FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

This FAQ is up-to-date as of the release of this version of Paint.NET. The most up-to-date version is online.

Where's the Crop tool?

Right under your nose. Simply select the area you want to crop by using one of the selection tools. You can then move, resize, or rotate the selection by using the Move Selection tool (2nd row, 2nd column). Finally, click on the Image → Crop to Selection menu item.

Why aren't Windows 98 or ME supported?

These legacy operating systems are not supported for many reasons. First is that it would require us to do extensive testing on each older version of Windows. We don't have the time, the equipment, or the older copies of Windows to test with. Second is that it would radically complicate our installation process, which is complicated enough as it is. Third, it would also compromise the quality of Paint.NET on the versions of Windows that we do currently support by requiring us to reduce or limit functionality. We use features of Windows that aren't available unless you have at least Windows 2000 or even XP. One of these features is the ability to consistently use Unicode (as opposed to ANSI) character and strings, a prerequisite for rich text compatibility and international support. Other features are related to security, performance, and reliability.

What about Windows Vista support?

Paint.NET v2.5 should work on Windows Vista, but we can't fully guarantee its stability since we have not had the opportunity to test with it yet. Also, we are planning on including Vista-specific enhancements in future versions.

Why can't I scan or print?

There are three possible reasons. One is that you're using Windows 2000. We use WIA v2.0 (Windows Image Acquisition) for our printing and scanning functionality, and this is a system component that is not available unless you have Windows XP SP1 or later installed.

Second, if you can't scan, then maybe your scanner doesn't support WIA. You can check to see if you scanner supports WIA by verifying that it shows up in the "Scanners and Cameras" control panel. Some scanners or cameras require that special software or drivers be installed before they work with WIA.

Lastly, if you are running Windows Server 2003 you should know that the Windows Image Acquisition system service is not enabled by default. Simply set it to "Automatic" and it should work.

I already have .NET 2.0 installed, why does Paint.NET say that .NET 1.1 is required?

The first thing to understand is that the various versions of the .NET Framework are designed to be installable together in a side-by-side fashion. If you have both .NET 1.0 and .NET 1.1 installed and run a program that was built to run on .NET 1.0, then it will use the .NET 1.0 DLL's and functionality even though .NET 1.1 is present. Newer versions of .NET do not necessarily supercede older versions. Quite often functionality is added or changed in newer versions and it's very important to us that Paint.NET functions in exactly the way we designed it to.

The confusing part for the user is that installing .NET 2.0 does not install .NET 1.1 or 1.0. With other redistributable packages, such as DirectX 9.0, you are actually installing all the previous versions as well. .NET uses a different type of versioning that is alien for most users (and many developers) at this time.

Because of all this, we can't yet predict how Paint.NET will behave if it is run with .NET 2.0. It may run fine for the most part, or maybe it will behave oddly, crash, or worse. Because we prefer that Paint.NET run reliably for users, we require that .NET 1.1 is installed even if .NET 2.0 is already there. If you already have .NET 2.0 installed, you simply need to install .NET 1.1 as well. It will not erase or corrupt your .NET 2.0 installation.

Our v2.6 release, planned for mid-January 2006, will be built on .NET 2.0 and will also have native support for 64-bit processors and operating systems.

When will a native 64-bit or "x64" version be made available?

Our v2.6 release is scheduled to add this and should be available in mid-January 2006.

What benefits will the 64-bit version bring?

If you have a 64-bit compatible processor and operating system installed, you will see increased performance and the ability to work with larger images with getting an "Out of Memory" error.

Will it ever be ported to Mac OS, Linux, or any other operating system?

We will not be porting Paint.NET to any other operating system. However, if anyone else would like to do so we'd be glad to post a link on our download page.

Why can't I load or save icons (.ico files)?

Icons are meant to hold multiple images of various dimensions and color depths. Paint.NET is meant to work with single images composed of multiple layers that are exactly the same dimensions and only with the 32-bit color depth. So Paint.NET would make an awful icon editor. Check out Axialis IconWorkshop instead.

Is Paint.NET free?

Yes, Paint.NET is indeed free. It started off as a school project, and we want to leave it open as long as we work on it.

Will Paint.NET ever replace Paint in Windows?

There are no plans to include Paint.NET with Windows. But you can always download it, for free, from our website.

Is Paint.NET based off of the Paint code?

No. Paint.NET was written from the scratch and is completely separate from Paint in every way except for its name. Any similarity between the two is on purpose, and is neither accidental nor the fault of legacy code.