With 2025 less than two weeks away, it is time to recap all the features Microsoft deprecated or removed from Windows 10 and 11 in 2024. Although the list from 2024 is not as big as the one from 2023, Microsoft still deprecated quite a lot of features, so here is each one of them to give you a better look at what you can no longer use or what will soon be removed.
Table of contents:
- Windows Subsystem for Android
- Test Base
- TLS server authentication certificates with certain RSA keys
- Password payload in MPR notifications
- Microsoft Defender Application Guard
- Driver Verifier GUI
- NTLM
- DirectAccess
- Adobe Type 1 Fonts
- Paint3D
- Legacy DRM Services
- Suggested Actions
Deprecated features in Windows in 2024
Windows Subsystem for Android | Deprecated in March 2024
Starting with a big one: Android app support, a thing that used to be one of Windows 11's headline features, is now dead. You can no longer download WSA, the Amazon App Store for Windows, and any officially supported apps. However, if you have some installed, they will continue operating until March 5, 2025. While Microsoft never provided any official explanations, some developers from the WSA team later revealed that the project was doomed from the start.
Test Base | Deprecated in March 2024
Test Base, a cloud-based Azure service for application testing, is dead. On June 1, 2024, Microsoft shut down Test Base and deleted all user information, claiming that Windows 11 and its "continuous innovation" resolved "a high percentage of application compatibility issues."
TLS server authentication certificates with certain RSA keys | Deprecated in March 2024
RSA keys shorter than 2048 bits are no longer valid for certificates. Microsoft deprecated them to improve security when using certificates for authentication and cryptographic purposes.
Password payload in MPR notifications | Deprecated in March 2024
This is another security-related change in Windows 11 version 24H2 and newer. NPLogonNotify and NPPasswordChangeNotify APIs were deprecated to prevent risks of password exposure. However, since some customers might still need those APIs, Microsoft allows them to be used via a dedicated policy.
Microsoft Defender Application Guard | Deprecated in April 2024
MDAG extension was a security tool for tracking untrusted websites and redirecting them from your current browser to an isolated Microsoft Edge instance. This extension (available for Chrome and Firefox) was killed in May 2024.
Driver Verifier GUI | Deprecated in May 2024
Driver Verifier is a special component for stress-testing Windows drivers. While the verifier itself is not going anywhere, its graphical user interface is now deprecated. Microsoft suggests using the Verifier Command Line (verifier.exe) instead of the Driver Verifier GUI.
NTLM | Deprecated in June 2024
New Technology Lan Manager has been deprecated, and Microsoft says all NTLM calls should be replaced by Negotiate calls. Interestingly, despite the promise to keep NTLM around (remember, deprecation does not always mean removal), Microsoft started removing NTLM from consumer and server Windows versions in December 2024.
DirectAccess | Deprecated in June 2024
DirectAccess, a feature for remote connection to corporate networks introduced in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, is now deprecated in favor of Always on VPN.
Adobe Type 1 Fonts | Deprecated in August 2024
Adobe dropped Type 1 font support about two years ago, preventing users with certain creative apps from utilizing them. As a result, Microsoft is also deprecating Type 1 font support in modern Windows versions, and users are recommended to remove them in Settings > Personalization > Fonts.
Paint3D | Deprecated in August 2024
Paint3D was a failed attempt to make the classic Paint more modern by adding 3D capabilities in the era of Windows 10 feature updates with stupid names. Paint3D is no longer available for download from the Microsoft Store, but you can still install it on your Windows PC if you want to check out this forgotten piece of Microsoft history.
Legacy DRM Services | Deprecated in September 2024
This one is the only deprecated feature that does not affect Windows 10 and 11. The end of legacy DRM services means you won't be able to play protected content in Windows Media Player and Silverlight on Windows 7, Windows 8, and Xbox 360.
Suggested Actions | Deprecated in December 2024
Suggested Actions is the youngest feature that Microsoft killed this year. Introduced over two years ago as part of build 25115, Suggested Actions allowed you to quickly make calls, create calendar events, search using Bing, and do other stuff when highlighting text across Windows. Microsoft said Suggested actions would be removed in a future Windows 11 update.
In total, Microsoft deprecated 12 Windows features and components in 2024. Are you going to miss some of them?
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