MS Paint for Windows: How to Open the Paint Window and Get the App
Microsoft Paint (MS Paint) is the free image editor built into Windows. To open the Paint window, type "Paint" in Start search and select the app, or press Windows key + R, type mspaint and press Enter. On Windows 11 Paint is a Microsoft Store app with layers, transparency, background removal and AI tools; if it is missing, reinstall it free from the Paint listing in the Microsoft Store.
This guide covers the ways to open Paint, what the Paint window contains, how to paste a screenshot into it, what the modern app can do, and why Paint updates arrive through the Store instead of Windows updates.
How to open the Paint window in Windows
You can open Microsoft Paint in Windows 11 and Windows 10 in several ways, and all of them launch the same app. Pick the one that fits how you work:
- Start menu: press the Windows key, type Paint and select the Paint result.
- Run dialog: press Windows key + R, type mspaint and press Enter. The same command works in Command Prompt, PowerShell and the File Explorer address bar.
- From an image: right-click a PNG, JPG, BMP or GIF file in File Explorer and choose Open with > Paint.
- Taskbar: once Paint is open, right-click its taskbar icon and select Pin to taskbar for one-click access.
Since 2021, Paint is no longer filed under Windows Accessories in the Start menu. Microsoft gave it its own entry and a new icon when it moved the app to the Store, so look for Paint in the main All apps list, not in a folder.
What the Paint window contains
The Paint window is made of a canvas in the middle with the editing controls around it. In the current Windows 11 app you work with these areas:
- The File menu at the top for new images, opening, saving, printing and, in recent versions, Save as project.
- A toolbar with selection, crop, resize and rotate tools, pencil, fill, text, eraser, color picker and magnifier, plus brushes, shapes and the color palette.
- A Layers panel for stacking image parts, and buttons for the AI features where they are available.
- The status bar at the bottom, which shows cursor position, selection size, canvas size and the zoom slider.
Windows 10 keeps the classic Paint window with a ribbon (Home and View tabs) and fewer features. The newer tools described below require the Windows 11 version of the app. Microsoft says Paint is included in the latest version of Windows 11, so there is nothing extra to install on a current system.
How to paste a screenshot into MS Paint
Paint is still one of the fastest ways to edit a screenshot on Windows. Capture the screen, paste it into the Paint window, then crop, mark up and save it:
- Press Print Screen to capture the screen to the clipboard, or press Windows key + Shift + S to capture a region with Snipping Tool.
- Open Paint and press Ctrl + V to paste the capture onto the canvas.
- Use Crop, the text tool, shapes or the brush to highlight what matters.
- Choose File > Save as and pick PNG for sharp text and interface elements, or JPG for photos.
On Windows 11, Print Screen may open Snipping Tool instead of copying the full screen, depending on your keyboard settings. Either way, the capture ends up on the clipboard and can be pasted into Paint. For more capture options, see the fastest ways to take a screenshot on Windows.
What Microsoft Paint can do on Windows 11
Paint on Windows 11 is a basic image editor that has picked up features once reserved for paid tools. The main additions since 2023:
| Feature | What it does | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Layers | Add, hide, reorder, duplicate and merge layers for non-destructive edits | Windows 11 Paint |
| Transparency | Edit and save transparent PNG files; erasing leaves transparency instead of white | Windows 11 Paint |
| Background removal | Detects the subject and removes the background in one click, for the whole image or a selection | Windows 11 Paint |
| Generative Erase | Removes selected objects, people or text and fills in the background | Windows 11 Paint, availability varies by region |
| Image Creator | Generates three image variants from a text prompt and a style (DALL-E) | Microsoft account, internet connection, AI credits |
| Projects and opacity | Save as an editable .paint project file; set pencil and brush opacity | Paint 11.2508.361.0 or later (first released to Insiders in September 2025) |
Image Creator costs one AI credit per set of images. Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers get 60 credits per month, according to Microsoft's Image Creator support page. If you do not want AI features, you can ignore them: the classic drawing tools work offline and without an account.
How to download or reinstall Paint from the Microsoft Store
Microsoft Paint is a free Microsoft Store app, so you can reinstall it if it was removed or repair it if it no longer starts. To get it back:
- Open the Microsoft Store app and search for Paint, or open the Paint Store page directly.
- Make sure the listing is published by Microsoft, then select Get or Install.
- Launch Paint from Start once the installation completes.
If Paint is installed but crashes, go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps, select the three-dot menu next to Paint, open Advanced options and try Repair first, then Reset if Repair does not help. Reset clears the app's data and settings.
Download Paint only from the Microsoft Store. Third-party sites that offer "MS Paint downloads" are unnecessary and can bundle unwanted software. On Windows 10, the classic Paint may also be listed under Settings > Apps > Optional features, where you can add it back if it was removed.
Why Paint updates through the Microsoft Store
Paint gets updates through the Microsoft Store because Microsoft separated it from the operating system in April 2021. The change was announced with Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 21354, which said Paint "is now updateable via the Microsoft Store outside major OS updates." Snipping Tool moved to the Store in the same build, packaged together with Snip & Sketch.
The move followed the earlier move of Notepad to the Microsoft Store in 2019. It also settled a long debate about the app's future: Microsoft had once planned to replace it with Paint 3D, but classic Paint won the fight, and new Windows installations dropped Paint 3D instead.
The practical effect: new Paint features arrive in Store updates, sometimes months apart from Windows feature updates. If you block or never open the Microsoft Store, Paint can fall behind. Open the Store, go to Library and select Get updates to pull the latest version. Insiders in the Beta and Release Preview channels usually see new Paint features first.
FAQ
Is Microsoft Paint free?
Yes. Paint is included with Windows and free in the Microsoft Store. Only Image Creator uses AI credits, which Microsoft lists for Microsoft 365 Personal and Family and Copilot Pro subscribers.
What file formats can Paint save?
Paint saves common image formats including PNG, JPG, BMP and GIF. Recent Windows 11 versions can also save an editable .paint project file that keeps layers for later.
Does Paint work without a Microsoft account?
Yes. Drawing, editing, layers and saving work without signing in. A Microsoft account is needed for Image Creator, and sign-in may be required for other AI features.
Related: Snipping Tool adds text to screenshots, restore WordPad in Windows 11
I have no idea why you guys removed snipping tool and paint. When I try and load paint from the store it says my computer does not have the capacity….bullshit, i had it on there for years, WTF
PLEASE PUT BOTH BACK ON MY COMPUTER
Both Snipping Tool & Paint can be “saved’ on your system so you can continue to use them. On TenForums, Gold Member “lx07” gave simple instructions on how to save the app @ tenforums.com/software-apps/117902-snipping-tool-post1462258.html#post1462258. Another Gold Member “Bree” confirmed that this technique “works for any app that has its .exe in System32 and it’s .mui in a language sub-folder of System32. MS Paint is one example, though that no longer seems to be under threat. Another example is ‘Backup & Restore (Windows 7)’ for which you want sdclt.exe and sdclt.exe.mui. And remember, don’t put it back into System32 if/when MS remove it from Windows else the next update may remove it. Put it in any other folder you want, along with the appropriate language sub-folder. They don’t need to be in System32 to run correctly. I keep mine in an ‘Old Windows Apps’ folder.”
People use the Microsoft store? LMAO! Just like their cloud products — No thanks!
Good reply
Snip and Sketch and Paint 3D both are crap.
Hoorah! Now if they’d only move all the other things not necessary to run an OS. You can’t do it all, Microsoft. Focus on do a small number of things well.
I will miss the snipping tool. It was a simple little utility that just did that easily. Snip and Sketch is a bloated mess. It is much like the other snipping tools reviewed here (like the one you like, PicPick.)
Whether this has any use depends on whether there will be any meaningful updates for these applications, and whether they can be installed on Windows 10 versions that are out of support.
I don’t exactly expect game changers happening with Paint. If they make any big changes (UI etc) these applications will probably require recent versions of Windows 10, which makes their independence from regular updates useless.
In principle, it’s not a bad idea to make the OS more modular and allow the user more control about which updates are installed.
Isn’t this just like m$ though, break something that works perfectly fine in W7, sprinkle on a bit of nagware then turn it into a store app.
Why do we need to install Snip and Sketch to get back the Snipping Tool? That makes no sense. Why can’t they separate them? Also, when are they removing that ridiculous snipping tool is moving ad at the bottom?
Shhssss . . . I don’t know, but when one receives a salary, it looks good if some productive, meaningless work is in progress.
I checked Major Geeks and elsewhere. They have the old Paint and Snipping Tool. Maybe better to make a restore point, uninstall any existing apps and install with a “trace install” tool like SoftOrganizer.
Uploaded three files and Virus Total–all clean:
No security vendors flagged this file as malicious
13f531d3a88c3f6d0e11f4edec97910744052fc4efc48081d5b176fa7ce1bf4f
Paint and Snipping Tool – Old Versions.zip
I placed a .zip file online if folks want to work with the old; it’s sort of funny how many screenshot programs exist for download:
https://itsssl.com/dxpQ0
File @
https://mega.nz/file/o4oACL5Y#KJ1lBQ6UoFfLYKnYUkiGsd8ivg58Is6dJ1KVnNOkZbY
Notepad I don’t worry about because . . . . Ditto for the others. Many alternatives.
Thanks for Paint, it works. The snipping tool program you included is not Microsoft’s.
I got Snipping Tool from Windows 7 working on the newest build of 10 by copying the files from Windows 7, and pasting them into same location in 10. There is no stupid ad at the bottom saying its moving to slow and stupid UWP app. https://i.imgur.com/eINc6nO.png
C:\windows\system32\Snippingtool.exe
C:\windows\system32\en-us\snippingtool.exe.mui
Of course you would have to copy the different mui files if your language is not English US.
I have found out that snip and sketch are already installed on my computer system, 20H2 build 19.42.867, on 2021-01-16.
Now there is also a possibility to have a shortcut installed in the taskbar at the right ( Where the clock is) were also next to snip and sketch also in the same link is a whiteboard possibility. So it’s not two – but three in one.
I’d love to see an interview with the team responsible for fixing bugs in Paint, Calculator and Notepad!
It appears to me Microsoft – Windows Calculator version 10.2101.10.0 (64-bit) is provided both in the Microsoft Store and as part of 20H2 Windows 10 Home (x64) Version 2009 (build 19042.906). If so, it would be good to see it moved out of the operating system as well.