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Paint.net 4.3.8 is likely the last version for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1

Martin Brinkmann
Feb 20, 2022
Windows software
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20

The developer of the popular Paint.net image editor has released Paint.net 4.3.8 to the public on February 16, 2022. The new version marks the end of the 4.3.x branch of the application and support for Microsoft's operating systems Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.

The next major version of the image editor, Paint.net 4.4, will support 64-bit or ARM devices running Windows 10 and later only. While there is a chance that a bug fix release will become available before Paint.net 4.4 is released, users of the application who use it on Windows 8.1 or older devices won't be able to upgrade to Paint.net 4.4 once it is released by the developer.

Paint.net 4.3.8 installs fine on all supported devices. Users can download the latest version from the project website or the Microsoft Store. Paint.net users may also select the question mark icon in the Paint.net interface and then about to display the current version of the application and run a check for updates.

Paint.net 4.3.8 improves the performance of certain operations in the application. The change log mentions "greatly improved performance" for the Line/Curve and Shapes tools, and "improved performance" for the Move Selected Pixels tool when using Bicubic resampling.

Users of the image editor find a new command to toggle the layer visibility menu either by selecting Layers > Toggle Layer Visibility, or by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-Comma.

The remaining changes fix various issues in the application or update plugins that it uses to provide certain functionality. The most notable fix addresses a performance bug in the canvas renderer that caused tiles to be copied more often to the GPU than necessary. Another fix patches a "small memory leak" in the application.

Closing Words

Work on Paint.net 4.4 has started already and users who use the image editor on Windows 7 or 8.1 machines have two main options once it is released: either stick with the last release version, which will never be updated again, or switch to another image editor. Free image editors like GIMP continue to support older versions of Windows. While it seems likely that support will end eventually as well, switching to these ensures that the image editor receives updates until that happens.

Updates may introduce support for new image formats and features, but also fix critical issues or security vulnerabilities.

Now You: which image editor do you use?

Summary
Paint.net 4.3.8 is likely the last version for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1
Article Name
Paint.net 4.3.8 is likely the last version for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1
Description
The developer of the popular Paint.net image editor has released Paint.net 4.3.8 to the public on February 16, 2022. It is likely that last version to support Windows 8.1 or older.
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Ghacks Technology News
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Comments

  1. RIP said on July 7, 2023 at 2:56 am
    Reply

    WHY CAN’T WE GET Microsoft Store FOR WINDOWS 7!!!!

  2. PainWare said on February 23, 2022 at 11:12 am
    Reply

    I got cought off-guard thinking Paint was a freeware SW but MS page want’s me to pay, albeit a very small sum, to be able to download Paint, is that correct?

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on February 23, 2022 at 12:19 pm
      Reply

      Only the Microsoft Store version is paid to finance development. The standalone version is free.

  3. leland said on February 21, 2022 at 8:46 pm
    Reply

    Thank you. The last free version I knew of was 6.5.3 so this is a step up.

    1. Tom Hawack said on February 21, 2022 at 9:48 pm
      Reply

      @leland, I use PhotoFiltre 6.5.3 as well, it’s the first one I had installed, kept it together with version 7, latest free version indeed, far more elaborated than 6.5.3 and didn’t consider updates from there on. It’s good software.

  4. matthiew said on February 21, 2022 at 2:35 am
    Reply

    Why are comments now hidden on Ghacks? It’s kind of annoying that I have to click on a button when we never had to before.

    1. hurdy-gurdy_news said on February 22, 2022 at 10:05 am
      Reply

      It is dying day by day since sold. Expect by the end of the year just a sponsored tech news hurdy-gurdy like so many others, with no readers interaction.

  5. ULBoom said on February 20, 2022 at 9:39 pm
    Reply

    Topaz Studio is my current big hitter. Affinity Photo before that. Affinity is more like GIMP or PhotoShop; Topaz Studio is much easier to use but not as complete.

    Otherwise, most free image viewers such as Irfanview or Faststone will do quite a bit of editing, fine for quick day to day use.

  6. Tom Hawack said on February 20, 2022 at 12:57 pm
    Reply

    I’ve been using since always PhotoFiltre Free Edition version 7 [http://www.photofiltre-studio.com/pf7-en.htm]
    Certainly far, very far from what elaborated image editors such as paint.net provide but fulfills my modest requirements. Was installed 2015-03-03 :=) PhotoFiltre Studio has upgraded and far more developed and paid versions now : [http://www.photofiltre-studio.com/present-en.htm]. !!! Domain is not secured !!! : no drama but should be (secured, not a drama!).

  7. Henk said on February 20, 2022 at 12:28 pm
    Reply

    What’s the problem here? If you like Paint.NET and have an older system, just keep the version that you have.

    Besides, new versions are not always better overall. Often when developers add something, you also lose something: and occasionally, looking back, what you lost may be worth just about as much as what you gained. Yes I mostly use a 64-bit Paint.NET 4.3.7 nowadays, but I still look back with affection to the good old version 3.5.11 of about nine years ago, which was perhaps the best balanced of them all. If tomorrow I were forced to go back to that version, it wouldn’t really mind.

    I guess all successful applications follow more or less the same life span: at first there is a “wonderful” stage of continuous and essential functional improvement, then follows a kind of “optimum” phase when they’re really at their best, with still a few welcome refinements, and finally there is always a stage of “disguised decline” with mainly (though sometimes necessary) platform modernizations and ever more bloat.

    You see this cycle everywhere, from operating systems (guess when the optimum phase was with Windows) to utilities (guess when the optimum phase was with CCleaner) and so on: so Paint.NET is just following its natural course…

    And maybe this very same stage theory applies to websites and blogs, too?

    1. ULBoom said on February 20, 2022 at 9:32 pm
      Reply

      I’m always a month or so behind on Windows updates. They seem to follow a similar pattern every two weeks:
      1. Put it out there and see what happens.
      2. Customers do QA and may find big problems or not.
      3. Fix the problems or not and release again or not with a new KB number.
      Dismal strategy but what it is. Captive markets result in crappy products.

      Easy to understand how a developer can become bored, sometimes there’s no good option but a paid one.

      Oh, yeah, NT 3.51.
      :)

    2. Paul(us) said on February 20, 2022 at 2:17 pm
      Reply

      Henk, well-written sensible opinion.
      I always try to wait quite a while before I install a newer version. This is because I want to understand whether it’s bling-bling or a real upgrade, that the main system can handle.

    3. Tom Hawack said on February 20, 2022 at 1:06 pm
      Reply

      @Henk, nothing to add, or very little : I entirely agree. I’m always surprised by negative reactions on the ground of new versions developed with restrictions (OS, free/paid etc…). And also that newer is not always better, or at least that if older suit our needs then no problem whatever. But above all, any critic (especially bad ones) without its argument is hopeless. I get to wonder if desperate souls wander around searching for the first opportunity to release a chronic frustration.

      1. encryptedspankbank said on February 21, 2022 at 3:56 pm
        Reply

        Wow we’re going psychoanalysis for the moment. For me it’s saxual repression. A lack of intimacy, lack of support, a lack of belonging, a lack of accomplishment. I can confidently shill for Brave and spread FUD and troll Mozilla but what’s going behind the screen is a very broken and sad person who yearns for a more fulfilling life.

        -IH

      2. Tom Hawack said on February 21, 2022 at 5:39 pm
        Reply

        Saxual repression, you mean you’re forbidden to play the saxophone? Poor fellow. I get the idea : tough attitudes because life is tough but a sweet guy otherwise. Maybe lack of confidence. People love you, don’t worry, I don’t know who quite frankly but there must be someone. This shared introspection is good, keep on doing so, everything which comes out stops damaging the inside. Liberate your soul. That’ll be 500 peanuts.

        @Martin, so sorry for carrying on off-topic. Sometimes a helpin’ word, a bit of compassion prevails. Back to technology

  8. toe_head2001 said on February 20, 2022 at 8:54 am
    Reply

    This headline is absolutely false; there will be more releases in the 4.3.x branch.
    Rick Brewster explicitly said as much here: https://twitter.com/rickbrewPDN/status/1494145423652515843

  9. TheSomeone said on February 20, 2022 at 8:26 am
    Reply

    Is Pinta avaiable for Windows?

  10. Anonymous said on February 20, 2022 at 8:08 am
    Reply

    RIP Paint.NET. Switching to GIMP.

    1. Claymore said on February 20, 2022 at 5:54 pm
      Reply

      Try Krita :)
      https://krita.org

      1. encryptedspankbank said on February 21, 2022 at 3:41 pm
        Reply

        Kritas is very good.. but nothing can beat Adobe CS6

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