Microsoft has quietly closed another chapter of Windows history by retiring a clutch of familiar apps — Internet Explorer, Paint 3D, Movies & TV (storefront), Groove Music’s streaming service, and the legacy Mail app — each disappearance reflecting a larger strategy to consolidate services, cut maintenance overhead, and push users toward fewer, more unified experiences.
Microsoft’s pattern of retiring apps is both deliberate and pragmatic. Over the past decade the company has consolidated overlapping services (web browsers, music storefronts, media players, and simple productivity apps) into a smaller set of flagship products: Microsoft Edge, Outlook (new), and a tighter set of Store/Windows experiences. That strategy reduces fragmentation and packaging costs, but it also forces transitions for users, breaks some long-standing workflows, and raises questions about digital ownership and backward compatibility.
The timeline of the most salient retirements discussed here is clear: Internet Explorer was formally retired as a desktop browser in mid‑2022, with its compatibility mode living on inside Edge; Paint 3D was removed from the Microsoft Store in November 2024; Groove Music Pass streaming ended around the end of 2017 with playlist migration support to Spotify; Microsoft ended support for the classic Mail/Calendar/People apps on December 31, 2024; and Movies & TV storefront purchases and rentals were closed to new sales on July 18, 2025. These dates are not guesses — Microsoft and multiple independent outlets recorded these transitions, and community reporting has tracked their effects. (blogs.windows.com, support.microsoft.com, learn.microsoft.com, pcgamer.com, blogs.windows.com, support.microsoft.com, support.microsoft.com, learn.microsoft.com, blogs.windows.com, learn.microsoft.com, blogs.windows.com, pcgamer.com, RIP to these 5 Microsoft apps
Background
Microsoft’s pattern of retiring apps is both deliberate and pragmatic. Over the past decade the company has consolidated overlapping services (web browsers, music storefronts, media players, and simple productivity apps) into a smaller set of flagship products: Microsoft Edge, Outlook (new), and a tighter set of Store/Windows experiences. That strategy reduces fragmentation and packaging costs, but it also forces transitions for users, breaks some long-standing workflows, and raises questions about digital ownership and backward compatibility.The timeline of the most salient retirements discussed here is clear: Internet Explorer was formally retired as a desktop browser in mid‑2022, with its compatibility mode living on inside Edge; Paint 3D was removed from the Microsoft Store in November 2024; Groove Music Pass streaming ended around the end of 2017 with playlist migration support to Spotify; Microsoft ended support for the classic Mail/Calendar/People apps on December 31, 2024; and Movies & TV storefront purchases and rentals were closed to new sales on July 18, 2025. These dates are not guesses — Microsoft and multiple independent outlets recorded these transitions, and community reporting has tracked their effects. (blogs.windows.com, support.microsoft.com, learn.microsoft.com, pcgamer.com, blogs.windows.com, support.microsoft.com, support.microsoft.com, learn.microsoft.com, blogs.windows.com, learn.microsoft.com, blogs.windows.com, pcgamer.com, RIP to these 5 Microsoft apps
