Paint 3d doesnt work

FWsim Help & Discussion
1

i have windows 10 with the old paint 3d installed but fwsim says error when i try to open it even with the app running in the backround

2

Hi,

thanks for reporting. To begin, please let me know:

  1. What button were you pressing before the error occurs?
  2. What does the error message say?

Best Regards,
Lukas

3

Screenshot (6)
Screenshot (6)1920×1080 48.4 KB

this is the button that i press

4

Screenshot (7)
Screenshot (7)1920×1080 61.6 KB

this is the error message

5

the black square is what i press

6

Thanks for the clarification!

I understand you have Paint 3D installed on your Windows computer.

However, FWsim requires Paint to be installed - not Paint 3D. Those are two different programs.

To install Paint please follow these steps:

1. Check if Paint is just hidden

  1. Press Start and type Paint or MSPaint.
  2. If it shows up, right-click → Pin to Start or Pin to taskbar.

If it truly isn’t there:

2. Install / restore Paint from Optional Features (Windows 10/11)

  1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
  2. Go to Apps → Optional features.
  3. At the top, click View features (Windows 11) or Add a feature (Windows 10).
  4. In the search box, type Microsoft Paint or Paint.
  5. Tick Microsoft Paint.
  6. Click Next → Install (or just Install on Windows 10).
  7. Let it finish, then look for Paint in the Start menu.

3. Install Paint from the Microsoft Store (newer “Paint” app)

On recent Windows 10/11 versions, Paint is also available via the Store:

  1. Open Microsoft Store (from Start).
  2. Search for Paint by Microsoft.
  3. Click on it → hit Get or Install.

After installation, you’ll find it as Paint in the Start menu.

7

yes but paint says that it cant be installed because i need windows 11 and i cant install windows 11 because my pc doesnt have the right components

8

Thanks for the update.

You don’t need Windows 11 to use Paint.
The message you’re seeing is for the new Microsoft Store version, but Windows 10 already includes the classic Paint app. We just need to re-enable it.

Let’s re-enable classic Paint on Windows 10:

  1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
  2. Go to Apps → Optional features.
  3. Click View features (or Add a feature on some builds).
  4. In the search box, type: Microsoft Paint or Paint.
  5. If it appears, select it → click Install.
9

i think i deleted it for some reason without thinking about fwsim

10

it does not show only paint 3d shows

11

Thanks for the clarification.

On Windows 10 Paint should appear under Settings → Apps → Optional features → View features as “Microsoft Paint”.

If it’s not listed there and the Microsoft Store only offers a version that “requires Windows 11”, then unfortunately we can’t enable the Paint feature on this PC.

FWsim will still work, but the functionality to draw custom shapes won’t be usable on this system. If you need that feature, please use FWsim on another PC where classic Microsoft Paint is available or ask a local technician/Microsoft support to restore it.