Microsoft Officially Deprecates 3D Viewer App, Cut-off Date Set for July 2

Microsoft retired many of its legacy apps last year. Now, the company has started the new year by retiring another Windows app, 3D Viewer, in this case. The news comes via Windows Central, which spotted that the company has updated its list of deprecated features, which includes 3D Viewer.

3D Viewer won’t be downloadable starting July 2

Microsoft confirmed that the app will be removed from the Microsoft Store later this year, marking another step away from its short-lived Windows Mixed Reality era. For those unaware, 3D Viewer was once part of Microsoft’s Mixed Reality push.

Just to be clear, 3D Viewer is still available to download from the Microsoft Store. However, starting July 2, 2026, you won’t be able to download the app anymore. While the app won’t suddenly stop working for users who already have it installed, it will receive no future updates and will effectively be frozen in time.

Microsoft formally shut down Windows Mixed Reality in 2023, and Paint 3D, another flagship app from that initiative, was deprecated in 2024. 3D Viewer had lingered longer, especially on Windows 10, where it still comes preinstalled. Windows 11 users, however, were already required to download it manually.

Microsoft recommends a few alternatives

In the announcement, Microsoft now urges users to try alternatives. The company has recommended Babylon.js Sandbox for viewing 3D content. There’s also Microsoft’s newer Copilot 3D, which allows users to generate 3D models using AI, though it currently lives inside Copilot Labs and remains experimental.

Do you use 3D Viewer? Are you sad that it is going away soon? Let us know in the comments below.