Where Are Paint 3D Files Stored?

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.MSPaint_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\Projects

An image, a video or a 3D model saved with Save as copy goes to whatever folder you picked in the Windows Save As window.

That split confuses a lot of people. You save a project, look in Documents or Pictures, and find nothing. The file is there, just not where Windows usually puts things. Here is where each kind of file goes, and how to reach it.

See your projects inside the app

The easy way needs no folders at all.

1. Click Menu, then Open.
2. Look under Saved projects. Each one shows a small picture, its name and when you saved it.
3. Click a project to open it.

Be careful with the round X on a project tile. Paint 3D's own delete warning says: "Once you delete your project, it can't be undone."

Browse files on the same page is for normal files, such as a PNG or an OBJ. It does not show your projects.

Projects: inside the app's own storage

When you save with Menu, Save as, Paint 3D project, the app only asks for a name. There is no folder to pick.

Paint 3D keeps the project in its own storage. To open that folder:

1. Press Windows + R.
2. Paste this and press Enter:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.MSPaint_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\Projects

File Explorer opens the Projects folder. The same path works on every PC, because it points to your own user folder.

What is inside the folder

You will not find a file called "My drawing" in there. Paint 3D stores things its own way:

• Projects.json is the index. It lists every project by name and says which folder holds it.
• A folder for each project. The folder names are the app's own, such as Checkpoint or WorkingFolder (2). They do not match your project names.
• Inside each project folder are many .bin files and one Thumbnail.png.

The Thumbnail.png is the quickest way to tell which folder is which. Open it and you see a small picture of that project.

The .bin files only mean something to Paint 3D. No other app can open them, and you cannot turn one into a picture by renaming it.

Does Paint 3D keep a copy while you work?

Yes. Even before you save, Paint 3D writes the scene you are working on into a working folder inside Projects. On our test PC, it listed that copy in Projects.json as "Untitled", marked as recovered. The files in it were rewritten again and again while we worked.

This working copy is what Paint 3D marks as recovered, and the app has a Recovered projects area for such copies. Our guide on how to recover Paint 3D projects explains how to use it.

Don't treat it as a real save, though. Save a named project whenever the work matters.

Images, videos and 3D models: where you choose

Save as copy makes a normal file. It covers three types:

• Image: PNG, JPEG, BMP, GIF or TIFF.
• Video: MP4 or GIF.
• 3D model: GLB or 3MF.

Each one ends in the Windows Save As window. The file goes to the folder shown in the path bar at the top of that window. Check it before you click Save, then you will always know where the file went. Our guide on how to save in Paint 3D covers each format.

Where the app itself is installed

Paint 3D is a Store-type app. Windows installs these under C:\Program Files\WindowsApps, a protected folder that Windows guards on purpose. The program file inside is named PaintStudio.View.exe.

You never need to go there. Start Paint 3D from the Start menu instead. That folder holds the app itself and nothing of yours.

Other folders next to Projects

One level up, in LocalState, you will also see a Textures folder and a file called cloudCommunitySettings. Leave them as they are. They belong to the app.

Back up your projects

The simplest backup is a copy of the whole Projects folder.

1. Close Paint 3D.
2. Open the Projects folder with the steps above.
3. Go up one level to LocalState.
4. Copy the whole Projects folder to another drive, a USB stick or cloud storage.

Keep the folder whole. Projects.json and the project folders belong together.

For a scene you want to keep for years, also save a copy as a 3D model or an image. Those are normal files that other apps can open.

Before you reset or uninstall

This matters more than anything else on this page. The Projects folder is part of the app's own data. In Microsoft's own words, Reset deletes the app's data. Uninstalling removes the app's own storage too.

So copy your Projects folder first. If Paint 3D is misbehaving, see our guide to Paint 3D not working for fixes that do not wipe your work.

FAQ

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