paint.net alpha boosts performance on Surface Pro X and other Windows 10 on ARM PCs
Native support for ARM64 means that paint.net should run better than ever on Windows 10 on ARM PCs.
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What you need to know
The popular creative app paint.net now natively supports ARM64. Previously, the app would run in emulation on devices like theSurface Pro XandHP Elite Folio. The move to ARM64 is only available for alpha testers at the moment but should bring improved performance on Windows 10 on ARM PCs.
Its recent update brings paint.net alpha to build 7894. It includes a long list of features and improvements, including faster Magic Wand and Paint Bucket tools. The app’s author, Rick Brewster, says that he’s “spent some time optimizing the snot out of the Magic Wand and Paint Bucket tools.”
This update also moves to self-contained deployment, which means people don’t have to install .NET anymore. All needed components are now bundled with the app. This shouldn’t result in any changes in functionality, but it simplifies some things for app installation.
Brewster is also testing a web installer. This has a few benefits, the most notable of which is that it ensures people with Windows 10 on ARM PCs get the ARM64 version of the app.
Here are all of the changes compared to the previous alpha build of paint.net:
If you’re updating from version 4.2.16, you’ll see the following changes:
Ablog post from Brewsterexplains how to get the latest alpha build. At this time, you cannot get alpha or beta releases of the app through the Microsoft Store.
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The alpha version of this powerful and free creative app now natively supports Windows 10 on ARM.
Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
