Priya Kapoor
Microsoft Paint is a simple drawing and basic image editing tool that comes standard with Windows PCs. It is not available on Macs. There are several ways to open Paint on your computer, depending on your Windows version. This paragraph will introduce some of the most common methods, including opening Paint from the Start menu, using the Run program, creating a desktop shortcut, and searching for it via the taskbar.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 11, Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10, Windows XP, Windows 95, 98 |
| Ways to Open | Click on the Windows Start button and type "Paint" in the search bar, press Enter |
| Click on the Start menu, open the "All Apps" or "All Programs" tab, navigate to "Windows Accessories" or "Accessories" and choose Paint | |
| Open Run, input "mspaint" and tap OK | |
| Start CMD, type "mspaint" and press Enter | |
| Get into Windows PowerShell, input "mspaint.exe" and hit Enter | |
| Click on the Paint icon on your desktop | |
| Create a shortcut by right-clicking on the desktop, selecting "New" and "Shortcut", input "%windir%\system32\mspaint.exe", click "Next", name the shortcut "Paint" and click "Finish" | |
| Tools | Pencil, Brush, Fill with Color, Shapes, Text, Eraser, Selection Tools, Zoom, Flip and Rotate, Stretch/Skew, Transparency Tool |
| Image Creator, Background Removal, Layers |
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What You'll Learn
Open Microsoft Paint from the desktop icon
If you have a desktop icon for Microsoft Paint, simply click on the Paint icon to open it. You can also right-click on the icon and select "Rename" in the drop-down menu to rename your shortcut.
If you don't have a desktop icon, you can create one by right-clicking on your desktop and selecting "New" and then "Shortcut." Type "%windir%\system32\mspaint.exe" (without quotation marks) into the first dialog box that opens, then click "Next." Name your shortcut "Paint" and then click "Finish."
If you're using Windows 11, you can open Paint by clicking on the Windows Start button in the lower-left corner of your screen, typing "Paint" in the search bar, and pressing Enter. You can also access Paint by opening the Start menu, navigating to All Apps, opening Windows Accessories, and choosing Paint.
For older versions of Windows, the process is similar. Open the Start menu, click All Programs, then Accessories, and finally Paint. Alternatively, you can use the Run program to access the root Paint file. Open the Start menu, type "Run" in the search bar, and click on the "Run" program. Then, input "mspaint" and tap OK.
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Use the Start menu
If you're using Windows, you can open Paint by clicking on the Windows Start button, which is located in the lower-left corner of your screen. This will open the Start menu.
From here, the exact steps may vary depending on your version of Windows. If you have Windows 11, simply type "Paint" in the search bar and press Enter. The Paint app should then open.
For older versions of Windows, the Start menu may have a tab labelled "All Programs" instead of "All Apps". If this is the case, click on the "All Programs" tab. Then, scroll down and open the "Accessories" or "Windows Accessories" folder. This folder contains system files that come standard with your PC, such as WordPad and Paint. Once you've opened the "Accessories" folder, you should be able to find and open Paint.
If you use Paint frequently, you may want to create a shortcut on your desktop. To do this, right-click on your desktop and hover over the "New" option, then select "Shortcut." In the first window that opens, type "%windir%\system32\mspaint.exe" (without quotation marks) and click "Next." Name your shortcut "Paint" and click "Finish." Now you'll have quick access to Paint from your desktop!
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Use the Run program
If you're unable to locate the Paint shortcut on your computer, you can use the Run program to access the root Paint file. To do this, follow the steps below:
- Click on the Start icon in the lower-left corner of your screen to open the Start menu.
- In the search bar at the bottom of the Start menu, type "Run" without the quotation marks.
- Click on the "Run" entry with "Desktop app" beneath it. This will open the Run program.
- In the Run program, input "mspaint" and tap "OK".
Using the Run program is a useful way to access a program's root file, especially if you've accidentally deleted its shortcut. It's important to note that older operating systems like Windows XP may have a shortcut to Run directly in the Start menu. In such cases, simply click on the Run icon to open the Run program.
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Use the Windows key
You can use the Windows key on your keyboard to open Paint. Here's how:
Firstly, ensure you are on your desktop. If you are not, you can get to your desktop by pressing the Windows key and D at the same time. Once you are on your desktop, press the Windows key on your keyboard, this will bring up the Start menu.
Now, depending on your version of Windows, you can either type "Paint" in the search bar that has appeared, or you can click on the Start button to open the Start menu and then click on "All Programs", "All Apps", or "Apps", and scroll down to find Paint. If you are using Windows 11, you can simply type "Paint" in the search bar and press Enter.
If you are using an older version of Windows, you may have to navigate to the "Windows Accessories" or "Accessories" folder by clicking on the relevant tab in the Start menu and then opening Paint from there.
Using the Windows key is a quick and easy way to access Paint without having to navigate through multiple folders or programs. It is worth noting that Paint is only included with Microsoft Windows and is not available on Macs.
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Use the Search box on the taskbar
The Windows Search box is a powerful feature that allows you to find files, applications, settings, and even web results directly from your desktop. The search box is conveniently located on the taskbar, providing a seamless way to access this functionality.
To open Paint on your computer using the Search box on the taskbar, follow these steps:
- Click on the Search box or icon on the taskbar. This will open the Search box, allowing you to start typing your query.
- Type "Paint" or mspaint in the Search box. As you type, a list of relevant results will appear, including files, applications, and settings related to your query.
- From the search results, click on "Paint" or "Microsoft Paint" to open the application.
Using the Search box on the taskbar is a quick and efficient way to access the Paint application without having to navigate through the Start menu or create desktop shortcuts. It integrates web search capabilities from Microsoft Bing, so you can get search results without even opening a web browser.
Additionally, if you use the Paint application frequently, you can pin it to your taskbar for even quicker access. To do this, simply right-click on the Paint application in the search results and select "Pin to taskbar" from the menu. This will add a Paint icon to your taskbar, allowing you to open the application with just one click.
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Frequently asked questions
There are several ways to open Paint on a Windows computer. You can:
- Type 'Paint' in the search box on the taskbar, and click Paint in the result.
- Enter the Start Menu, expand 'All Apps', open Windows Accessories and choose Paint.
- Open Run, input 'mspaint' and tap 'OK'.
- Start CMD, type 'mspaint' and press Enter.
- Get into Windows PowerShell, input 'mspaint.exe' and hit Enter.
Paint is not available on Mac. However, there are several alternative applications with similar functions, such as Paintbrush, Preview, and Tayasui Sketches. If you wish to use Paint, you can install Windows on your Mac using a Boot Camp partition and install Windows on it.
Go to Applications > Utilities and open Boot Camp Assistant. Follow the instructions in Boot Camp Assistant to create a Boot Camp partition and install Windows. Once it has finished installing, reboot your Mac while holding down the Option key and choose the Boot Camp partition when asked to choose a startup disk.
Once Windows loads, search for Paint. If you can't find it, go to the Microsoft Store app and download it. If you already have Parallels Desktop or another virtualization tool, you can launch it and search for Paint.
Yes, you can download Paint S from the Mac App Store. Paint S is an easy-to-use drawing tool and image editor with functions similar to Paint.
