First look at Windows 11's updated Paint application

Microsoft is working on updates for several of Window's native application. Paint is one of the applications, and the new version of the basic image editor is now being rolled out to devices that are on the Windows 11 Developer channel.

Microsoft Paint has been the default image editor on Windows for a long time. Microsoft tried to replace it with Paint 3D, a year after the release of Windows 10, but kept Paint around, and even moved it to the Microsoft Store.

Microsoft published a post on the Windows Insider blog about the new Paint application this week. The company notes that the redesigned app is a "modern spin on the classic app" that "matches the new visual design of Windows 11".

Paint, and not Paint 3D, comes with a "simplified toolbar with updated icon designs, a rounded color palette, and a new set of drop-down menus for tools such as brushes, stroke size, and flip/rotate controls" Microsoft writes.

The redesigned app includes a new text tool, which users may access with a click on the A-button in Paints interface.

The interface of the new Paint application looks like a modern version of the classic Paint application for the most part. Compared to the classic version, most icons are still available in their original location. The main difference are updated designs, the color option icons are rounded now and no longer squared.

Gone is the ribbon interface bar. If you selected the text option in classic Paint, Paint would switch to the Text tab automatically. In the new Paint, options to change the font type, size and other parameters are displayed in a small bar underneath the main toolbar of the application. Paint is still paint for the most part though.

Ultimately, the redesigned Paint app is still Paint, a limited image editor that many users will replace with a program that is more powerful. Free alternatives such as GIMP or Paint.net are available, as well as commercial applications such as Adobe Photoshop.

Microsoft did not reveal if the new Paint application will come to Windows 10 as well, or if it will remain a Windows 11 exclusive.

First look at Windows 11's updated Paint application