Microsoft Deprecates Maps, More in Windows 11

Microsoft deprecates and removes features from Windows 11 more aggressively now, and the Maps app is an obvious candidate. But the software giant is also deprecating an important security feature in all but the most recent version of Windows 11, too, and that one is curious.

“Maps is deprecated and will be removed from the Microsoft Store by July 2025,” the Microsoft Learn site explains. “At this time, there will also be a final update to the app from the Store that makes it nonfunctional. If you remove the app before July 2025, you can still reinstall it from the Store, but past July 2025 you won’t be able to reinstall it. You’ll be able to uninstall the app at any time. Any personal data or files you have saved, such as guided navigation or URLs to maps, won’t be removed, but they’ll no longer function in the Maps app past July 2025. Maps is no longer preinstalled with Windows starting with the Windows 11, version 24H2 release.”

Tied to that, Microsoft also deprecated the Windows UWP Map control and related Windows Maps platform APIs for developers.

“Going forward, Azure Maps will combine the best of Bing Maps for Enterprise and Azure Maps,” Microsoft Learn notes of this change. “If your solution uses the Windows UWP Map control, look to move to an Azure Maps-based replacement within one year of this deprecation notice rather than the end date for the entire Bing Maps for Enterprise platform.”

But this one is … unexpected.

Microsoft says that VBS (virtualization-based security) enclaves are being deprecated on Windows 11 version 23H2 and earlier versions of Windows, while support for this important security technology will continue for Windows 11 version 24H2 and later. One of the big selling points of Windows 11 when compared to Windows 10 is its enhanced security functionality, and while that was mostly hot air in 2021, it’s turned into a real advantage over time. But now Microsoft is bifurcating Windows 11 security too, and newer versions are more secure than older versions. (Which, granted, will go out of support eventually anyway.)

VBS Enclaves entered the spotlight in mid-2024 in the wake of the CrowdStrike outage. This technology uses the underlying security hardware in a modern PC–Microsoft Proton or a newer generation TPM–and the Windows Hypervisor to create a root of trust for the OS in an isolated virtual environment. VBS Enclaves are at the heart of Microsoft’s “Zero Trust” methodology, and it’s perhaps best known as being the basis for the protections built into Windows Hello ESS (Enhanced Sign-In Security) and Recall (and, no, this wasn’t added later, it was always part of the plan. In short, it’s part of the foundation of the Windows 11 security defaults, alongside Secure Boot and TPM 2.0.

So … why remove VBS enclave support from Windows 11 version 23H2 and older?

Microsoft doesn’t explain this, but it’s likely just a scheduling thing. f you look at the Windows 11 product lifecycle page on Microsoft Learn, you can see that 23H2 exits support in November. Windows Hello ESS has been around for a few years, but it went mainstream with the first wave of Copilot+ PC that were released–with 24H2–in mid-2024. So this is most likely just about supporting the latest security features on new PCs, which are all shipping with 24H2 anyway. And 23H2 is on the way out.

Something similar is happening with Windows Server, too. Microsoft notes that VBS enclaves are being deprecated on Windows Server 2022 and earlier versions of Windows Server, while support for VBS enclaves will continue for Windows Server 2025 and later. That is a bit harder to explain given that Server 2022 is supported through 2031 (with extended support, the mainstream support end date is in 2026). But the core client and Server codebases are still aligned, and perhaps that plays a role.