getting photos into paint

Open the photo in Windows 11 Paint, make the edits, and then use File > Save as to save the entire canvas as a PNG or JPEG/JPG photo file.

Open a photo in Paint

From Paint

1. Select Start, type Paint, and open it.
2. Select File > Open.
3. Browse to the photo, select it, and click Open.
4. Use Paint’s crop, resize, text, brush, eraser, and selection tools as needed.

Paint is designed to open and edit existing image files.^1^

From File Explorer

1. Find the photo.
2. Right-click it and select Open with > Paint.
3. If Paint is not displayed, choose Choose another app, select Paint, and click Just once.

You can also copy an image and press Ctrl+V in Paint to paste it onto the canvas; Microsoft documents this Paint workflow for copied graphics.^2^

Save a Paint drawing as a photo file

1. In Paint, select File > Save as.
2. Choose:
   • PNG picture for drawings, text, logos, screenshots, or images where sharp edges matter.
   • JPEG picture for photographs with many colors.^2^
3. Select the destination folder.
4. Enter a file name.
5. Select Save.

This saves everything visible on the Paint canvas as one image file. Use Save as rather than Save when editing an existing photo if you want to keep the original unchanged.

References

1. Application card: Microsoft Paint
2. Save a chart as a picture