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FIX: Error opening file message in Paint.NET

3 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

A large number of users have seen the Error opening file message in Paint.NET. This error is more common than you might think.

This issue can be caused either by a faulty installation of Paint.net, a conflict between yourantivirusor firewall software and Paint, or using a wrong image format for the specific project.

Seeing this error message every time you want to open an image inside Paint can become extremely annoying over time.

We compiled the best solutions in this article, so please read this guide carefully. It is also recommended that after you try each method, you try to check if the issue is still there or not.

How can I fix the Paint.NET opening file error?

How can I fix the Paint.NET opening file error?

1. Try saving the file in another format

In the case of some users, the issue was caused by the extremely big size of the file they were working on.

This can be caused by saving the image either in a format that doesn’t exist or in the wrong format for your circumstances. To save the file that’s causing trouble in another format, you can follow these steps:

Change file format manually:

2. Disable antivirus and firewall software

How to disable windows firewall:

In some cases, the conflict that generated the Paint.net error opening file issue on Windows 10 was caused by a third-party antivirus and firewall software.

Simply un-install or stop the protection of these two software options, and check to see if the issue persists. If it does, please follow the next method presented in this article.

3. Reinstall Paint.Net

4. Use an alternative third-party app

You may end up losing a lot of time while dealing with this issue, so our team has taken the initiative to perform in-depth online research about the best alternative.

If you like the sound of it, try this great tool coming from Adobe.Photoshophas a long history of providing amazing imaging and graphic design results while being mostly error-free and really optimized.

Use the best graphic design tool on the market and explore its vast library of features of Adobe Photoshop!

⇒Get Adobe Photoshop

We hope these methods helped you solve your issue with Paint.NET not opening the file.

Please feel free to let us know if you have any suggestions, by using the comments section found below.

More about the topics:Adobe Photoshop

Vladimir Popescu

Being an artist his entire life while also playing handball at a professional level, Vladimir has also developed a passion for all things computer-related.

With an innate fascination for research and analysis, and realizing many other people share his passion for this subject, he delved into writing Windows-related articles, so other people can also benefit from the acquired information.

When not writing kick-ass articles, Vladimir likes to spend his time doing Crossfit and creating art.

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