How to Share Paint.NET Plugins on Multi-User PC

Multiple Windows user accounts can share installed Paint.NET plugins on the same computer, provided the plugins are placed in a shared, system-wide directory rather than a user-specific folder. While user-level folders isolate plugins to individual profiles, utilizing the central installation directory or configuring shared folder junctions allows every user on the system to access the same effects and file-type plugins seamlessly.

Classic Desktop Version (Standard Installer)

If Paint.NET was installed using the traditional installer from the official website, sharing plugins across all Windows accounts is straightforward:

  1. Locate the Installation Folder: Navigate to C:\Program Files\paint.net\ (or your custom install directory).
  2. Access Plugin Folders: Inside this folder, look for the Effects and FileTypes directories. If they do not exist, create them.
  3. Copy the Plugins: Paste the .dll plugin files directly into these folders. Administrator permissions will be required to modify files inside Program Files.

Because the Program Files directory is globally accessible by default in Windows, any user who signs into the computer and launches Paint.NET will automatically load these plugins.

Microsoft Store (UWP) Version

The Microsoft Store version runs inside a sandboxed environment and defaults to loading plugins from each user's personal documents folder at: C:\Users\<Username>\Documents\paint.net App Files\

Because this path is isolated per user, plugins are not automatically shared. To share plugins across accounts using the Store version, use a shared folder and symbolic links:

  1. Create a Central Directory: Create a shared folder accessible by all users, such as C:\Users\Public\PaintDotNetShared\Effects.

  2. Move Plugins: Place all shared .dll files into this public directory.

  3. Create Directory Links: For each user account, open Command Prompt as Administrator and create a directory junction pointing the user's local plugin folder to the public folder:

    mklink /J "C:\Users\<Username>\Documents\paint.net App Files\Effects" "C:\Users\Public\PaintDotNetShared\Effects"

Repeat this junction creation for the FileTypes folder if custom file-type plugins are also being shared.

Permission Requirements

Ensure that standard Windows user accounts have Read & execute and Read permissions for the shared directory. Write permissions should generally be restricted to administrative accounts to prevent one standard user from deleting or modifying plugins for all other users on the system.