Need to get images out of Paint 3D or save your work for later? Find out here how to export and save images in Paint 3D to JPEG, PNG, GIF, PBX, etc.—and where files from Paint 3D are saved.
First, Exciting Water Molecules for Perfume
Heated water molecules move and jump and, once in a while, get so excited that they leave their colleagues’ liquid confinement, escaping to gaseous freedom.
Sometimes, the escape is not solitary, though: the water vapor takes some molecules of fragrant, volatile oil with it—only to be separated from them in the next step of steam distillation.
This is how most pleasant scents are carefully extracted from plants for producing perfumes.
Want to extract pleasant images from Paint 3D? Here’s how to perform the distillation:
Where Paint 3D Files are Saved (+ How to Export)
Default Paint 3D Save Locations: Overview
| File Type | |
|---|---|
| 2D image | “Pictures” folder in your Windows home folder or on OneDrive |
| 3D Object | “3D Objects” folder in your Windows home folder |
| Videos | “Videos” folder in your Windows home folder or on OneDrive |
| Paint 3D Projects | “Projects” folder in the Paint 3D folder inside %LocalAppData%\Packages |
Save an Image as JPEG in Paint 3D
Time needed: 3 minutes
To export a creation as a JPEG file from Paint 3D:
- Click Menu in the Paint 3D toolbar.
Paint 3D keyboard shortcut: You can also press Alt F to open the menu.
- Select Save as from the menu that has appeared.
- Now choose Image under Save as copy.
- Select 2D – JPEG under Save as type: in the file saving dialog.
Why JPEG: Use the JPEG format for photos and graphics with complicated patterns, textures, or color gradients but without sharp edges.
- Type the name you want to use for the saved JPEG file under File name:.
No “jay-pack” necessary: You need not use a file extension; Paint 3D will automatically append .jpeg to the file’s name.
- Optional: Choose a different export folder using the Windows file tree.
Default export location: By default, Paint 3D exports to the Pictures folder on your computer or on OneDrive.
Where Paint 3D files are saved: See below for the default file location for Paint 3D files (versus exports). - Click Save.
Save space not just images: Compress the resulting image to optimize its file size.
Save an Image as PNG or GIF
To save a graphic as a PNG or GIF file (including a transparent background) file from Paint 3D:
- Select Menu (
) in your Paint 3D’s toolbar. - Choose Save as on the sheet that has come up.
- Under Save as copy, select Image.
- Choose 2D – PNG for PNG and 2D – GIF under Save as type:.
Why PNG: Use PNG and GIF formats for graphics that contain large areas filled with a uniform color, sharp edges (such as text) or transparency. - Enter the name you want to use for the exported PNG or GIF file under File name:.
Extensions: Paint 3D will automatically append .png or .gif respectively, you do not have to type the file extension. - Click Save.
Want an animated GIF? How to Export from Paint 3D to a GIF or MPEG Animation
Save a 3D Model
To save your creation as a 3D asset you can easily import and use in 3D modeling applications or 3D words:
- Click the Menu icon () in Microsoft Paint 3D for Windows 10.
- Now select Save as.
Note: If you are editing a 3D model file (GLB, FBX or 3MF) in Paint 3D, you can also choose Save to save the file at its current location. - Choose 3D model under Save as copy.
- Navigate to the folder where you would like to save the 3D model in the Save As dialog.
- Select 3D – GLB (*.glb), 3D – FBX (*.fbx) or 3D – 3MF (*.3mf) under Save as type.
Which format: You can open GLB files mostly in Paint 3D; FBX files work in Autodesk, ROBLOX and Cheetah3D; and you can load 3MF files with SolidWorks, Ultimaker Cura, PTC Creo and other applications more. - Type the name you want to use for the 3D asset file under File name:.
No need to type “glb”: Paint 3D will append the file extension automatically. - Click Save.
How to Save a Paint 3D File
To save the current state of your Paint 3D file as a project you can pick up for further editing later:
- Click the Menu icon in Paint 3D.
- Choose Save as.
Tip: To replace the saved version of a project you have opened in Paint 3D, click Save instead. - Click Paint 3D project under Save as Paint 3D project on the sheet that has appeared.
- Type the name that will help you recognize the file later under Name your project.
Note: If you use a name already used for another (or the same) project in Paint 3D, the program will not warn you and will not overwrite the existing project either; instead, Paint 3D will create a new project with the same name. You can always delete superfluous projects, of course. - Click Save in Paint 3D.
Where Paint 3D Project Files are Saved
If you do not export in Paint 3D and pick a folder for saving, Paint 3D stores projects in the following internal folder by default:
%LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.MSPaint_<quasi-random string>\LocalState\Projects.
(Where Paint 3D files are saved tested with version 6.2004–6.2310; updated January 2024)