Want to insert text (even text in 3D) into your creations and pick its formatting? Find out here how to add text in Paint 3D for Windows.
First, the Horse on the Phone Does Not Eat Salad
At least the horse did not eat cucumber salad in 1861.
When Philipp Reis first demonstrated his “Telephon”, he mostly used music (for whose reproduction it was better suited). The apparatus also worked with the human voice, however, and so
The horse does not eat cucumber salad
is among the first sentences spoken over a telephone.
Want to add words to your apparatus and composition, too? Here you go:
How to Add Text in Paint 3D
Time needed: 3 minutes
To add text to an image in Paint 3D on Windows:
- Click Text in the Paint 3D toolbar.
Paint 3D keyboard shortcut: Press T (or Alt T) for the text tool.
- Choose between 2D text and 3D text in the sidebar.
2D or 3D text: 2D text will always appear flat on the background while 3D text can be oriented and edited in three dimensions like other Paint 3D objects.
2D to 3D: You can turn 2D text into a (flat) 3D object later.
Sidebar: Press M to expand the Paint 3D sidebar—or have it permanently expanded. - Pick the text formatting in the sidebar.
Options: Choose the font, its color and size as well as basic formatting from the sidebar.
Important: You cannot easily change text formatting later in Paint 3D, so do experiment with your options right now.
- Click the top left corner of the space where you want the text to appear.
- Type your text as desired.
Formatting: You can change the formatting for parts of the text, of course; highlight it using the mouse and use the sidebar.
Important: Double-check your text before clicking outside it—and turning it into a 2D or 3D object; you cannot easily edit the text later.
- Click outside the text when you are satisfied.
- Select the object to rotate, move and resize your text in space.
How to Change the Text Color and Texture
To edit the color and texture of a 3D text element:
- Click to select the 3D text object.
- Now click Edit color in the sidebar.
- Pick the desired material and shade.
How to Add and Edit Text in Paint 3D: FAQ
Can I edit the text content?
No, alas, you cannot.
Paint 3D does not allow for editing once textual content has become an object. You can always delete and re-create the text object, of course.
How can I turn 2D text into 3D text?
To transform 2D text into a 3D object:
- Use the Select tool to draw around all 2D text you want to transform.
- Click Make 3D in the sidebar.
No 3D text: The text will turn into an object, which you can orient in space, but not into fully 3D text.
Can I curve text?
No (and yes).
Paint 3D offers no easy, built-in way to align letters along a circle, ellipse, curve, or anything else other than a line.
You can quite elaborately curve text in Paint 3D by hand, though.
(How to add and edit text tested with Paint 3D Version 6.2305–6.2310; updated February 2024)