How to Enable AVIF Support in Paint.NET

This guide explains how to enable AVIF read and write operations in Paint.NET using the dedicated AvifFileType plugin and built-in options. While modern installations of the software now handle the format natively, specific configurations and older installations rely on an external plugin package to encode and decode AVIF files seamlessly.

Native Support vs. The Standalone Plugin

If you are using Paint.NET version 4.2.14 or newer, you do not need to install an external plugin. Paint.NET bundles the AvifFileType plugin directly into the standard installer. This integrated solution provides out-of-the-box support for opening, editing, and saving AVIF images.

For older releases of Paint.NET, or if the built-in format handler has been removed or corrupted, the required plugin is AvifFileType, developed by community member null54.

Required Files for the AvifFileType Plugin

The AvifFileType plugin provides the complete read and write functionality via open-source AV1 encoders (primarily libaom and libheif). A manual installation requires the following components from the plugin release archive:

• AvifFileType.dll (The main file type handler)
• AvifFileType.deps.json (Dependency manifest, if running modern .NET runtime builds)
• Architecture-specific binaries (such as x64, ARM64, or x86 unmanaged DLL dependencies packaged alongside the release)

How to Install the AVIF Plugin

1. Close Paint.NET completely.
2. Download the latest release of AvifFileType from the official Paint.NET developer forum or GitHub repository.
3. Extract the downloaded .zip archive.
4. Locate your Paint.NET installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\paint.net).
5. Copy AvifFileType.dll and any included subfolders directly into the FileTypes folder inside the installation directory.
6. Launch Paint.NET.

Reading and Writing AVIF Files

Once installed or verified:

• To Read: Go to File > Open or drag and drop any .avif file onto the canvas. Paint.NET decodes the image layers and transparency automatically.
• To Write: Go to File > Save As, and select AV1 Image File (*.avif) from the "Save as type" dropdown. A configuration dialog will appear, allowing you to choose between lossy and lossless compression, adjust the quality slider, set encoding speed, and preserve or discard color profiles and metadata.