Microsoft Paint 11.2605.81.0 for Windows

Paint 11.2605.81.0 is Microsoft's free raster graphics editor for Windows, a component of the system since 1985. It usually comes preinstalled, and if it is missing you can download Paint for Windows again from Microsoft Store.

About Paint

Paint first shipped in November 1985 and has been part of Windows ever since, which makes it one of the longest-lived Windows programs. For decades it was the tool for a quick sketch, a crop, a resize or an arrow on a screenshot. The modern version is distributed as an app through Microsoft Store, so it gets updates separately from Windows, and Microsoft publishes new features for testers in the Paint release notes for Windows Insiders. It remains a raster editor: it works with pixels, suits simple drawings, screenshots and small corrections, and opens the common image formats. It is not meant for professional photo retouching or vector illustration, and it does not try to be. Its value is that it opens instantly, needs no learning and is already on almost every Windows PC. The catalogue lists the package at about 722.25 MB, which is more than most people expect from Paint.

Who it suits

• Anyone who needs to crop, resize or annotate a screenshot quickly.
• Children drawing on a PC for the first time.
• Office users who add arrows and text to images for a document.

Who needs something more

• Photographers who retouch images; a full photo editor fits better.
• Designers who work with vector graphics or print layouts.

How to install or reinstall it

1. Open Paint in Microsoft Store.
2. Click Install or Get; if Paint is already installed, the Store offers to update it.
3. If the app misbehaves, follow Microsoft's guide to uninstall and reinstall Paint.

Everyday tasks it handles well

Paste a screenshot with Ctrl+V, select the area you need and crop to it. Use the resize option to make a photo small enough for email or a form upload. Add text or a simple shape to point at a detail in an image. Save a copy in PNG for screenshots with text and in JPEG for photos, and keep the original file untouched in case you need to start again.

If Paint is missing

On some Windows installations Paint is an optional app that can be removed. If you cannot find it in the Start menu, search for it in Microsoft Store; installing it again takes a minute and restores the familiar shortcut.

Requirements

Paint is a Windows app; the Microsoft Store listing shows which Windows versions the current release supports.

Safety and price

Paint is free. Get it only from Microsoft Store; installers of "Paint" offered on other sites are not from Microsoft and may bundle unwanted software.

Pros and cons

• Pro: free and usually preinstalled.
• Pro: opens instantly, no learning curve.
• Pro: updated through Microsoft Store.
• Con: basic tools only.
• Con: not suited to photo retouching.

Alternatives

For more advanced editing, our site lists GIMP, Photoscape, Adobe Photoshop and Paint 3D; for screenshots, Snipping Tool.