Microsoft will discontinue the Windows Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT)

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Microsoft is planning to retire its Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) and related troubleshooting tools for Windows 11. The company has announced that it will begin the depreciation process in the next major release of Windows 11 later this year.

Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) is a service designed to diagnose and fix problems with Microsoft products. It collects data from computer to help Microsoft support agents to remotely help users to fix problems on their PCs. Collects performance data, system configuration information, and error logs.

Last year, security researchers discovered a critical vulnerability in Microsoft’s support diagnostic tool. The flaw allowed attackers to install programs, create new user accounts, and access/modify/delete sensitive data stored on Windows devices. Microsoft has since issued a workaround that involves disabling MSDT in the Windows registry.

Now, Microsoft has decided to retire the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool in 2025 to help users protect their PCs from cyber attacks. However, the company says the retirement will occur gradually over the next three years.

Microsoft is retiring legacy Windows Inbox troubleshooters, such as the Keyboard Troubleshooter and Speech Troubleshooter, and the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) that runs them. Legacy Inbox Windows Troubleshooters are built-in tools that, once launched, automatically diagnose and fix common problems for a variety of Windows features, the company explained.

Microsoft announces a three-phase plan to deprecate the MSDT troubleshooter

Microsoft plans to begin redirecting certain MSDT troubleshooters to the new Get Help troubleshooting platform in the coming months. In 2024, the company will complete the redirect process and then remove the remaining troubleshooters. Finally, Microsoft will completely phase out the MSDT platform in 2025.

Microsoft noted that Windows 11 version 22H2 and Windows 10 will continue to run legacy troubleshooters. It means that the upcoming change will only impact future releases of Windows 11 and Windows 12. Microsoft recommends that IT administrators review this support page to understand the effects of the deprecation on their organization.

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