Fix Paint.NET Crashing on Startup Due to Plugins

When Paint.NET crashes immediately upon opening, an incompatible, outdated, or corrupted plugin is usually the culprit. Because plugins are loaded into memory during the boot sequence, a single bad file can cause the entire application to terminate. This guide explains how to read Paint.NET crash logs, locate the offending plugin files, and safely remove them to restore the application to working order.

Check the Crash Log

Paint.NET automatically generates a crash log when an unhandled exception forces the program to close. Identifying the specific plugin from this log saves you from having to guess which file caused the issue.

  1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog.
  2. Type %LOCALAPPDATA%\paint.net\CrashLogs and press Enter. (If no logs are there, check your Desktop, as older versions sometimes place logs there).
  3. Open the most recent text file (named something like crashlog.txt).
  4. Look at the top section labeled Exception details or scan down the stack trace for any mention of a specific .dll file or plugin author name.

Manually Remove the Problematic Plugin

Once you know the name of the file—or if you simply want to remove the files you installed most recently—you must delete or move them from the Paint.NET plugin folders.

For the Standard (Classic) Installer Version:

  1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the Paint.NET installation directory, typically located at: C:\Program Files\paint.net\
  2. Open the Effects folder if the plugin added a visual effect or adjustment.
  3. Open the FileTypes folder if the plugin added support for a specific image format (like WebP, AVIF, or PSD).
  4. Locate the .dll file that corresponds to the crashing plugin. If you are unsure, sort the folder by Date modified to find the most recently added files.
  5. Move the suspect .dll file out of the folder and onto your Desktop. Do not keep it inside the folder with a renamed extension, as Paint.NET may still attempt to read it.

For the Microsoft Store Version:

If you installed Paint.NET through the Microsoft Store, plugins are stored in your user documents rather than the Program Files directory:

  1. Open File Explorer and navigate to: Documents\paint.net App Files\
  2. Check both the Effects and FileTypes subfolders.
  3. Move the recently added .dll files to a different location outside this directory.

Verify and Relaunch

After removing the files:

  1. Launch Paint.NET again. The application should now start normally without crashing.
  2. If it continues to crash, repeat the process and temporarily empty the entire Effects and FileTypes folders to determine if multiple conflicting plugins exist.

Prevent Future Startup Crashes

To avoid plugin-related crashes moving forward, ensure compatibility before installing add-ons:

  • Check Version Compatibility: Modern versions of Paint.NET (version 5.0 and newer) require plugins compiled for newer versions of .NET. Legacy plugins designed for Paint.NET 3.x or 4.x often fail to load properly.
  • Unblock Downloaded DLLs: Windows often blocks .dll files downloaded from the internet. Before installing a plugin, right-click the .zip or .dll file, select Properties, check the Unblock box at the bottom of the General tab, and click Apply.
  • Use Official Sources: Download plugins exclusively from the official Paint.NET forums to ensure you receive updated, tested versions that match your release of the software.