Windows 11 update gives Paint another brush-up for its menus

Paint gets a further face-lift

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Microsoftcontinues to refine one of its oldest apps in an upcomingWindows 11update, withPaintseeing more improvements in its design for picking colors, resizing objects, and more.

While Microsoft’s recent update brought emojis toNotepadand the return ofWindows Media Player, Paint had previously seen a refreshed design to match the overall look ofWindows 11, but a dark mode is nowhere to be seen for now.

WithSun Valley 2, the first major update scheduled to come in the second half of 2022, we may see further improvements to Paint to help quickly repair or resize photos to send overWhatsApp.

But these latest changes make us wonder what could be next for Paint, or another app that’s yet to receive a similar refresh.

Analysis: Can Maps be next to see a refresh?

Now that Paint is about to see more of its context menus get a modern refresh to match its previous updates, a future update of Windows 11 looks to unify more of its older apps with its new ones soon.

With Paint,Snipping Tool, and Notepad all receiving refreshes in their design to match Windows 11, there have also been some apps that have seen a change of name.

Command Prompt recently changed to Terminal, while Groove Music also changed to Windows Media Player.

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But there are still other apps that would benefit from a refresh. Maps is a good example, with a design that looks confused, almost Frankenstein-ish that resemblesWindows 8,Windows 10, and parts of Windows 11 all in one interface.

The maps displayed in the app are all in low-resolution, so if you’re using a PC with a4Kmonitor for example, expect to see crooked lines all across your route.

The windows for choosing a route also mimic the look ofWindows 8, so if Microsoft is looking at other apps to refresh, Maps is a great candidate, especially when you look at how good the Maps app is inmacOS 12 Monterey.

But regardless, it’s encouraging to see the company constantly refine and improve its older apps for a new Windows release, and with Paint looking more like an app for 2022, hopefully we’ll see Maps see the same kind of attention soon.

ViaWindows Latest

Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he’s written a book, ‘The Making of Tomb Raider’. His second book, ‘50 Years of Boss Fights’, came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2025. He also has a newsletter called ‘Springboard’. He’s usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that’s about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.

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