Customizing File Associations: Overriding Ms Paint Defaults

MS Paint is a built-in image editor for Windows 10. However, some users have reported issues with opening images in MS Paint, receiving an error message stating that they will need a new app to open this ms-paint. This issue appears to be caused by a conflict between MS Paint and Paint 3D, another built-in Windows image editor. In this paragraph, we will explore the solutions that users have found to resolve this issue and override MS Paint as the default image-opening application.

Reinstall and re-register the app

To reinstall MS Paint on Windows 10 or 11, your computer should be running Windows 10 version 22000.0 or higher.

First, you need to uninstall the app. To do this, go to the Start menu and type "Apps & features" in the search box. Find the Paint app in the list, click on it, and then click the "Uninstall" button.

Once the app has been uninstalled, you can reinstall it. Go to the Microsoft Store and search for "Paint". Click on the app and then click the "Get" button to install it. If you don't see the "Get" button, you can use the Microsoft Store links generator by RgAdguard to download the file and install it manually.

If you want to reinstall the classic Paint app that was included with Windows 7, you can download it from https://win7games.com/#mspaint. Once you have installed the classic Paint app, you can set it as the default app for opening image files by right-clicking on an image file, selecting "Open with" and then "Choose another app". Select the classic Paint app and then click the "Always" option.

If you are having issues with the Paint app, you can also try resetting or repairing it without having to uninstall and reinstall it. To do this, press Win + I to open Settings. Go to Apps > Apps and Features, find the Paint app, and click on it. Then, click on the Advanced Settings link and click the "Repair" button. You can also click the "Reset" button, which will remove all user data.

Remove 'Edit with Paint 3D' from the context menu

If you want to remove the "Edit with Paint 3D" option from the context menu in Windows 10, you can do so by editing the Registry. Here are the steps you can follow:

• Backup Your Registry: Editing the registry can cause irreversible damage to your installation if not done correctly. It is recommended to make a full backup of your PC or create a System Restore Point before proceeding.
• Open the Registry Editor: Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command. Type "regedit" and click OK to open the Registry Editor.
• Navigate to the .jpg Key: Browse the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\SystemFileAssociations\.jpg\Shell. This path is specifically for ".jpg" files. If you want to remove the option for other image formats, replace ".jpg" with the appropriate file extension (e.g., ".png" or ".bmp").
• Delete the 3D Edit Key: Right-click on the "3D Edit" folder key and select "Delete." If you think you might want to restore this option in the future, right-click on "3D Edit" and select "Export" to create a backup of the key before deleting it.
• Confirm the Deletion: Click "Yes" to confirm the deletion. Once you've completed these steps, the "Edit with Paint 3D" option should no longer appear in the context menu for the specified image format.

It's important to note that the Paint 3D app is a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app, and these apps don't take parameters in the same way that typical .exe programs do. This is why the "`Open With`" option doesn't work for Paint 3D. Removing the "Edit with Paint 3D" option from the context menu is a way to declutter your right-click menu if you don't use this feature.

Change default photo viewer settings

If you're using Windows 10, MS Paint may have set itself as the default app to open all photos. This can be frustrating if you prefer to use another app to view your photos. Luckily, you can change the default photo viewer settings in Windows 10 by following these steps:

Step 1: Check Your Default Settings

Before making any changes, it's a good idea to first check which app is currently set as the default photo viewer. To do this, right-click on any image file and select "Open with." The app that is currently set as the default should be listed first. If you don't see your preferred app listed, you can try selecting "Choose another app" to see a list of all available options.

Step 2: Change the Default App

If MS Paint is set as the default and you want to change it, you can do so by going to Settings > Apps > Default Apps. Here, you will see a list of different file types and the apps that are associated with them. Scroll down until you find the "Photo viewer" or "Images" section. Click on the current default app (which should be MS Paint) and select the app you want to use instead from the list of options.

Step 3: Choose Specific File Extensions

In some cases, you may find that MS Paint is only set as the default for certain file extensions, such as .png or .jpg files. To change this, follow the same steps as above, but instead of selecting "Photo viewer" or "Images," scroll down and locate the specific file extension you want to change. For example, if you want to change the default app for opening .jpg files, find .jpg in the list of extensions and select the desired app from the options provided.

Step 4: Create a Shortcut for Your Preferred App

To make accessing your preferred photo viewer even easier, you can create a shortcut to the app on your desktop. To do this, open the Start menu and locate the desired app. Right-click on the app and select "Create shortcut." You can then drag and drop the shortcut to your desktop for quick access. Alternatively, you can use the Run program to access the root file of the desired app and create a shortcut that way.

By following these steps, you should be able to successfully change the default photo viewer settings in Windows 10 and override MS Paint when opening image files.

Use Powershell to remove Paint 3D

If you want to remove Paint 3D from your Windows 10 PC, you can do so by using Powershell.

First, open the Start menu by pressing the Windows key on your keyboard, then search for Powershell. Right-click on Powershell and select "Run as administrator". Running Powershell as an administrator is important, otherwise, the commands you run may fail.

Next, type or copy-paste the following command to remove Paint 3D:

PowerShell -Command "Get-AppxPackage -allusers *Microsoft.MSPaint* | Remove-AppxPackage"

After executing the command, the app will be removed from your PC. However, you may still see the "Edit with Paint 3D" option when you right-click on an image file. If you want to remove this entry from the context menu, you will need to perform additional steps.

First, run the following command to list all provisioned apps:

Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online

Copy the list of provisioned apps into a text file for reference. Then, go through the list and identify the apps you want to remove. For example, to remove the "Edit with Paint 3D" entry, you would use the following command:

Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | Where-Object DisplayName -In | Remove-ProvisionedAppxPackage -Online

Replace "DisplayName" with the specific entry you want to remove, such as "Edit with Paint 3D".

By following these steps, you can completely remove Paint 3D and its associated entries from your Windows 10 PC using Powershell.

Edit the per-user registry

Editing the per-user registry can be done through the Windows Registry Editor (Regedit.exe or Regedt32.exe). This is a hierarchical database used in Windows 98, Windows CE, Windows NT, and Windows 2000 to store information necessary for configuring the system for one or more users, applications, and hardware devices.

To edit the per-user registry, first, export and back up the registry keys you plan to edit. This will allow you to restore the registry to its previous state if any problems occur.

Next, open the Registry Editor and navigate to the relevant folder. Each folder in the navigation area of the Registry Editor represents a predefined key on the local computer. For per-user settings, you will likely be working with the HKEY_CURRENT_USER (HKCU) key, which contains subkeys related to user preferences and settings.

Once you have located the key you wish to edit, right-click on it and select "Modify" or double-click on the key to open the value data field. Make the desired changes to the key, ensuring you follow any specific instructions provided by Microsoft or other reliable sources for your particular use case.

After making your changes, restart your computer for them to take effect. Remember that incorrect modifications to the registry can cause serious problems, so always exercise caution and follow official instructions when editing the registry.

Frequently asked questions