How to open Microsoft Paint
You can use the MS Paint feature on a Windows PC to draw on either a blank canvas or an existing image. Microsoft Paint is one of those programs that can be difficult to locate, as can some of the most straightforward ones. Fortunately, there are several methods for finding Microsoft Paint, whether you like a straightforward file-to-file search or a little more complex Run commands. Even better, after you identify the file, you can always make a shortcut to it on your desktop. Here are a couple of methods for finding the Microsoft Paint application.
There are 3 methods to open Microsoft Paint on our PC:
- Finding Microsoft Paint on Your Computer
- Opening Microsoft Paint with Run
- Creating a Shortcut for Paint
Method 1: Finding Microsoft Paint on Your Computer
Step1: Open the Start menu.
To access Microsoft Paint, click the button with your left mouse button in the lower-left corner of your screen. We can also click on the win button on the keyboard to open the start menu.
Step2: Click on "All Apps".
Click on the “All Apps” tab with the left mouse button. You will be given a thorough list of every file you have installed on your computer, including Microsoft Paint, when you do this. If your start menu has a tab called "All Programs" rather than "All Apps" depending on the version of Windows you are using, click that button.
Step3: Scroll down to "Windows Accessories".
Click and drag the bar to the right of the files downward, use your mouse or trackpad to scroll down, or click the downward-facing arrow to the right of the files to go down the "All Apps" menu. You must locate the "Windows Accessories" file.
In some cases, "Windows Accessories" may just be referred to as "Accessories" depending on the version of Windows you are using; in this instance, click the "Accessories" file.
Step4: Open your Accessories folder.
Click the "Windows Accessories" file with your left mouse button once you've located it, then scroll down to the "Microsoft Paint" file. This is the file you want to open.
Step5: Select Microsoft Paint.
Double-click the "Microsoft Paint" icon with the mouse to start the program.
Method 2: Opening Microsoft Paint with Run.
Step1: Open the Start menu.
Step2: Open the Run program.
Even if you unintentionally delete a shortcut, the real program is still present on your computer; nonetheless, it can be challenging to locate the file. In this instance, the Run program will be used to retrieve the primary Paint file. In the search field at the bottom of the Start menu, type "Run". The word "Run" should appear at the top, followed by the words "Desktop program." This entry can be opened by clicking it.
Run will often have a shortcut in the start menu of older operating systems like Windows XP; in this instance, all you need to do is click on the Run icon to launch the Run program.
Step3: Use Run to open Paint.
Enter "mspaint.exe” in the Run dialogue box and then click "OK" to locate Microsoft Paint. This ought should launch the Microsoft Paint interface after a brief delay.
Step4: Use MS Paint as usual.
Consider saving your creation to your desktop because it makes accessing it the simplest when you go to save it.
Method 3: Creating a Shortcut for Paint.
Follow the same steps (step1 to step4) from Method 1, “Finding Microsoft Paint in your Computer” part and after that follow the below steps.
Step 5: Create a shortcut.
Now that you've discovered the original Paint file, you must create a shortcut for convenient access. Click "Pin to Taskbar" after selecting "More Options" from the context menu when you right-click Microsoft Paint. The taskbar at the bottom of your screen will now have a shortcut to Paint; moving forward, all you'll need to do to open Paint is left-click the Paint icon there.
If you're using a version of Windows that is older than 10, you must instead right-click Microsoft Paint and choose "Create Shortcut" from the drop-down menu. You can choose to click and drag the shortcut icon from your desktop to your taskbar after the shortcut has appeared there.
Step6: Open Microsoft Paint from your desktop.
You don't need to search through all of the other application files to find the Paint icon if you decide you'd want to use Microsoft Paint; just click on it!
Right-click your shortcut and choose "Rename" from the drop-down menu if you want to change its name.
