The end of 2024 arrives with a bang in the world of Windows users, as Microsoft has axed or signaled the retirement of numerous features in both Windows 10 and Windows 11. Love 'em or hate 'em, these functionality tweaks and removals define a year of change—and possibly annoyance—for users of the ever-popular operating systems. Let’s dive deep into what’s been retired, deprecated, and outright eliminated, breaking down each key update and why it might matter to you.
What’s your take? Will you miss any of the features in 2024’s “graveyard of OS functionalities”? Sound off in the comments!
Source: Neowin Every Windows 10 and 11 feature Microsoft removed or deprecated in 2024
Features Removed or Deprecated in 2024
Microsoft occasionally cuts features from its operating systems for various reasons: evolving technology, better security standards, lack of usage, or simply because they didn’t pan out. Here's the official 2024 hit-list:1. Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA)
- Status: Deprecated in March 2024
- What It Did: WSA was one of Windows 11’s flagship features, allowing users to run Android apps natively using the Amazon App Store.
- What Happened: Starting this year, you can no longer download WSA, and support for installed apps will cease after March 5, 2025. The official reasoning? Silence—though whispers claim the project's technical compatibility issues and lack of demand led to its demise. For Android enthusiasts, this feels like another unnecessary heartbreak.
- Implication: If you were relying on Android apps on your desktop for convenience or productivity, this is your curtain call to find alternatives... or switch operating systems.
2. Test Base (Azure Application Testing)
- Status: Removed in June 2024
- What It Did: Test Base was a cloud-based service helping developers test application compatibility across different Windows iterations.
- Reason for Removal: Microsoft boldly claimed that Windows 11's continuous innovation "solves most application issues,” making Test Base redundant. Developers may nod along, but losing such testing mechanisms could put unnoticed app-breaking bugs back into the wild.
3. TLS Server Authentication Certificates with Short RSA Keys (<2048 bits)
- Status: Deprecated in March 2024
- What It Did: These cryptographic keys provided server authentication through Transport Layer Security (TLS).
- Why It’s Gone: Keys weaker than 2048 bits no longer meet modern security standards. Microsoft made this change to shore up authentication security.
- Implication: If you’re still using outdated RSA configurations, you’ll need to upgrade—a good move for security but potentially frustrating for legacy systems.
4. Password Payload in MPR Notifications
- Status: Deprecated in March 2024
- What It Did: Managed password notification APIs related to logins.
- Why It Was Nixed: The API posed security risks for password exposure. A workaround policy exists—but let’s face it, most organizations really shouldn’t still be relying on these antiquated systems.
5. Microsoft Defender Application Guard (MDAG)
- Status: Deprecated in April 2024
- What It Did: MDAG isolated untrusted websites into a virtualized Microsoft Edge container for enhanced security, even offering plugins for Chrome and Firefox.
- Why It’s Gone: Muffled adoption rates and the rise of alternative browser security features made this a niche solution that Microsoft no longer saw as worth maintaining.
6. Driver Verifier GUI
- Status: Deprecated in May 2024
- What It Did: Offered a graphical management tool for troubleshooting and stress-testing Windows hardware drivers.
- What to Use Instead: The command-line tool (
verifier.exe) is here to stay, so no tears for hardcore power users. Casual users, though? Grab your CLI manual; it’s about to get text-based!
7. NTLM
- Status: Deprecated mid-year; Removal Starting December 2024
- What It Did: An older authentication protocol synonymous with early Windows server-client networks.
- Why It’s Gone: Replaced by more secure tools like "Negotiate." Keeping NTLM functional comes at a steep security cost, so it was long overdue for retirement.
8. DirectAccess
- Status: Deprecated in June 2024
- What It Did: Allowed secure remote access to corporate networks, dating back to Windows 7.
- Replacement: You’re nudged—hard—to Always-On VPN instead. DirectAccess users, don’t put off upgrading, as support is unlikely to last.
9. Adobe Type 1 Fonts
- Status: Deprecated in August 2024
- What It Did: Supported the legacy Adobe Type 1 font standard widely used in the design world.
- Reason for Deprecation: Adobe itself stopped supporting Type 1 fonts in 2023 due to incompatibility with modern workflows. Microsoft followed suit.
10. Paint 3D
- Status: Deprecated in August 2024
- What It Did: Promised to jazz up the classic Paint app with basic 3D modeling tools.
- Why It Failed: You can still install it manually for nostalgic kicks—but honestly, outside of a handful of excited pre-teens, no one really used Paint 3D.
11. Legacy DRM Services
- Status: Deprecated in September 2024
- What It Did: Managed legacy DRM-protected media down on older systems like Windows 7 and the eternally irrelevant Silverlight.
- Why It’s Gone: Good luck finding someone stuck in 2009 enough to be upset about this one.
12. Suggested Actions
- Status: Deprecated in December 2024
- What It Did: Let you create calendar invites or search for text by right-clicking and choosing context-menu options.
- Verdict: A nice idea, but ultimately underwhelming in real-world use.
What’s Driving These Changes?
Microsoft’s strategies usually fall into one of three approaches with features like these:- Security First: Features like NTLM and older cryptographic protocols are axed to align with modern security standards.
- Low Usage = High Cost: Why keep pouring resources into a feature if barely anyone uses it (hello, Suggested Actions and Paint 3D)?
- Legacy Spring Cleaning: As technologies outlive their usefulness (like Test Base or Adobe Type 1 fonts), it’s a consistent effort to minimize unneeded clutter.
What Does This Mean for Users Going Forward?
For regular users:- Stay aware of which updates auto-remove features you love (WSA stands out as a surprising departure).
- Use Microsoft’s supported replacements where possible—upgrade your authentication protocols and get familiar with VPN over DirectAccess.
- The move from NTLM impacts enterprise IT structures in big ways. Now’s the time to start modernizing infrastructure before deprecation turns into the removal phase.
- Keep adapting to Microsoft's philosophy of cloud-first and continuous innovation—legacy tools are increasingly an endangered species.
Final Thoughts
Sure, Microsoft might be pulling the plug on some (arguably niche) features, but there’s always that bittersweet pang for tech left behind. Whether you mourn Paint 3D or wave NTLM goodbye with glee, these changes signal clearly: Microsoft is focused on future-proofing Windows for a security-conscious, cloud-enabled, streamlined reality heading into 2025.What’s your take? Will you miss any of the features in 2024’s “graveyard of OS functionalities”? Sound off in the comments!
Source: Neowin Every Windows 10 and 11 feature Microsoft removed or deprecated in 2024