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Microsoft Paint may offer AI image generation under Image Creator, Cocreator, or a Copilot menu, depending on your Paint version, Windows release, account, region, and hardware. On supported Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft’s current documented experience is Cocreator: you enter a prompt, draw a rough sketch, choose a creativity level and style, then apply the generated artwork to the Paint canvas.
Older or separately deployed Paint installations may instead show Image Creator, a prompt-and-style workflow that returns three variants. The steps below cover both interfaces.
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Paint’s AI tools generate artwork from a written description. Cocreator also uses a sketch drawn on the Paint canvas, allowing you to guide the subject’s position, size, rough shapes, and colors.
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These features are different from Microsoft Designer, Bing Image Creator, Microsoft Photos’ Image Creator, and image generation in Microsoft Copilot. Those services use related Microsoft technologies but have different interfaces, requirements, and usage terms.
Check whether your PC supports Paint AI
As of August 18, 2026, Microsoft documents Cocreator as a feature for Copilot+ PCs with an NPU. The current requirements include:
- Windows 11.
- The latest Microsoft Paint app, updated through the Microsoft Store.
- A compatible Copilot+ PC and NPU for Cocreator.
- A Microsoft account.
- An internet connection.
Microsoft describes Cocreator’s image generation as running locally on supported NPU hardware, but the feature is not fully offline: Microsoft account authentication, online safety services, and content filtering still require connectivity. Microsoft’s separate Windows AI documentation discusses Windows 11 version 24H2 or later and Copilot+ hardware for on-device image-generation APIs; do not treat that developer requirement as a guaranteed consumer Paint version rule for every release.
Find the control in Paint
- Open Paint from the Start menu or Windows Search.
- Look for Cocreator, Image Creator, or a Copilot icon on the toolbar.
- If you do not see it, open the Microsoft Store, select Library or the updates area, and update Paint.
- Install available Windows updates, restart Paint, and check again.
- Sign in with a Microsoft account and confirm that the PC is online.
On a work or school computer, an administrator may disable Cocreator or Image Creator. Microsoft documents related administrative controls in its Windows AI policy documentation.
How to use Cocreator in Paint
1. Open Cocreator
Launch Paint and select Cocreator on the toolbar. If your version places it under a Copilot control, open that menu first and select Cocreator. A side pane should appear alongside the canvas.
2. Write a specific prompt
Describe the subject, setting, style, colors, lighting, composition, mood, and level of detail. For example:
A small red fox sitting in a moonlit forest, watercolor illustration, deep blue and purple palette, soft glowing mushrooms, storybook style, centered composition.
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Microsoft says Cocreator is optimized for English prompts, so English may produce more reliable results than other languages. A useful formula is:
Subject + setting + visual style + colors + lighting + composition + mood + detail level
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3. Draw a rough sketch on the canvas
Use Paint’s pencil, brush, fill, shape, and color tools to show what you want the generated image to contain. The sketch is a core input, not merely decoration.
- Draw broad, simple shapes for the main subjects.
- Place objects where they should appear in the final composition.
- Use colors that you want the result to emphasize.
- Fill as much of the canvas as practical.
- Keep the sketch simple rather than spending time on fine details.
A prompt describing a fox on the left will work better when the sketch also places a large fox-like shape on the left. If the text and sketch describe different scenes, the result may be unpredictable.
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Move the Creativity slider to control how closely the result follows your drawing.
- Lower creativity: generally keeps the generated image closer to the sketch.
- Higher creativity: gives the AI more freedom to reinterpret the drawing and invent details.
This is a balance between faithful interpretation and variation, not a guarantee of higher image quality.
5. Choose a style
Select a style from the options currently shown in your Paint installation, such as watercolor or oil painting. Microsoft may change the available style list between versions.
6. Select a generated result
Paint displays generated results in the Cocreator pane. Select the version you prefer to apply it to the canvas. Generate another result when the composition, colors, or subject are not close enough.
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7. Edit the artwork
Once the image is on the canvas, use Paint’s ordinary tools to crop, resize, erase, draw over details, add text or shapes, combine images, or create a border and background. Save an untouched copy before making major changes.
If your Paint shows Image Creator instead of Cocreator
Microsoft also maintains documentation for an older or separately surfaced Image Creator workflow. It is not safe to assume that this is the same interface as current Cocreator or that every Windows 11 PC receives it.
- Open Paint.
- Select Image Creator or the equivalent AI-image control.
- Enter a text description.
- Choose an art style.
- Select Create.
- Review the three generated variants.
- Select a preferred image to apply it to the Paint canvas.
- Edit or save the result.
Microsoft’s older support page describes this version as cloud-based and refers to AI credits and eligibility for Microsoft 365 Personal, Microsoft 365 Family, and Copilot Pro subscribers. Those credit rules should not be treated as the current rule for Cocreator, whose requirements and availability are documented separately.
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Prompt examples for Paint AI art
Cartoon
A cheerful corgi wearing a yellow raincoat, jumping in puddles on a city street, colorful children’s-book illustration, soft outlines, playful mood.
Landscape
A dramatic mountain lake at dawn, snow-covered peaks reflected in still water, realistic landscape painting, cool blue shadows and golden sunlight, wide composition.
Poster-style image
A retro travel poster of a desert highway leading toward red rock cliffs, limited orange and turquoise palette, bold geometric shapes, vintage screen-print texture.
Fantasy scene
An ancient floating library above the clouds, glowing windows, enormous birds circling below, richly detailed digital fantasy painting, atmospheric blue lighting.
How to improve weak results
- The result ignores the sketch: lower Creativity, enlarge the main shapes, simplify the drawing, and make the prompt and sketch describe the same scene.
- The composition is wrong: specify position and scale in the prompt, such as “a small subject in the lower-right corner” or “a wide landscape with the mountain centered.”
- The colors are wrong: use the desired colors in both the prompt and sketch.
- Generation fails: shorten the prompt, try English, remove ambiguous or sensitive wording, check the internet connection, and reopen Paint.
- Text is unreadable: generate the artwork without important lettering, then add accurate words manually with Paint’s Text tool or another design application.
AI image generators commonly struggle with exact text, logos, hands, repeated objects, and precise spatial relationships. Microsoft’s Designer FAQ also warns that generated text may be misspelled or appear in the wrong language.
Save and export the artwork
- Apply the generated image to the Paint canvas.
- Finish manual edits.
- Select File > Save as.
- Choose a format and location.
- Use a clear filename and keep an original copy if you may edit the image again.
- PNG: best for sharp graphics, transparency, and lossless saving.
- JPEG: useful when a smaller file is more important than lossless quality.
- BMP: suitable for some legacy workflows but typically produces larger files.
Microsoft says Cocreator-generated images contain a C2PA manifest intended to identify them as AI-generated. Metadata may not survive every edit, conversion, upload, or screenshot, so do not assume that provenance information remains intact after exporting.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Related Paint AI tools
Generative Fill
On supported Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, open or create an image, use Selection to make a rectangular or free-form selection, then choose Generative fill from the contextual menu. Describe the object to add, select Create or press Enter, and use Try again if needed. Select Keep to apply the preferred result.
Object Select
Object Select can identify and isolate an object so you can copy, move, erase, or use it with Generative Fill.
Sticker generator
Some Paint versions include Sticker generator in the Copilot menu. Open a blank canvas or image, select Sticker generator, enter a short description, select Generate, and choose a sticker to add, copy, or save. This control is version-dependent.
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Why Image Creator or Cocreator is missing
A missing button does not necessarily mean Paint is broken. Common causes include:
- Paint or Windows is outdated.
- The PC is not a Copilot+ PC, or lacks the required NPU for Cocreator.
- The feature has not rolled out to that configuration.
- You are not signed in to a supported Microsoft account.
- The device is offline.
- Your language or region is unsupported.
- A work or school policy disables Paint AI.
Update Paint in the Microsoft Store, install Windows updates, restart the app and PC, sign in, and check the hardware requirement again. If you are using a managed device, ask the administrator whether Windows AI policies block the feature. On a personal computer, testing with a personal Microsoft account can help distinguish an organizational restriction from an app problem.
Privacy, safety, copyright, and AI labels
Microsoft says Paint AI features require an account and internet access. For Cocreator, Microsoft describes local generation on the NPU while Azure services provide safety filtering. Microsoft also says it collects device and user identifiers and prompts for abuse prevention and monitoring, while stating that it does not store input or generated images for these Paint features. This is Microsoft’s stated data practice, not an independent audit of every deployment.
Use only prompts, source images, and likenesses that you have the right to use. Avoid unauthorized logos, protected characters, private photographs, or another person’s likeness without permission. Generated output is not automatically a copyright license or permission to use someone else’s intellectual property.
If you plan to use the artwork commercially, review the applicable Microsoft terms for the exact feature and account. Do not assume that Paint, Designer, Copilot, and Microsoft 365 tools have identical rights. Microsoft’s Designer FAQ, for example, describes the consumer service as licensed for personal, non-commercial use.
Is Paint the right AI art tool?
Paint is a good choice when you already have a compatible Copilot+ PC, want to turn a rough drawing into an illustration, or prefer to generate and edit in a familiar Windows app. Its main advantage is Cocreator’s sketch-guided workflow.
It is a weaker fit for precise typography, advanced layers and masking, professional color correction, consistent characters across many images, or detailed controls such as seeds, model selection, and exact generation parameters. Generate the visual background first and add important copy manually.
Alternatives to Paint
- Microsoft Designer: best for browser-based cards, invitations, banners, collages, stickers, and structured layouts. Microsoft describes it as free for personal use, with a subscription potentially required for more frequent creation; its consumer FAQ identifies personal, non-commercial licensing.
- Microsoft Copilot image generation: useful for prompt-only creation or transforming an uploaded image, without Paint’s sketch workflow.
- Microsoft Photos Image Creator: designed for text-to-image creation and, on supported Copilot+ PCs, restyling existing photos.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Create: useful if you already have an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription and want to continue working across Microsoft’s productivity apps. Usage limits can apply.
You do not need a separate Paint plug-in for the core workflow. If your PC cannot use Cocreator, a browser-based alternative may be more practical than buying hardware solely for occasional AI image generation.
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