How to Use the Paint App on Windows: Beginner’s Guide

Microsoft Paint has been on Windows computers for decades, and many people still think of it as a toy. The current version is more capable than its reputation: it has natural-media brushes, transparency, layers on recent builds and quick photo tools. It is not a professional painting program, but it is fast, free and already installed.

This guide walks through how to use the Paint app step by step: what each tool does, how to draw, color, edit images and add text, the most useful shortcuts and how to save in the right format. If you outgrow it, our guide to the best digital painting apps for Windows shows where to go next.

What Does the Paint App Do?

Paint is a simple raster image editor. “Raster” means it works with pixels, like a digital sheet of graph paper. You can use it to:

• Draw and paint freehand with a mouse, touchscreen or pen
• Create simple diagrams, icons and illustrations with shapes and text
• Crop, resize, rotate and flip images and screenshots
• Annotate screenshots with arrows, highlights and notes
• Fill areas with color and pick colors from existing images
• On recent versions, work in layers, remove image backgrounds and save with transparency

Features vary slightly by Windows version and app updates. If you do not see a tool mentioned here, check for updates in the Microsoft Store.

Step 1: Open Paint and Set Up the Canvas

1. Click Start, type Paint and open the app.
2. A blank canvas appears. To change its size, go to Image > Resize and skew or press Ctrl + W, choose Pixels, and enter the width and height. A size like 1920 x 1080 suits screen images; larger sizes give more room for detail.
3. Untick “Maintain aspect ratio” if you want to change width and height independently.
4. Use the zoom slider in the bottom right, or hold Ctrl and scroll, to zoom in and out.
5. Turn on rulers and gridlines from the View menu if you want guides for alignment.

To work on an existing picture, choose File > Open or drag an image file into the Paint window.

Step 2: Learn the Toolbar

Step 3: Draw and Paint

Choose a brush

Click the Brushes dropdown. You will typically see options such as:

• Brush: standard round brush
• Calligraphy brushes: angled strokes with thick and thin variation
• Airbrush: spray effect
• Oil brush: thicker, textured strokes
• Crayon: waxy texture
• Marker: semi-transparent strokes that build up
• Natural pencil: soft, grainy line
• Watercolor brush: translucent, soft strokes

Pick colors

1. Click a color in the palette to set it as your primary color.
2. Right-click to set the secondary color, used when you draw with the right mouse button.
3. For a custom color, click the edit colors or color wheel button, choose a hue or enter RGB or hex values.
4. Use the color picker to sample a color from the canvas.

Paint

• Drag with the left mouse button to paint with color 1, or the right button for color 2.
• Change the size slider for thicker or thinner strokes.
• On touchscreens and pen-enabled devices, you can draw directly on the screen. Paint supports pen input, and some brushes respond to pen pressure on supported hardware.
• Undo mistakes with Ctrl + Z, redo with Ctrl + Y.

Step 4: Use Shapes and Lines

1. Click a shape in the Shapes panel.
2. Set the Outline (solid, crayon, marker, oil, natural pencil, watercolor or none) and Fill (solid color, texture or none).
3. Drag on the canvas to draw the shape. Hold Shift while dragging to make perfect circles, squares or straight lines.
4. While the shape is still selected, you can resize it by dragging the handles or change its color. Once you click elsewhere, it becomes part of the image.

The Curve tool lets you draw a line and then bend it by dragging once or twice, useful for smooth arcs.

Step 5: Fill Areas with Color

1. Draw a closed outline with the pencil, brush or shapes.
2. Choose the Fill tool and a color.
3. Click inside the outline.

If color floods the entire canvas, there is a gap in your outline. Undo, zoom in, close the gap and try again. The Fill tool works best with hard-edged pencil or shape outlines; soft brush edges can leave a fringe of unfilled pixels.

Step 6: Add Text

1. Click the Text tool (the “A” icon).
2. Click and drag on the canvas to create a text box.
3. Choose font, size, style and color from the text toolbar.
4. Choose a transparent or opaque background for the text box.
5. Type, then click outside the box to place it.

Text becomes part of the image once placed, so check spelling before clicking away. On versions with layers, add text on its own layer to keep it editable for position.

Step 7: Select, Move, Crop and Resize

Selecting

• Rectangular selection: drag a box around an area.
• Free-form selection: draw around an irregular shape.
• Select all: Ctrl + A.
• Invert selection: selects everything except your current selection.
• Transparent selection: makes the background color in your selection transparent when moving it.

Moving and copying

Drag the selection to move it. Hold Ctrl while dragging to make a copy, or use Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V.

Cropping

Select the area you want to keep and click Crop, or press Ctrl + Shift + X.

Resizing

Use Resize and skew (Ctrl + W) to scale by percentage or pixels. Enlarging small images makes them blurry or blocky; shrinking is safer.

Step 8: Use Layers and Background Removal (Recent Versions)

Newer versions of Paint include a Layers panel and a Remove background tool.

Layers

1. Open the Layers panel from the toolbar.
2. Click the plus icon to add a new layer.
3. Draw on the new layer without affecting others.
4. Drag layers up or down to change their order, hide them with the eye icon, or adjust opacity where available.

A simple layered workflow: sketch on layer 1, outline on layer 2, color on layer 3 placed beneath the outlines.

Remove background

Open a photo, click Remove background, and Paint attempts to isolate the main subject. Results are best with clear subjects on simple backgrounds. Save as PNG to keep the transparency.

Some versions also include AI image generation features. Availability depends on your region, device and account, so these may not appear on every PC.

Step 9: Save and Export

Use File > Save as and pick the format. For drawings, PNG is almost always the right choice. On versions with layers, Paint may offer a project format that keeps layers; otherwise, exporting flattens the image.

Useful Paint Keyboard Shortcuts

Simple Projects to Practice

• Annotated screenshot: paste a screenshot (Ctrl + V), add arrows with the Shapes tool and text labels.
• Pixel art: zoom in heavily, turn on gridlines and use the Pencil at size 1.
• Greeting card: use shapes, the watercolor brush and text.
• Coloring page: open a line drawing and fill areas with the Fill tool.
• Simple landscape: paint a gradient sky with the airbrush, hills with shapes, then add trees with the oil brush.

Quick Fixes for Common Paint Problems

• The toolbar is missing: the window may be too narrow. Maximize Paint so all tool groups appear.
• Fill colors the whole picture: there is a gap in the outline. Zoom in, close it with the Pencil and fill again.
• Pasted image is bigger than the canvas: Paint may ask to enlarge the canvas. Accept, then crop or resize afterward.
• Text looks blurry after saving: you probably saved as JPEG. Save as PNG instead.
• Moved selection leaves a white hole: that is the background color filling the gap. Turn on transparent selection, or work on layers in newer versions.

Limitations to Know

• Brushes are basic compared with dedicated painting apps; blending and smudging tools are limited.
• Pressure sensitivity is limited compared to full painting software.
• No advanced selection tools, adjustment layers or custom brush creation.
• Text and shapes become pixels once placed, unless kept on a separate layer.

For serious illustration and painting on Windows, a dedicated app adds pressure-sensitive brush engines, blending, custom brushes and better layer control. You can compare options in our guide to Windows painting apps for artists.

FAQs

What does the Paint app do?

Paint is a free, simple image editor included with Windows. It lets you draw, paint, add shapes and text, crop and resize images, and on recent versions use layers and remove backgrounds.

Does Microsoft Paint have layers?

Recent versions of Paint on Windows 11 include a Layers panel. If you do not see it, update Paint through the Microsoft Store.

How do I make a transparent background in Paint?

On recent versions, use Remove background or erase areas on a layer, then save as PNG to keep transparency. Older versions only support transparent selections while moving, not transparent saved files.

Can I use a drawing tablet with Paint?

Yes. Paint accepts pen input from tablets and touchscreen pens, and some brushes respond to pressure on supported hardware. Dedicated painting apps offer much finer pressure control.

How do I resize an image in Paint without losing quality?

Shrinking usually keeps quality well. Enlarging adds pixels that are not in the original, causing blur. Use Ctrl + W, choose pixels or percentage and keep “Maintain aspect ratio” ticked.

What format should I save Paint drawings in?

PNG is best for drawings, diagrams and anything with text, since it keeps lines crisp and supports transparency. Use JPEG mainly for photos.

Next Step

Paint is a quick, free way to sketch, annotate and learn basic digital drawing: pick a brush and color, use shapes and fill for clean graphics, add text, and save as PNG. Layers and background removal in newer versions make it more capable than many people expect.

When you want pressure-sensitive brushes, realistic blending and more control, explore our roundup of the top digital painting software for Windows PCs to choose your next app.