Clip Art By Microsoft Has Been Laid To Rest

Microsoft is getting rid of Clip Art -  the iconic collection of images known for their whimsy and ease of insertion into Microsoft Word and Powerpoint. As an alternative, the company is pointing users to use Bing search. 

In a blog post, Microsoft announced that it's shuttering its Clip Art library in favor of Bing Images, where users can now download royalty free images to use in their works/projects.

"Usage of Office's image library has been declining year-to-year as customers rely more on search engines," the blog post said announcing the death of the characters that won over hearts and minds in schools and offices around the world in the 1990s and early 2000s, ABC News reported. 

For years, Microsoft's Clip Art library has been a go-to solution for inserting quick art in Word document or Powerpoint presentation. However, the Internet gradually eliminated the need for software to ship with bundled art and Microsoft itself had already migrated its collection of Clip Art to an online portal. 

Microsoft added that Bing Images will provide "higher quality images that are more up-to-date." It cited the example of what Clip Art cell phones look like compared to more modern images.