Paint.NET Brush Size Keyboard Shortcuts

Adjusting your tool size on the fly in Paint.NET significantly speeds up your digital editing and drawing workflow. This guide explains the primary keyboard shortcuts used to increase and decrease brush size instantly, along with modifier keys for larger sizing adjustments across various brush-based tools.

The Default Brush Size Shortcuts

Paint.NET uses standard bracket keys to modify the width of any active brush tool:

• Decrease Brush Size: Press the Left Bracket key ([). Each press reduces the brush width by 1 pixel.
• Increase Brush Size: Press the Right Bracket key (]). Each press enlarges the brush width by 1 pixel.

Adjusting Size in Larger Increments

If you need to make substantial size changes quickly, you can use the Ctrl key modifier:

• Decrease by Larger Steps: Hold Ctrl and press [.
• Increase by Larger Steps: Hold Ctrl and press ].

Using this combination changes the brush width by increments of 5 pixels, allowing you to scale up or down without repeatedly pressing the single-step keys.

Supported Tools

These keyboard shortcuts work globally across all Paint.NET tools that utilize a brush width setting in the top toolbar, including:

• Paintbrush
• Eraser
• Clone Stamp
• Recolor Tool
• Line/Curve Tool
• Shapes Tool (outline thickness)

Using these shortcuts keeps your focus on the canvas, eliminating the need to move your cursor back and forth to the toolbar drop-down menu.