Some of the most basic programs on Windows computers turn out to be the hardest to find, and Microsoft Paint is one of them. Luckily, there are a variety of ways you can follow to find this program, whether you prefer simpler file-to-file navigation or the more complicated method of using the program's Run command. Even more convenient, once you find the program file, you can always create a shortcut on the desktop. Here are some ways to find the Microsoft Paint program on a Windows computer.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Searching for Microsoft Paint Programs on Computer
Step 1. Open the “Start” menu
To access Microsoft Paint, you need to go through a few steps in the “Start” menu. Open the menu by clicking the button in the lower left corner of the screen using the left mouse button.
- Regardless of the operating system version you are using, the “Start” menu will always appear in the lower left corner of the screen.
- You can also open the “Start” menu by pressing the Win key on the keyboard. While the keyboard position may vary on each keyboard, the keys are usually located in the lower-left corner of the keyboard.
Step 2. Click "All Apps"
After displaying the “Start” menu, locate the tab labeled “All Apps” in the left column of the menu and click on it using the left mouse button. A complete list of all the files or programs that you have installed on your computer will appear and one of them is Microsoft Paint.
The “Start” menu may have a tab labeled “All Programs” instead of “All Apps”, depending on the version of Windows you are using. If the "All Programs" tab is displayed, simply click on it
Step 3. Move the selector to " Windows Accessories"
On the "All Apps" menu, slide the selector down by clicking the down arrow icon on the right side of the file/program list, clicking and dragging the bar on the right side of the list downwards, or scrolling the page with the mouse or trackpad. You will need to locate the " Windows Accessories " file/folder so you will need to access the "W" segment before you can read the available options. The "Windows Accessories" folder contains the standard system files included in the operating system, including WordPad and Paint.
The "Windows Accessories" folder may simply be labeled as "Accessories", depending on the version of Windows being used. If so, click the folder or tab
Step 4. Open the “Accessories” folder
After finding the " Windows Accessories " file/folder, click the folder with the left mouse button, then scroll down until you find a file named " Microsoft Paint ". This file is your destination file!
Step 5. Select Microsoft Paint
Double-click the "Microsoft Paint" icon with the left mouse button to open the program.
Method 2 of 3: Opening Microsoft Paint Via Run
Step 1. Open the “Start” menu
If you need to open Microsoft Paint, but can't find the shortcut, you'll need to access its main file directory. Regardless of the operating system version you are using, a “Start” icon is displayed in the lower-left corner of the screen. Click the icon to open the “Start” menu.
Step 2. Run the Run program
Even if you accidentally delete a Microsoft Paint shortcut, you won't be able to remove the program from your computer. However, searching for the program's original files may be difficult. In this situation, you will need to use Run to access the main Paint file. In the search bar at the bottom of the Start menu, type "Run" (without the quotes). The top entry in the search results is labeled as "Run" with the phrase "Desktop app" below it. Click this entry to open the Run program.
- Older operating systems such as Windows XP have a Run program shortcut on the “Start” menu. For this kind of operating system, just click the Run icon to open the program.
- You can also use the search feature on the “Start” menu to search for Microsoft Paint. After that, you can create a program shortcut by right-clicking the Paint icon and selecting "create shortcut" from the drop-down menu.
Step 3. Use Run to open Paint
In the Run dialog box, type "mspaint.exe" (without the quotes) and click "OK" to search for Microsoft Paint. After a short pause, the Microsoft Paint interface will appear on the screen.
Step 4. Use MS Paint as usual
When you want to save your work, it's a good idea to choose a storage location such as the desktop so that your work or work is easily accessible.
Method 3 of 3: Creating a Microsoft Paint Shortcut
Step 1. Open the “Start” menu
To access Microsoft Paint, you need to go through a few steps in the “Start” menu. Open the menu by clicking the button in the lower left corner of the screen using the left mouse button.
- Regardless of the operating system version you are using, the “Start” menu will always appear in the lower-left corner of the screen.
- You can also open the “Start” menu by pressing the Win key on the keyboard. While the keyboard position may vary on each keyboard, the keys are usually located in the lower-left corner of the keyboard.
Step 2. Click "All Apps"
After displaying the “Start” menu, locate the tab labeled “All Apps” in the left column of the menu and click on it using the left mouse button. A complete list of all the files or programs that you have installed on your computer will appear and one of them is Microsoft Paint.
The “Start” menu may have a tab labeled “All Programs” instead of “All Apps”, depending on the version of Windows you are using. If the "All Programs" tab is displayed, simply click on it
Step 3. Move the selector to " Windows Accessories"
On the "All Apps" menu, slide the selector down by clicking the down arrow icon on the right side of the file/program list, clicking and dragging the bar on the right side of the list downwards, or scrolling the page with the mouse or trackpad. You will need to locate the " Windows Accessories " file/folder so you will need to access the "W" segment before you can read the available options. The "Windows Accessories" folder contains the standard system files included in the operating system, including WordPad and Paint.
The "Windows Accessories" folder may simply be labeled as "Accessories", depending on the version of Windows being used. If so, click the folder or tab
Step 4. Open the “Accessories” folder
After finding the " Windows Accessories " file/folder, click the folder with the left mouse button, then scroll down until you find a file named " Microsoft Paint ". This file is your destination file!
Step 5. Create a shortcut
Once you've found Paint's native application files, you'll need to create a shortcut for easy access. Right-click the Microsoft Paint icon and select "More Options" from the drop-down menu and click "Pin to Taskbar". The Microsoft Paint shortcut will be added to the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. From now on, to open Paint, you just need to click on the Paint icon on the taskbar with the left mouse button. After that, you're ready to use the app!
If you are using an older operating system (before Windows 10), right-click the Microsoft Paint icon and select "Create Shortcut" from the drop-down menu. The shortcut will be displayed on the desktop. After that, you can click and drag the shortcut icon to the taskbar
Step 6. Open Microsoft Paint from the desktop
Whenever you need to use Microsoft Paint, just click the Paint icon. You don't have to search through various program files anymore to find them!
If you want to change the name of the shortcut, right-click its icon and select "Rename" from the drop-down menu
Tips
- In general, you shouldn't be afraid of the Paint program until it completely disappears from your computer. Since this application is a system file, Microsoft Paint will not appear as a removeable application in the Control Panel program's " Add or Remove Programs " feature so it is unlikely that you will accidentally delete it.
- If you ever get to the point of deleting Paint's system files, you can always perform a system restore.
- Whenever you accidentally delete a shortcut, you can easily trace back to the original file via the search feature and create a new file following the method described above.
- The search feature and the Run program can be accessed in various ways, depending on the version of the operating system you are using. However, manually accessing MS Paint will be the same on any Windows operating system.
