Whether you’ve never opened Microsoft Paint before or you’ve used it for years and suddenly hit a wall, this guide has you covered. Paint is one of the simplest tools built into Windows, but between finding your way around its interface and the occasional crash or save error, it’s easy to get stuck.
Quick answer: If you’re new to Paint, jump to How to Open Microsoft Paint to get started. If Paint won’t open, keeps crashing, or won’t save your file, skip straight to Common Paint Problems and How to Fix Them — most of these issues take under five minutes to resolve.
How to Open Microsoft Paint in Windows
Paint comes pre-installed on every version of Windows, so there’s nothing to download. You can open it in three different ways, depending on what’s most convenient.
From the Start Menu
Click the Start button, type “Paint” into the search bar, and press Enter. This is the fastest method for most people and works identically on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Using the Run Command
Press Windows key + R to open the Run box, type mspaint, and press Enter. This method is especially useful if the Start menu search is slow to respond, or if you’re comfortable with keyboard shortcuts and want the quickest possible route.
From File Explorer (Opening an Image Directly)
If you already have an image you want to edit:
- Open File Explorer and navigate to the image file
- Right-click the file and select Open with
- Choose Paint from the list of available apps
This opens Paint with your image already loaded, skipping the step of creating a new canvas and importing the file separately.
Getting Started: The Paint Interface Explained
When Paint opens, you’ll see a few key areas:
- The ribbon at the top holds all your tools, organized into tabs like Home and View
- The canvas in the center is your working area, where your image or drawing appears
- The color palette near the top lets you pick a primary and secondary color for your tools
- The status bar at the bottom shows your current canvas size and zoom level
If you’re on Windows 11, you may also see a Layers panel and an AI tools section in the ribbon, both newer additions that aren’t present in the classic Windows 10 version of Paint.
Essential Paint Tools and How to Use Them
Here’s a quick reference for the tools you’ll use most often:
| Tool | What It Does | Quick Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Pencil | Draws precise, single-pixel-width freehand lines | Best for fine detail work, not broad strokes |
| Brush | Draws with adjustable thickness and style | Try different brush styles for texture and shading |
| Eraser | Removes parts of your drawing | Adjust the eraser size before starting for more control |
| Fill With Color | Fills an enclosed area with your selected color | Make sure the area is fully closed, or the fill will leak into the rest of the canvas |
| Text | Adds text with adjustable font, size, and alignment | Click once to place a text box, then type directly into it |
| Selection | Selects part of the image to move, copy, or resize | Use rectangular selection for simple crops, free-form for irregular shapes |
Drawing Tools (Pencil, Brush, Eraser)
These three tools form the core of Paint’s freehand drawing. The pencil is best for sharp, thin lines; the brush lets you choose a style and thickness for broader strokes; and the eraser works exactly like you’d expect, with an adjustable size so you can correct small mistakes without erasing more than needed.
Fill With Color and the Color Palette
Select a color from the palette, choose the Fill tool, then click inside any closed shape to fill it instantly. If the color spills outside the shape you intended, it usually means there’s a small gap in the outline — zoom in to find and close it before filling again.
Text, Shapes, and Selection Tools
The Text tool lets you click anywhere on the canvas to add a text box, with options for font, size, and alignment in the ribbon. The Shapes tool offers rectangles, circles, lines, and arrows, all resizable by dragging the corners after placing them. The Selection tool is what you’ll use to move, copy, resize, or crop any part of your image.
Resizing and Cropping an Image
Go to the Resize option in the Home tab to change your image’s dimensions, either by percentage or by exact pixel values. To crop instead of resize, use the Selection tool to highlight the exact area you want to keep, then select Crop from the ribbon — everything outside your selection is removed.
Useful Keyboard Shortcuts in Paint
A handful of shortcuts can speed up your workflow significantly:
- Ctrl + Z — Undo your last action
- Ctrl + Y — Redo an action you just undid
- Ctrl + S — Save your file
- Ctrl + N — Start a new, blank canvas
- Ctrl + A — Select the entire canvas
- Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V — Copy and paste a selection
Common Paint Problems and How to Fix Them
If Paint isn’t working the way it should, the fixes below resolve the vast majority of issues without needing any outside tools.
Paint Won’t Open or Crashes Immediately
- Restart your computer first — this alone resolves many temporary glitches
- Go to Settings > Windows Update and install any pending updates, since several Paint bugs are fixed through routine system updates
- If Paint is installed through the Microsoft Store, open the Microsoft Store > Library > Get updates to make sure you’re on the latest version
“This App Can’t Open” or Missing After System Restore
Microsoft has documented a specific issue where Paint and other Store-installed apps can stop working correctly after a System Restore, sometimes showing a “This app can’t open” message, failing to respond, or appearing more than once in the Start menu.
- Try opening Paint again first, since this sometimes resolves itself on the next launch
- If it still fails, reinstall Paint from the Microsoft Store
- Run Windows Update afterward to make sure the reinstalled version is fully up to date
This addresses the underlying app registration problem directly, which is more reliable than trying to manually copy or move Paint’s program files.
Can’t Save or Export an Image
This is one of the most common Paint frustrations, and it’s usually caused by one of these:
- Check if the file is read-only. Right-click the file, select Properties, and uncheck Read-only if it’s selected, then try saving again — this resolves most “cannot save” errors on the first try
- Try a different file format. If saving fails in one format, switch between JPG, PNG, and BMP to see if the format itself is the issue
- Run Paint as administrator. Right-click the Paint app and select Run as administrator, which resolves many permission-related saving problems
Repair or Reinstall Paint (Windows 11)
If Paint is installed but behaving erratically, Windows 11 includes built-in repair tools that fix most issues without a full reinstall.
- Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps
- Find Paint, select the three-dot menu beside it, and choose Advanced options
- Select Repair and wait for it to complete
- If the problem continues, return to the same page and select Reset instead, which resets the app to its default state
If neither Repair nor Reset resolves the issue, reinstall Paint completely by opening Windows Terminal, PowerShell, or Command Prompt and running:
winget install --id 9PCFS5B6T72H --source msstoreThis reinstalls Paint directly from the Microsoft Store using its official package ID.
Where to Get Official Help if the Problem Persists
If none of the steps above resolve your issue, Windows includes a built-in path for reporting Paint-specific bugs directly to Microsoft:
- Press Windows key + F to open the Feedback Hub
- Search for an existing report matching your issue, or select the category for Apps > Paint
- Describe exactly what happened, including the specific steps that cause the problem
- Include your Paint version, Windows version, and device type
A useful report is specific rather than general — for example, stating whether the crash happens when opening a PNG, using the Layers panel, saving a project, or using one of the AI tools, rather than simply noting that “Paint is broken.” The more precise the report, the more useful it is both to Microsoft and to your own troubleshooting if you search for the issue online afterward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why won’t Paint open on my Windows computer? This is usually caused by a pending Windows or Microsoft Store update, or a temporary app glitch that clears with a restart. If restarting and updating don’t help, repairing or resetting the app through Settings > Apps > Installed apps typically resolves it.
How do I fix “This app can’t open” for Paint? This message is often linked to a known issue where Store-installed apps stop working correctly after a System Restore. Reinstalling Paint from the Microsoft Store and running Windows Update afterward resolves this in most cases.
Why can’t I save my image in Paint? The most common cause is the file being marked as read-only, which blocks Paint from overwriting it. Right-click the file, open Properties, uncheck Read-only, and try saving again — this fixes the majority of save errors immediately.
Is Microsoft Paint still available in Windows 11? Yes. Paint remains built into Windows 11 and has been updated with newer features like Layers and AI-powered tools such as Magic Select, in addition to all its classic drawing and editing tools.
How do I reinstall Paint if it’s missing or broken? The fastest way is running winget install --id 9PCFS5B6T72H --source msstore in Windows Terminal, PowerShell, or Command Prompt, which reinstalls Paint directly from the Microsoft Store using its official package.
What’s the difference between Repair and Reset in the Paint app settings? Repair attempts to fix app issues without erasing your settings, and is worth trying first. Reset goes further by restoring the app to its default state, which resolves more stubborn issues but may clear any saved preferences.
Can I use Paint to resize or crop a screenshot? Yes. Use the Resize option in the Home tab to change dimensions by percentage or exact pixel values, or use the Selection tool followed by Crop to keep only a specific part of the image — both are quick, built-in ways to prepare a screenshot without any extra software.
Once you’re comfortable with Paint, it’s worth knowing your way around the rest of your Windows setup too. If you scan documents regularly, our guide on connecting a scanner to Windows walks through getting a scanner recognized and ready to use. And if printing issues come up alongside your Paint or scanning work, see our guide on how to fix a printer showing offline.