- Microsoft releases redesigned Paint app for Windows 11.
- The app has a new interface retaining the same look and feel as before.
- The dark mode option is not yet available.
The new Paint app is now available for download through the Microsoft Store for Windows 11 devices enrolled in the Dev Channel of Windows Insider Program. (See also this hands-on video at the Pureinfotech YouTube channel.)
The new app is the same as the classic version. However, it includes an interface overhaul using the new design elements of Windows with rounded corners, acrylic effect, and new iconography.
Perhaps the most noticeable change is the new simplified toolbar that replaces the ribbon menu. The toolbar features a fresh design with new icons, a rounded color palette, and a new set of drop-down menus for tools such as brushes, stroke size, and flip and rotate controls.
Aside from the interface update, there isn’t much new about the app. The only other thing that’s new is the toolbox to insert text, which includes a modern design and floats in the area you are inserting the text.
The File menu is the same as before, but it now looks like the context menu design that follows the design language of Windows 11. The View menu includes the options that show the ruler, gridlines, status bar, and the full-screen option.
Microsoft teased the app before with support for dark mode, but the support isn’t yet implemented in this release.
You can download the redesigned Paint app from the Microsoft Store, but it will only download if the computer is enrolled in the Dev Channel.
Alongside the new Paint, Microsoft has been updating many of its in-box applications, including the Calculator, which has been rewritten in C#. You will also find the new Clock app that now comes with Focus sessions. The new Photos app comes with a lot of tweaks. There’s a new Snipping Tool that combines the classic Snipping Tool and Snip & Sketch. And there are updated versions for the Get Started, Tips, and Mail & Calendar apps.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].