If you've been using PCs all your life and have recently switched to a Mac, you wouldn't miss a lot. But you've probably felt that there is one missing program which has inadvertently won the hearts of PC users worldwide — Microsoft Paint.
It's true that objectively MS Paint is not the best raster graphic editor around. It's clunky, slow, not accessible to beginners, and at the same time doesn't offer enough for pro-level users. Still, Windows Paint might be the most widely used graphic software around. And lots of people wish there was Paint for Mac as well.
Is there Paint for Mac? Well, not really. Official Microsoft Paint for Mac doesn't exist. But there are in fact more accessible alternatives that allow you to do better things and present much less of a learning curve at the same time. One of them is already installed on your Mac by default, only that its toolkit is hidden inside the app called Preview.
Apr 03, 2014 Many of these answers here are pretty dated now and there have been a few much better Paint alternatives released for Mac. The other problem with a lot of the suggestions so far is that because they’re not updated very often so they break with each update to OS X. In fact, there’s a hidden paint program on your Mac computer that has been sitting right under your nose this whole time, and a recent pose will show you how easy it is to find.
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Is There Microsoft Paint For Mac Online
Best MS Paint Alternatives For Mac
Since its inception, Mac has been the operating system of choice for creative enthusiasts and professionals around the globe. So it's no wonder that macOS is the primary destination for the best new drawing, painting, image and video editing, and sketching applications.
As mentioned above, beginning your journey with Preview will cover all your basic needs that Windows Paint used to do. To get a specific result, you can try apps with more to offer, such as Tayasui Sketches for painting or Capto for working on images.
Annotate and edit images with ease
Not everyone knows that Mac's default Preview application is not only an image viewer but also provides a basic painting and annotating toolkit that's just enough for it to be a decent substitute for Microsoft Paint for Mac. Here's how to access it.
- Right-click on any image and choose Open With > Preview
- Locate the marker icon in the upper-right corner of the app window
- Click on it to open all available tools
All the tools in Preview are fairly close to what you used to see in MS Paint. There are three broad functionality groups separated by vertical dividers: selection, creation, and modification.
Using Preview is just as intuitive as it was with MS Paint. Let's say you want to draw a circle around an object on one of your images to bring someone's attention to it:
- Select the Sketch tool (third from the left)
- Simply draw around the object. By default Preview will autocomplete the shape you've drawn, getting it to a perfect oval, square, or triangle. You can, however, choose to keep the line freehand by selecting such option from a small pop-up menu.
- If you want to modify your line, choose Shape Style (fourth from the right) to pick the appropriate line thickness and Border Color (third from the right) to alter the color of the line itself
- And yes, Preview has the bucket tool as well. If you've drawn an enclosed shape, you can select the Fill Color tool (second from the right) and choose to fill your object with any color.
Just like that feel free to explore all the other tools Preview has to offer, such as Shapes, Text, Sign, Adjust Color, etc. We guarantee you won't miss MS Paint one bit.
But why limit yourself in the first place? Since you're switching to a new platform altogether, pick the tools that will serve you in any situation, such as producing a high-quality tutorial, for example. For this, you'd need a more powerful app, such as Capto.
Unlike Preview and Windows Paint, which offer bare-minimum functionality in terms of annotating your images, Capto is the top app for recording your screen, whether it's just grabbing a screenshot or making a video, and modifying all the resulting files afterward.
Starting with Capto couldn't be easier:
- In the app's Organizer window, where all Capto's images and videos are kept, you can either grab a new screenshot using the tools in the top bar (Screen, Area, Window, etc.) or import any image you already have on your Mac just by dragging and dropping it onto the app's window.
- To modify an image, double-click on it to open
- Choose the tool you need from the left-side bar. Beside the basic tools you might be familiar with from MS Paint and Preview, Capto features more advanced ones, such as Spotlight, Numbering, Blur, and Callout.
- To use a Numbering tool, for example, simply select it from the menu, choose the Type, Style, and Color, and leave the sequence of numbers on your image by clicking on the appropriate locations
Try any other features offered by Capto in a similar way. This app is indispensable in nearly any line of work when we think about the easy ways of explaining to our colleagues how to do something. Taking 45 seconds to create a quick tutorial on Capto can save you hours of walking around the office or endless instant messages.
One of the best features of Capto, and one of the ones you wish Microsoft Paint for Mac would have, is its extensive sharing capabilities. As the app is mostly used to show someone how to do something, you also need an easy way to send the explanation to them.
To share your creation with Capto:
- When you're done with your image, click Share in the top-right corner of the app's window
- By default, you have a selection of Mail, Messages, or AirDrop. Choose one of these or click Configure for more options.
- In the new menu, select one of the options you'd like to set up, from Dropbox to your own server, and follow the login instructions on the right. Now you'll be able to share images from Capto through your favorite platform in no time.
Finally, don't forget that Capto goes beyond images and lets you record, edit, and share video tutorials as well. The process is largely the same. Just choose Record from the top menu bar to start, use the same tools to edit, and share in the preferred way you've set up above.
Paint at any level right from the get-go
When it comes to drawing and painting, a lot of people are used to MS Paint mostly for the lack of accessible alternatives. Macs, on the other hand, have plenty. And one of them is Tayasui Sketches.
Tayasui Sketches is a lot more than just Microsoft Paint for Mac. It combines natural drawing experience you're so used to with a near unlimited selection of beautiful digital brushes and colors.
Is There A Microsoft Paint Equivalent For Mac
Starting with Tayasui Sketches is just as easy as picking up a pen in real life — simply choose the paper type, select one of the tools in the left sidebar, and begin to draw.
Quickly you'll realize how none of the MS Paint's artistic brushes can compare to the flow and realistic beauty of the tools available in Tayasui Sketches. At the same time, the app doesn't require you to go through lengthy workshops and spend hours in settings, which positively distinguishes it from other professional alternatives.
It's likely that Tayasui Sketches will serve you for many years to come. It remains an indispensable tool for lots of professional artists. And even if you decide to switch to a different professional drawing app in the future, the foundational functionality would probably remain the same.
Pick the right tool for the job
As you can see, there is no need to try to download Microsoft Paint for Mac as soon as you discover there is no exact counterpart within macOS. There are plenty of tools that copy and even surpass both the functionality and ease of use that MS Paint used to offer.
Sometimes you might be using Preview for the simplest tasks around. More likely, you might find yourself relying on Capto more and more, as its diverse toolkit is able to perform the majority of annotating and editing tasks at the highest level in no time. Finally, when you feel really creative, you can easily switch to Tayasui Sketches and really express that creativity with beautiful pens and watercolors.
Best of all, these apps are not going to set you back financially at all. Preview is already installed on your Mac by default, and Tayasui Sketches and Capto are both available for a free trial through Setapp, a platform of over 150 useful apps and utilities for any scenario. Let your creative side shine!
MS Paint is an iconic Windows app that simply refuses to die. In the age of Photoshop and Canva, MS Paint continues to win hearts for its simplicity and ease of use. You won’t believe it but I still use it to resize images. Why? Because I am done by the time Photoshop is ready to work. That’s why several TW readers came to us asking for a suitable MS Paint like app for Android phones.
We went through some options and found these six apps that do justice to the OG. We are looking to emulate features such as easy to use, some basic drawing, stretching, resizing, copying parts of images and pasting them, etc. Also, Microsoft never released an MS Paint app for Android, so anyone claiming different is lying through the teeth. Don’t fall for malware apps. That said, let’s begin.
Also Read:Get Microsoft Paint for Mac With These 5 Apps
Microsoft Paint App for Android
1. Paintastic
Paintastic comes with a number of paintbrushes in different shapes and styles to choose from. There are quite a few effects to explore like blur, outline, emboss, and even neon. Don’t like the brush? You can change its shape, size, thickness, and more. Note that the undo option can only go 5 paces back.
There are a number of shapes to choose from which makes it easy to place pre-defined objects into your paintings and sketches. Colors can easily be chosen with gradients. Other tools include a selection tool to move and play around with images and objects, filters, and effects.
Paintastic is ad-supported and comes with an in-app purchase that will remove all ads and unlock all shapes for $5.99.
Download Paintastic: Android
Also Read:Best Windows Programs for Fixing Dead or Stuck Pixels
2. Paint for Android
Paint for Android is closer to the original MS Paint on Windows in terms of layout but doesn’t have as many features as the previous one.
Only basic shapes like circle and square among others are there. There is a paintbrush and an eraser to remove your mess. You can quickly add text if you want. The fill-in color option will remind you of the former. Paint for Android is ad-supported but otherwise, completely free.
Don’t forget to save your work before hitting the back button. The app will not ask you to save the image before exiting. The ads can be a little annoying but there is a workaround. Simply disable Wi-Fi and mobile Internet before launching the app. That should take care of it.
Download Paint for Android: Android
Also Read:Create Stunning Pixel Art with These Apps on Android, iOS, and Web
3. Pocket Paint
Pocket Paint is for Android what MS Paint is for Windows. It’s free with no in-app purchases or ads. It is so simple to use, you would be amazed why you never found it before. There is a blank canvas waiting for you to be filled. A set of tools in the bottom bar.
There is a paint brush where you can control the thickness and color, an eraser, a line, a bunch of basic shapes, and an option to select and fill color of your choice. Remember when I said I use MS Paint to resize images. Pocket Paint got that covered too. There is also a stamp and hand tool though not many of you would be using it, I guess.
Pocket is probably the best MS Paint app for Android in every way possible without the bells and whistles of the more advanced apps that I will share below.
Download Pocket Paint: Android
Also Read:Best Comic Creator Apps to Unleash Your Creative Side
4. SketchBook
Enough with the basics. Time to dive a little deeper. SketchBook is a great option if you love to sketch. One thing that MS Paint lacked and quite a few people seemed to complain about it. There are so many pencil options with shapes, thickness, stroke, tones, and texture that its a sketchers dream come true.
I like the ability to touch lightly and draw a faded line or press hard to draw a darker line. Its touch-and-press sensitive. There are so many brushes and pencils to choose from. Then you can flip, rotate, and stretch the image or objects individually. The list of tools goes on and I wish Autodesk had a guide or something on it.
It took me sometime to find the ellipse tool which makes it easy to move the pivot with 2 fingers. It comes with a straight and a curved ruler that you can move around. Useful for precision. For artists that are obsessed with perfection, there is the symmetry option with a button to lock it.
The fact that SketchBook is completely free and devoid of any ads seems very generous of the team behind it. SketchBook is ideal for those who like sketching more than painting and need more options than what MS Paint like apps for Android have to offer. That doesn’t mean it’s not colorful. There are enough painting brushes to keep you happy and stroking.
How To Use Microsoft Paint
Download SketchBook: Android
5. Sketch
The only other app that I am going to share in the sketch and paint category is Sketch. Generic name but what can we do? How is it any different? Apart from all the pencils, brushes, and tools, it comes with a social element. Create an account and share your works of art with the world right inside the app. It has an active community of sketch artists and painters. as has become the norm with most apps, it follows a Twitter style layout with an option to follow and share.
Apart from what we saw in SketchBook, there were some new and interesting brush options here like glitter, cracks, and splash. There are plenty of avatar and sticker categories to mess around with and if you aren’t happy with the content, there is an option to upload your own data. I think of Sketch not as a competition, but another tool in an sketch artists’ arsenal.
Unlike SketchBook, Sketch is ad-supported and follows the freemium model. In-app purchases begin at $0.99.
Download Sketch: Android
6. MediBang Paint
One of the issues with MS Paint was that it was limited to a single platform. In the world of cloud storage, that’s like committing a cybercrime. MediBang Paint is available on both Android and iOS as well as for Windows and macOS. With an active community of artists who like to share informative tutorials on how to create art, especially manga art it seems, MediBang has seemed to hit all the right chords or brushes! There are over 90 to choose from.
Focused on comic book fans and artists, MediBang comes with an easy to use interface with a number of tools at your disposal. What I like is the ability to create your own shortcut menu of tools and brushes that you use frequently. Cool. There is no dearth of readymade scenes like a cityscape, comic book fonts, and other addons for painting your masterpiece. Another cool feature is the ability to work with layers.
MediBang follows the tried and tested freemium model with an ad-supported version and an in-app purchase of $7.99 that removes ads and unlocks more tools and brushes.
Download MediBang Paint: Android
MS Paint Apps for Android
If you are looking for a true substitute, Pocket Paint will keep you happy with an easy to use UI and set of features that go well with its name. If you want something more, Paint for Android and Paintastic are both great options and its mostly a matter of personal taste and preference between the two of them.
If you have a sketch artist hidden somewhere inside you, check out Sketch. If that artist is craving for attention and needs an audience, go for SketchBook. Finally, if cloud storage and multi-platform support is need of the hour, MediBang is the perfect alternative.
Which one are you using and why? Share in the comments below.