According to the latest update, it’s being removed from Windows 11 in an upcoming patch, and it’ll affect both Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2. With the most recent Windows 11 preview patch (KB5120998), Microsoft is finally bidding farewell to a tool that has been part of the operating system since Windows XP: the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC).
In a fresh development, the removal is set to be incorporated into the regular Windows versions when the patch gets its wider drop. The disclosure comes via Microsoft’s official drop notes for KB512098, meant for Launch Preview Builds 26100.9267 and 26200.9267.
According to the latest update, since then, the publisher has been phasing the tool out, with fresh Windows 11 installations already excluding WMIC. But with this preview patch, even existing Windows PCs will no longer have WMIC at all. Microsoft already classified WMIC as deprecated back in 2024.
The report highlights that administrators and power users could, for example, use it to retrieve devices data, BIOS information, or run processes via commands. WMIC is a command-line utility that can be used to retrieve system information and automate administrative tasks.
According to the latest update, the underlying Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), however, remains fully intact and will continue to be supported. With this patch, Microsoft is removing the wmic.exe executable file.
The report highlights that most Windows users have probably never used WMIC. For most home users, the change is unlikely to have any immediate impact.
As part of the ongoing story, after installing the patch, such commands will no longer work. Problems are most likely to arise where older management and automation scripts still rely directly on WMIC.
According to the latest update, anyone using such commands and scripts should review them and, where appropriate, switch to modern alternatives.
The report highlights that it provides access to the same WMI data and is considered even more powerful and better suited to modern automation. Microsoft suggests using PowerShell as a replacement.
According to the latest update, in this patch, Microsoft is also trialing the return of a freely positionable taskbar. Users should once again be able to place it at the top, bottom, left, or right edge of the screen. The removal of WMIC is just one of several changes in patch KB5120998.
Industry observers note that in addition, the Start menu is gaining fresh resizing options, Windows Search is being revamped, and Microsoft is integrating additional security functions such as “Administrator Protection.”.
As part of the ongoing story, for most users, the change will go unnoticed; however, anyone still using older administration or automation scripts should check and fix compatibility soon. With the end of WMIC, Windows is thus bidding farewell to yet another tool from the Windows XP era.
In a fresh development, this article originally appeared on our sister publication PC-WELT and was translated and localized from German.
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