Microsoft is retiring 3D Viewer and removing it from Windows in 2026

Microsoft’s list of retired Windows apps is set to grow once again.

Following the retirement of Paint 3D, Microsoft has now confirmed plans to end support for 3D Viewer, a built-in utility that originally shipped with Windows 10. The company says the app will be removed from the Microsoft Store on July 1, 2026, effectively marking the end of its lifecycle.

3D Viewer has already been optional in Windows 11, but this change makes its status permanent. Users who currently have the app installed will still be able to run it, but once it is manually removed, there will be no official way to download or reinstall it.

Microsoft originally positioned 3D Viewer as a lightweight tool for viewing and making basic edits to 3D models in formats such as STL, FBX, OBJ, and GLTF. While it was never intended for professional workflows, it proved useful for quick previews and simple inspections without requiring full-featured third-party software.

As an alternative, Microsoft is directing users to Babylon.js Sandbox, a browser-based viewer that runs entirely on the web. The move reflects a broader shift in Microsoft’s Windows strategy, where web-based tools increasingly replace native utilities for niche or low-usage tasks.

For long-time Windows users, the removal of 3D Viewer follows a familiar pattern. Built-in apps are gradually being phased out as Windows evolves, often without direct replacements at the OS level, leaving users to rely on external or web-based solutions instead.