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No. There is no Paint 3D for Mac, and Microsoft never made one. It is a Windows-only app, and Microsoft has now stopped developing it. On a Mac, use Preview for quick photo edits, Blender for 3D, and Krita for painting. All three are free.
If a site offers a Mac download of Paint 3D, do not trust it. Here is why, and what Mac users can do instead.
Why there is no Mac version
Paint 3D was built for Windows only. Its package is made for Windows desktop PCs and needs Windows 10 or later to install. It cannot be opened on macOS at all.
Microsoft has also removed Paint 3D from its Store and ended its updates. So a Mac version will never arrive. Our page on what happened to Paint 3D tells that story.
That also means any Mac download of Paint 3D you find is not Microsoft's app. At best it is something else wearing the name. At worst it could be harmful. Skip it.
What is already on your Mac
Preview, the app that opens pictures on every Mac, covers many of the small jobs people used Paint 3D for:
- Crop and resize a picture.
- Add text, arrows and shapes with its Markup tools.
- Remove a background with Instant Alpha, then save as PNG to keep it see-through.
For a quick edit, try Preview before you install anything.
Free apps for 3D on a Mac
Blender is the big free 3D app. It is open source, free for any use, and runs on macOS. It can model, paint, animate and render, far beyond what Paint 3D ever did.
Keep the learning curve in mind, though. Paint 3D took minutes to learn. Blender takes days to feel at home. If you only need simple shapes, a browser tool will be easier. Our page on Paint 3D online lists free 3D tools that run in Safari or Chrome.
A free app for painting on a Mac
Krita is a free, open-source painting app that runs on macOS. It has layers, brushes and full drawing tools. It is a strong pick if you used Paint 3D mainly for drawing and coloring.
Running Paint 3D on a Mac through Windows
It is possible to run Windows on some Macs, and then install Paint 3D inside it. It depends on your Mac.
- Intel Macs can install Windows with Apple's Boot Camp Assistant. With Windows installed, Paint 3D installs the normal way, from our Paint 3D download page.
- Apple silicon Macs (M-series chips) cannot use Boot Camp. On those Macs, Windows runs inside a virtual machine app. The Paint 3D package includes a version for ARM processors, but we have not tested it in that setup, so we cannot promise it works.
For most Mac owners, this is a lot of effort for one small app. The free Mac apps above are usually the better path.
Which one should you pick?
- Quick crop, text or background removal: Preview.
- Simple 3D shapes, fast: a browser 3D tool.
- Serious 3D, models and animation: Blender.
- Drawing and painting: Krita.
For a longer list, including Windows apps, see our Paint 3D alternatives.
FAQ
Can I download Paint 3D on a Mac?
No. There is no Mac version. Any Mac download claiming to be Paint 3D is not Microsoft's app.
What is the Mac version of Paint 3D?
There isn't one. Preview covers simple edits, and Blender covers 3D.
Can I run Paint 3D on a MacBook?
Only by running Windows on it. On an Intel MacBook that means Boot Camp. On an Apple silicon MacBook, it means a virtual machine, which we have not tested with Paint 3D.
Is there a free Paint 3D alternative for Mac?
Yes. Blender for 3D and Krita for painting are both free and open source. Preview is already on your Mac.
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