The top toolbar in Paint is visible by default and provides quick access to drawing, editing, text annotation, and copilot options, including image creator, generative erase, and remove background. However, if you want more canvas space or to create a distraction-free editing experience, you can hide the Paint toolbar with just a click. On the other hand, if you think your Paint toolbar is missing, you can disable the auto-hide feature to always show it.
Thankfully, Paint makes this easy using the new “Always show toolbar” and “Automatically hide toolbar” options. This guide shows you how to use them to show or hide the toolbar in Paint on Windows 11. Let’s get started.
Before You Start
- You should be using Paint v11.2511.291.0 or higher for these options to appear. To check your Paint version, click the “Settings” (gear) icon in the top-right corner. The version number is available on the right sidebar of the Settings page.
Show or Hide Toolbar in Paint
- Press the “Windows” key to open the Start menu.
- Search for “Paint” and click “Open“.
- Click the down arrow icon to the right of the top toolbar.
- Select “Always show toolbar” to always show the toolbar in Paint.
- Select “Automatically hide toolbar” to hide the toolbar in Paint.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
First thing, open the Paint app. To do that, press the “Windows” key on your keyboard, search for “Paint“, and click “Open“.
In the Paint window, click the down arrow icon (˅) to the right of the top toolbar. From the displayed menu, select “Always show toolbar” to restore the Paint toolbar.
Note: If you are not seeing the down arrow icon on the toolbar, you are using an older version of Paint.
Alternatively, if you want a bigger canvas and distraction-free image editing, select the “Automatically hide toolbar” option. This will hide the toolbar when you focus on the canvas.
To temporarily show the toolbar, click the “Show toolbar” button. It allows you to access the tools as required. When you click the canvas again, the toolbar will automatically hide.
That is all. It is that simple to show or hide the Paint toolbar on Windows 11. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.
