Paint.NET 4.4 will only support 64-bit versions Windows 10 and 11
The next major version of the image editor Paint.NET 4.4 won't support the Microsoft operating systems Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 anymore.
Paint.NET 4.3.3 was released for all supported operating systems this week. The new version of the image editor is now using .NET 6, which has improved rendering and startup performance according to the author.
Paint.NET 4.3.3 includes several improvements and fixes besides that. The ARM64 version has seen a download size reduction of about 33%, installation performance has been improved by "migrating away from Nullsoft Scriptable Installer System", and Dark Theme support has been improved for Windows 10 version 1809 and newer. Three new interface languages, Thai, Corsican and Catalan, have been added as well in the new release version.
In this release, Paint.NET has been migrated to the just-released .NET 6. This comes with additional improvements for both rendering and startup performance, as well as ensuring that myself and plugin authors can develop using the latest version of the platform, including C# 10.
You can check out the full changelog on the official website. Paint.NET 4.3.3 is available as an in-application upgrade, as an upgrade through Microsoft Store, if the Store version is installed, and as a direct download from the official website.
Paint.net displays the installed version when you launch it. You may also select the question mark icon and then About to display it.
Paint.NET 4.4 outlook
A new blog post on the official Paint.NET blog provides insight on the upcoming Paint.NET 4.4 version. The upcoming version of Paint.NET makes the following changes to the program's system compatibility:
- Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 won't be supported by Paint.NET 4.4; this means, that only Windows 10 and Windows 11 will be supported going forward.
- Only 64-bit versions will be supported; this means that there won't be a 32-bit version release anymore starting with the release of Paint.NET 4.4.
New Paint.NET 4.3.x versions may be released until version 4.4 is released officially.
The main reason given for the change is that development of Windows 7 and 8.1 versions of Paint.NET has " become significantly more difficult and time consuming to support" according to the developer. Other reasons include that usage is low and that the cost of development can't be justified anymore to continue support for the operating systems.
It is unclear if pre-Paint.NET 4.4 versions will continue to work, but it seems likely that this will be the case. Bug fixes or security updates won't be released anymore though once Paint.NET 4.4 has been released.
Alternatives such as GIMP, which support Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, are available.
Now You: which image editor do you use?
Poor
Doesn’t include gamma correction
Prefer GIMP (free software)
Useful tool, and too much work for a developer to be supporting a three or four operating systems. Glad a developer decided for keeping it simple.
I don’t like the interface, but the most annoying part for me is that you can’t edit text after you entered it, how come such a basic functionality is not added yet. I’m still using Photo Filtre 7, it covers all basic editing needs.
You can “edit text after you entered it”, but there are some limitations to that, which is what I imagine you are talking about. For example, if it at least remembered the last text I entered, then that would be better.
The biggest thing I’ve found that Paint.NET has been missing, is being able to expand or contract a selection by a given pixel count. Both Photo Filtre 7 and The Gimp do that with ease.
Too bad Corel screwed up JASC PaintShop Pro. That was the best IMO. I still use it on an old Win7 32 bit box.
Paint .NET 4.4 works fine on Windows 7 lol
But also Paint .NET 4.3 versions never even supported Windows 7 officially
The marketing term “wont support” doesnt necessarily mean it does not run under win7/8. Often MS pushes devs to remove the old OSes it dont want users to use anymore from official support lists. Such announcements need to be taken with a grain ofs alt and actually tested.
This^
Obviously. Nobody stupid as you.
It was great while it lasted. I will move back to the original Paint on Windows 7.
Paint.NET 4.3.3 dent function now works perfectly for me, and is soooo fast now. I’m amazed the developer has maintained a high passion for his creation, and his ongoing nontrivial evolution toward perfection is rare to see in software development.
I know some who are still adamantly sticking with version 3.5.11 because y’know ‘if it ain’t broke’…
I consider this an advantage of not having to rely on monolithic repositories for all your applications. You can easily save and archive older versions of programs simply because of preference (or sometimes necessity) and it also allows you to setup systems without an active internet connection.
I really am a follower of the “Do not change what works fine” philosophy. So there is quite a lot of software where, having tried newer versions, I did for myself identify a LNG (“last known good”) version.
In the case of Paint.NET, I did try the 4.x versions, but found that they brought some very debatable changes in the UI department, while not (at least not for me) adding truly new functionality. So personally, I consider the 2014 Paint.NET 3.5.11 the optimal version, and that is what I will still install, even when a brand-new computer forces Windows 10 on me.
As for Windows 11, don’t worry, I won’t discuss it here.
You old, man. You old.
RIP Paint. Net. Time to avoid anything made with framework. Net.
.NET is already preinstalled in Windows since long time ago. You just never realize if a program is using a .NET or not unless the program demands the latest .NET version
It’s always used the .net framework which is OpenSource.