include new features not only for creatives, but improvements to accessibility, security, and UI as well. Unfortunately, there are several existing features of the operating system that will be getting removed or deprecated with the update. Most of them are aging and no longer being developed, or they're being folded into other tools and applications.

Microsoft has published a support document that outlines the features being removed, allowing users to plan for the changes. Those listed as being deprecated are features no longer in development or supported, and will be removed at some point in a future release. Those listed as removed will no longer be available after the Fall Creators Update is installed.

First on the list to be removed is the 3D Builder app, an understandable cut since its capabilities are now included in Paint 3D and Print 3D, both of which come with Windows 10. Similarly the Reader app and Reading List are on the chopping block as their functionality is built into the Edge browser. Outlook Express is getting cut since it contains non-functional legacy code, and the functions of the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) are now found in Windows Defender Exploit Guard.

On the list to be deprecated are also features that most users won't miss, or can be found in other tools. This includes Microsoft Paint, the long-standing creation app that's ready to bow out to Paint 3D, as well as Sync Your Settings, a feature that will be replaced in a future release with a new cloud storage system. Lastly is System Image Backup (SIB), a feature that's already been deprecated for some time. Instead Microsoft recommends finding a third-party solution for users still in need of system image backups, and in general it seems like a move to push users to backup their important documents to the cloud.

SOURCE Microsoft