Paint.NET (sometimes stylized as paint.net) is a freeware general-purpose raster graphics editor program for Microsoft Windows, developed with the .NET platform. Paint.NET was originally created by Rick Brewster as a Washington State University student project, and has evolved from a simple replacement for the Microsoft Paint program into a program for editing mainly graphics, with support for plugins.
Paint.NET originated as a computer science senior design project by Rick Brewster during spring 2004 at Washington State University. Version 1.0 consisted of 36,000 lines of code and was written in four months. In contrast, version 3.35 has approximately 162,000 lines of code. The Paint.NET project continued over the summer and into the autumn 2004 semester for both the version 1.1 and 2.0 releases.
Development continued with one programmer who worked on previous versions of Paint.NET while he was a student at WSU. As of May 2006 the program had been downloaded at least 2 million times, at a rate of about 180,000 per month.
What is paint.net?
paint.net is a free photo management program for Windows from dotPDN LLC. It ranks 1st by popularity among photo management in this catalogue. The first release dates back to 2004. It is written in C# and C++. Besides Windows, it is available for Tarqeq and Georg Wollner.
Installation and requirements
Official installers exist for 64-bit and ARM64 as EXE, MSI and Portable. The installer supports unattended (silent) installation.
Updates and version history
The current version is 5.1.12, released on March 8, 2026. 2 versions are listed since November 9, 2025, each with links to its own installer files.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 11,602,449 times. The source code on GitHub (paintdotnet/release) has 1,900 stars. Wikipedia has an article about it in 22 of our languages. On Windows it registers 20 file types, including .webp, .avif, .png, .jpg and .bmp. Similar programs include Kodi, darktable and Image Resizer for Windows.
Project description on GitHub: “Downloads for Paint.NET, such as installer EXEs and portable ZIPs”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Free to use
- Native ARM64 build for Windows on Arm
- Documented silent install
- Opens 20 file types
- Also runs on Tarqeq and Georg Wollner
- Large user base
- Mature project (since 2004)
In short: paint.net is a free photo management tool for 64-bit and ARM64 PCs. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Screenshots
Is paint.net safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
3CD861B5AF3F85BD28666D4A9017D03DE237C08AD0103EE9D92B2CD921F8C867· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Recent versions
All 2 versions ›| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.1.12Latest | March 8, 2026 | — | 64-bit ZIPARM64 ZIP64-bit ZIPARM64 ZIP |
| 5.1.10 | November 9, 2025 | — | 64-bit ZIPARM64 ZIP64-bit ZIPARM64 ZIP |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id dotPDN.PaintDotNet -echoco install paint.net -yscoop install extras/paint.netpaint.net.5.1.12.install.x64.zip /automsiexec /x {B33D3774-736A-43FD-BE83-76733BE4CB10} /qn /norestartRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Information
- Publisher
- dotPDN LLC
- Category
- Photo management
- Licence
- Proprietary (Freeware)
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/paintdotnet/release
- Written in
- C# and C++
- Interface languages
- multiple languages
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit, ARM64
- Installer
- EXE, MSI, Portable
- Other platforms
- Tarqeq, Georg Wollner
- Version
- 5.1.12
- Released
- March 8, 2026
- First release
- 2004
- Added to the catalogue
- November 9, 2025
- Versions listed
- 2
- Chocolatey downloads
- 11,602,449
- GitHub stars
- 1,900
- GitHub forks
- 56
- Website
- getpaint.net
- winget ID
- dotPDN.PaintDotNet
- Chocolatey package
- paint.net
- Scoop package
- extras/paint.net
- MSI product code
- {B33D3774-736A-43FD-BE83-76733BE4CB10}
File types it opens (20)
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is paint.net free?
Yes. paint.net is free to use.
Is paint.net safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install paint.net with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can paint.net be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Does paint.net run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
Yes, there is a native ARM64 installer.
Where can I download an older version of paint.net?
The versions page lists all 2 versions with links to their official installer files, back to November 9, 2025.
What are alternatives to paint.net?
Kodi, darktable, Image Resizer for Windows, digiKam and GIMP. The alternatives page compares them.
