Microsoft formally announces death of MSDT in Windows 11 Moment update, Windows 12, beyond

Last month, we reported that the end of Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) was getting closer, as an MSDT retirement banner was spotted inside a Windows 11 Dev Channel build. We speculated that the reason behind the change was to make upcoming Windows versions, like next gen Windows 11 and Windows 12, more secure.

Microsoft has now formally made the announcement. Although we already knew that MSDT would be retired in 2025, thanks to that retirement banner we talked about before, Microsoft has now provided more details regarding the matter. The company has explained that it will be a gradual phase out process. Explaining what MSDT and the legacy Windows troubleshooters do, the Redmond giant has provided a timeline for the retirement phase out process, which starts this year and lasts till 2025.

On a support document regarding the matter, the company writes:

Microsoft is retiring the Windows legacy inbox Troubleshooters, such as Keyboard troubleshooter and Speech troubleshooter, and the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) that runs them. The legacy inbox Windows Troubleshooters are built-in tools that, when launched, automatically diagnose and correct common problems for a variety of Windows features. MSDT Troubleshooters will be deprecated in the next Windows 11 release, with the date to be determined.

The estimated deprecation timeline will take place over the next three years:

• 2023 – Begin redirecting some of the troubleshooters to the new Get Help troubleshooting platform

• 2024 – Complete the troubleshooter redirection and remove the rest of the roubleshooters

• 2025 – Remove the MSDT platform

Microsoft has confirmed that that Windows 11 22H2 will go unaffected which means future Windows 11 Moment feature updates, Windows 12, and beyond will lack MSDT and its functionalities. You can find more details about MSDT retirement and its associated troubleshooters in this support article.

Microsoft formally announces death of MSDT in Windows 11 Moment update, Windows 12, beyond