Microsoft is killing off several legacy features and services in a future release of Windows 11, and the list is huge. It includes big names like WordPad, Steps Recorder, and Windows Driver Verifier GUI. Microsoft has quietly confirmed that it’s also killing off the Driver Verifier GUI (verifiergui.exe), but the tool will remain available via the command line.
In an update to the support document, Microsoft confirmed that it would remove the GUI (verifiergui.exe) in a future release of Windows. It’s unclear if the interface to access Driver Verify is going away with Windows 11 24H2, but I don’t think that is the case because the app still exists in the near-final preview builds.
You can still use the driver verifier feature through the command line, but remember that the command syntax isn’t easy for everyone to understand.
As shown in the above screenshot, the GUI offers several advanced features, such as creating standard settings, custom settings for developers, deleting existing settings, displaying current settings, and showing information about verified drivers.
When driver verifier GUI will be removed in the next Windows Update, you will need to use command-line commands, such as verifier /standard to create standard settings and verifier /reset to delete settings.
Windows Driver Verifier isn’t a mainstream tool. You have probably never used the app, but in the past, people relied on the driver verifier app to reset driver settings and patch Blue Screen of Death errors when playing games like Fortnite.
More legacy features going away: psr.exe (Steps Recorder), Defender Application Guard for Edge
Driver Verifier GUI isn’t the only feature that is being depreciated this year.
Microsoft is killing off several tools, including the Windows 7-era Steps Recorder, which allows you to record the screen. While the app was originally developed for troubleshooting purposes, people have been using Steps Recorder as a lightweight screen recording tool on Windows.
As you can see in the screenshot above, Windows 11 24H2 phases out the Steps Recorder app and urges everyone to explore alternatives like the Clipchamp web app and Snipping Tool, which includes a built-in screen recorder.
Similarly, Windows 11 24H2 also removes WordPad and encourages everyone to use NotePad or MS Word.
Microsoft has no plans to publish these retired apps to the Windows Store, so you’ll need to manually save a copy of the legacy apps (including their executables) to keep using them in Windows 11.
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