How to Resize an Image in Paint (Windows 10 and 11)

Microsoft Paint ships with every Windows PC, which makes it the quickest option when you need to shrink or enlarge an image without installing anything. The resize tool is buried behind a small button, though, and the options are not obvious the first time you use them.

This guide walks through every resize method Paint offers — pixels and percentages, with and without aspect ratio lock — on both Windows 10 Paint and the updated Windows 11 (23H2) Paint. We will also cover where Paint falls short and when a different tool saves time.

If you need a broader look at resizing across multiple Windows tools, see our guide on how to resize an image on Windows. For general resize techniques beyond Windows, check out how to resize a photo.

Paint Resize Options at a Glance

Before diving into steps, here is what Paint actually lets you do:

The core choice is simple: pixels for precision, percentage for quick scaling. Leave aspect ratio locked unless you have a specific reason to distort.

Resize by Pixels in Paint

This is the method you will use most often. Pixel dimensions give you exact control, which matters when an upload form demands "800×600" or a website template expects a specific width.

Windows 11 (23H2) Paint

1. Open Paint — press Win, type Paint, hit Enter.
2. Open your image: File → Open, or drag the file onto the Paint window.
3. Click Image in the top menu bar, then select Resize and skew. Alternatively, press Ctrl + W.
4. In the Resize and Skew dialog, switch the unit from Percentage to Pixels using the dropdown.
5. Check Maintain aspect ratio (it should be on by default).
6. Enter your target width or height. With aspect ratio locked, Paint calculates the other dimension automatically.
7. Click OK.
8. Save: Ctrl + S to overwrite, or File → Save as to keep the original.

Windows 10 Paint

1. Open Paint — press Win, type Paint, hit Enter.
2. Open your image via File → Open.
3. In the Home tab on the ribbon, click Resize (in the Image group). Or press Ctrl + W.
4. Select the Pixels radio button.
5. Ensure Maintain aspect ratio is checked.
6. Type your desired Horizontal (width) value. The vertical value updates automatically.
7. Click OK.
8. Save your resized image.

Tip: If Paint shows a canvas larger than your image after resizing down, grab the small square handles at the canvas edges and drag them inward to match the image boundary. Otherwise you will save extra white space around the photo.

Resize by Percentage in Paint

Percentage mode is faster when you do not need a specific pixel target. Want to cut a 4000×3000 photo in half? Type 50 and move on.

Steps (Same on Windows 10 and 11)

1. Open your image in Paint.
2. Open the resize dialog: Ctrl + W.
3. Select Percentage (Windows 11 dropdown) or the Percentage radio button (Windows 10).
4. Make sure Maintain aspect ratio is checked.
5. Enter the percentage. 50 means half size, 200 means double.
6. Click OK and save.

Percentage Math Cheat Sheet

Warning about upscaling: Paint uses basic interpolation. Enlarging a small image past 150% produces visible blur and pixelation. If you need to upscale without artifacts, use a tool with better resampling algorithms. Paint is strictly a downscale-friendly tool.

What Happens When You Turn Off Aspect Ratio

Unchecking Maintain aspect ratio lets you type independent width and height values. The image stretches or compresses to fit.

There are exactly two situations where this is useful:

1. Filling a fixed frame — a profile photo slot requires exactly 500×500 and your source is not square. (Even then, cropping first produces a better result than stretching.)
2. Creating a deliberate distortion effect — rarely useful outside meme territory.

In every other case, leave aspect ratio locked. A stretched landscape photo is the single fastest way to make a website or presentation look careless.

Paint's Limitations

Paint handles one-off resizes fine. It starts to struggle the moment your needs get even slightly more demanding.

For a single quick resize on a Windows PC, Paint works. For anything beyond that — multiple images, modern formats, cross-platform access — you need a different tool.

Faster Alternative: Pixotter

Pixotter runs entirely in your browser. Drop an image, set your target dimensions, and download the result. No installation, no upload to a server, no account required.

What makes it worth switching from Paint:

• Batch resize — drop multiple images at once and resize them all in one pass.
• Format conversion built in — resize and convert to WebP or AVIF in the same step instead of using separate tools.
• Quality slider — control the compression-to-quality tradeoff and see the output file size before downloading.
• Platform presets — one click for Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, passport photo, and other common dimensions.
• Client-side processing — your images never leave your device. Same privacy as Paint, none of the limitations.
• Works on any OS — Windows, Mac, Linux, phone. Anywhere you have a browser.

If you resize images more than once a week, the time savings add up fast. Try the Pixotter resize tool — it handles what Paint cannot.

FAQ

Does resizing in Paint reduce file size?

Yes, making an image smaller in pixel dimensions reduces the file size because there are fewer pixels to store. A 4000×3000 JPEG resized to 2000×1500 in Paint typically drops from several megabytes to under one megabyte. The exact reduction depends on image content and the format you save in.

Can I resize an image in Paint without losing quality?

Downscaling (making smaller) preserves quality well in Paint. You lose some pixel data, but the result looks sharp. Upscaling (making larger) always loses quality in Paint because it uses basic interpolation that blurs details. For lossless resizing, stay at or below the original dimensions.

How do I resize an image to an exact size like 2×2 inches in Paint?

Paint works in pixels, not inches. To convert: multiply inches by your target DPI. For a 2×2 inch image at 300 DPI, set the resize to 600×600 pixels. For web use at 72 DPI, set it to 144×144 pixels. Most screens display at 72-96 DPI, so web images need far fewer pixels than print.

Where is the resize button in Windows 11 Paint?

In Windows 11 (23H2) Paint, click Image in the top menu bar, then select Resize and skew. The keyboard shortcut Ctrl + W also opens the resize dialog directly. This location changed from Windows 10, where the Resize button sat on the Home tab of the ribbon.

Can I resize multiple images at once in Paint?

No. Paint only opens and edits one image at a time. There is no batch processing, macro recording, or folder-based resize option. For batch resizing, use a tool like Pixotter that accepts multiple files in a single drop, or PowerShell scripts with ImageMagick for command-line batch processing.

Does Paint support WebP or AVIF?

Windows 11 Paint can open WebP files but cannot save in WebP format. Neither Windows 10 nor Windows 11 Paint supports AVIF at all. If you need modern image formats that deliver 25-35% smaller files than JPEG at equivalent quality, use a browser-based tool like Pixotter that handles conversion and resizing together.