paint.net 5.1.12 / 5.2.9793 Beta

Paint.NET is the editor you open when Microsoft Paint is too basic and Photoshop is far more than the job needs.

It is free to download and use in full, with no trial, no watermark and no account.

It runs on Windows only and needs a reasonably modern 64-bit PC, so check the requirements below first.

What Paint.NET Actually Does

Paint.NET started in 2004 as a Washington State University student project by Rick Brewster, who still develops it. The idea has not changed: an editor that opens fast and does the everyday jobs well.

Layers are the big step up from Paint. Each part of an image sits on its own layer with its own opacity and blend mode, so you can move a caption or fix one object without touching the rest.

The tools cover cropping, resizing, text, shapes, gradients, magic wand selection and a clone stamp. Effects run from blur and red-eye removal to levels and curves, and every step can be undone from the History panel.

It saves to its own layered PDN format plus PNG, JPEG, TIFF and more. Plugins for WebP, AVIF, JPEG XL and DDS come bundled, and HEIC photos open once Windows has the HEVC Video Extensions codec installed.

Free Download vs the Microsoft Store Edition

Both are the same program with the same features. The free classic edition comes from the official site and updates itself through Settings, then Updates.

The Microsoft Store edition is paid. It installs and updates through the Store, and buying it is the main way to support the developer if Paint.NET earns a place on your PC.

Paint.NET is freeware, not open source. Early versions published their code, but the program has been closed source since 2009.

What It Needs to Run

• Windows 11, Windows 10 version 21H2 or newer, or Windows Server 2022.
• A 64-bit Intel or AMD processor with AVX2, or an ARM64 processor, ideally with 4 cores or more. Chips without AVX2 still work, just slower.
• A graphics card with Direct3D 11 support.
• An SSD. A hard disk works but is slow and not supported by the developer.

You do not need to install .NET separately, because the runtime is built in.

Which File to Download

Version 5.1.12 is the current stable release. The 5.2 beta adds a faster layer engine, new effects and a new plugin system for file formats, and the developer plans the final 5.2 for November 2026.

Paint.NET vs PhotoCraft, GIMP and Krita

GIMP is the free heavyweight, with deeper tools, scripting and non-destructive filters. It takes longer to learn, so pick it when Paint.NET starts saying no.

PhotoCraft is a newer open-source editor built around a Photoshop-style workspace and PSD files. It is still early alpha, so Paint.NET is the safer pick for daily work.

Krita is made for painting and drawing with a pen tablet. If you sketch more than you crop, it beats Paint.NET easily.

Who Should Look Elsewhere

The quickest tell is your PC: a 32-bit Windows, Windows 7 or 8.1, or a Mac means Paint.NET will not install. On a Mac or Linux machine, Photon Studio and GIMP run natively.

The other tell is the job. Print work in CMYK, vector layouts or layered Photoshop files point to Affinity, which is now free.

Camera RAW files belong in darktable or RawTherapee, which edit them without touching the original.

For realistic paint brushes, Artweaver Free is worth a look.

Tools That Pair Well With It

Paint.NET edits one image at a time. For whole folders, XnConvert and FastStone Photo Resizer batch-convert and resize in one go.

The Graphics section lists every editor and converter we host. Image Viewers covers the lighter tools for simply looking at pictures.

Quick questions

Download Paint.NET 5.1.12 and see how it handles your images, or tell us how you got on if you have used it before.