What Is Microsoft Paint? (All You Need To Know)

If you are looking for an affordable, yet useful, digital art program, you have most likely considered using Microsoft Paint, but you may not know much about it. 

Furthermore, if this is the case, you will want to read this article as it will give you a bunch of tips on the basic tools that you will regularly use within the program and much more. 

What Is Microsoft Paint In [currentyear]?

Microsoft Paint is a program that allows its users to create basic graphic art in [currentyear]. Furthermore, this program has been included with every version of Microsoft Windows since it was originally created. Additionally, there are all sorts of basic functions for drawing and painting, along with many stencils and tools to choose from. 

If you are interested in learning more about Microsoft Paint, such as how to use it, some of the basic tools it has, and more, you’ll want to read on!

How Do You Use Microsoft Paint?

In order to use Microsoft Paint, you, of course, will need to locate the application, and you can do so by clicking the Windows key on your keyboard.

Next, you can use the search bar to find the application quickly; just simply type in “paint” and your computer will do all the work for you.

From there, you will find the Paint desktop app, which has a paint pallet and brush on it. Click on the application, and a new window will be opened on your computer’s screen.

Then, the first thing you will want to do when you are inside of the application is reviewed the toolbar, which is at the top of the Paint window.

There you will find all of the options that can be used to interact with the Paint canvas.

From the toolbar, you can also select your primary color and add it to the “Color 1” box. This is the color that you’ll use when using the left mouse button on the canvas.

However, if you do not like any of the provided colors on the pallet, you can create a custom color by clicking “Edit Colors” in the upper-right corner of the window.

Furthermore, after you have selected your primary color, you’ll want to select a secondary color by adding any color to the box labeled “Color 2”. 

You will be able to use this color by right-clicking on your canvas. 

Then, when you have your colors settled, you’ll want to pick your brush type. Do this by clicking the “Brushes” option at the top of the Paint window. 

There are also many different shapes and pencil options to choose from and you can even adjust the size of them using the “Size” option right next to the colors that you have chosen.

Therefore, to draw, simply click on your canvas with either your right or left button on your mouse, depending on the color you choose, and drag it across your canvas. 

However, if you would like to fill an entire section in with color, you will want to use the tool called “Fill With Color”. 

Once this option is selected, click the portion of the canvas you wish to fill. 

Additionally, you can either use the left or right button on your mouse to do this, it all depends on the color you wish to use.

Do You Need To Have A Subscription To Use Microsoft Paint?Also, something good to know about filling certain sections of your canvas with color is that if you have the canvas divided, only the section in which you click will be filled with color.

Whereas, if your canvas is completely blank, or contains no full sections, your entire canvas will be filled in when you use this tool. 

However, if you have made a mistake, there is no need to fear, as you will be able to erase any part of your canvas that you choose.

Furthermore, to do this, click on the pink eraser within the toolbar, then click and drag the eraser over the portion of your canvas that you want to erase.

By the way, the eraser tool will use your secondary color, so you may need to reset the secondary color to white, or the color of your drawing’s background color before erasing. 

If you want to create a shape, first select a color to use as your shapes outline by clicking “Color 1”, then if you want to fill the shape with a color, click the “Color 2” box and then choose a color. 

Next, find a shape that you want to use within the “Shapes” section of the toolbar; you can scroll up and down to see all of the available shapes.

Then, once you have you have selected your preferred shape, you can choose how thick your outline is by again, clicking on the “Size” selection.

Additionally, you can move your shape around the canvas by simply clicking on it and dragging it around it.

Plus, you can even add text to your canvas, by clicking on the “A” in the tools section of your window.

With this, you can choose where your text is on the canvas, the size, and the color. You can even bold your text, underline it, and put it in italics.

Furthermore, there are countless other things that you can do with this application, so, you will want to explore the window and find out what else you can accomplish with it.

Do You Need To Have A Subscription To Use Microsoft Paint?

Fortunately, as long as you have a windows compatible computer, you will have no need to have any sort of subscription to use Microsoft Paint. 

So, you should be able to access it on your computer, completely free of charge.

Are There Better Alternatives To Microsoft Paint?

Microsoft Paint is a simple graphics editor that is integrated into all versions of Microsoft Windows. 

The program does, however, have weak capabilities as a picture editor and drawing program, and if you need to use a program like this often, you may require a more professional program. 

Furthermore, listed here are a few of the best options that you may want to look into:

  • The best cross-platform offer: Pinta
  • For professional needs: Krita
  • Perfect for beginners: IrfanView

A few more options to choose from are listed here:

  • Drawing
  • Paint.NET
  • Paint 3D
  • Paint 98
  • GIMP
  • Inkscape
  • CorelDraw
  • MyPaint

To know more, you can also read our posts on Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Delve, and Microsoft DirectX.

Conclusion 

Microsoft Paint is a simple digital art editor that is included with all versions of Microsoft Windows. Furthermore, the program has so many options and tools to choose from and has become one of the most used applications in the earlier versions of Windows.

Additionally, this program allows you to create the digital art of your dreams in a much simpler way than other programs that are currently on the market. 

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Marques Thomas

Marques Thomas graduated with a MBA in 2011. Since then, Marques has worked in the retail and consumer service industry as a manager, advisor, and marketer. Marques is also the head writer and founder of QuerySprout.com.

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