Revision Date: 23 August 2025

Diagnostics and Advanced Launching

This page details the built-in diagnostic tools and offers alternative methods to launch Paint.NET.

Running Paint.NET From a Batch File

In a batch file use start paintdotnet:"%1". Where %1 is the path and filename of the image you wish to open.

To open multiple files, use multiple instances of the protocol.

                @echo off
                start paintdotnet:"C:\Users\Fred\Documents\Cool Icons\Rick.png"
                start paintdotnet:"C:\Users\Fred\Documents\Cool Icons\Astley.png"
            

paintdotnet: protocol

The paintdotnet: protocol is used to launch the app with command-line parameters (e.g. images you wish to open). This method of starting Paint.NET is supported by both Classic and Store versions.

To use the protocol, go to Start -> Run (or use Windows Key + R) and type in paintdotnet:"path to file1.png" path_to_file_2.png followed by the Enter key. The app will start and open both the specified files.

If Paint.NET is already open, the specified images will be opened in the instance of Paint.NET that's already running.

Running the Paint.NET Repair Utility (Classic Paint.NET only)
paintdotnet:/repair

Open the Windows Run command using either of the following methods
Option 1: In the Search bar, type Run and press Enter
Option 2: press both Windows Key + R at the same time
Type in paintdotnet:/repair followed by the Enter key (or click OK)

This command will run PdnRepair.exe from your Paint.NET installation directory. The repair tool will verify the Paint.NET installation and integrity of the files.

Opening the Crash Log folder
paintdotnet:/openCrashLogFolder

Open the Windows Run command using either of the following methods
Option 1: In the Search bar, type Run and press Enter
Option 2: press both Windows Key + R at the same time
Type in paintdotnet:/openCrashLogFolder followed by the Enter key (or click OK)

Force Update Check
paintdotnet:/forceUpdateCheck

This is intended for troubleshooting scenarios to simplify acquiring the latest version.
Open the Windows Run command using either of the following methods
Option 1: In the Search bar, type Run and press Enter
Option 2: press both Windows Key + R at the same time
Type in paintdotnet:/forceUpdateCheck followed by the Enter key (or click OK)

Disable Plugins
paintdotnet:/disablePlugins

This is intended for troubleshooting scenarios where plugins are suspect. Running this command argument stops plugins from being loaded at startup.
Open the Windows Run command using either of the following methods
Option 1: In the Search bar, type Run and press Enter
Option 2: press both Windows Key + R at the same time
Type in paintdotnet:/disablePlugins followed by the Enter key (or click OK)

Diagnostics
paintdotnet:/diagnostics

This is intended for troubleshooting scenarios where the app fails to load. Running this command argument shows the diagnostic information even if the app fails to start. This is the same information yielded by Settings > Diagnostics.
Open the Windows Run command using either of the following methods
Option 1: In the Search bar, type Run and press Enter
Option 2: press both Windows Key + R at the same time
Type in paintdotnet:/diagnostics followed by the Enter key (or click OK)

Reset Utility Windows
paintdotnet:/resetWindows

This command-line argument forces a hard reset of the placement and size of the four utility windows (Colors, Tools, History & Layers). It is intended for troubleshooting scenarios where the utility windows are in a state where they cannot be seen or interacted with (usually placed far off-screen or set to an unusably small size).
Open the Windows Run command using either of the following methods
Option 1: In the Search bar, type Run and press Enter
Option 2: press both Windows Key + R at the same time
Type in paintdotnet:/resetWindows followed by the Enter key (or click OK)