Pinta
Drop-in replacementFreeDeliberately modelled on Paint. Same tools in the same places, plus layers and a longer undo.
Your files: Opens and saves .png, .jpg, .bmp and .gif, so every old Paint file works.
Does Microsoft Paint run on Linux?
Verdict: No
No. Paint is part of Windows and has never been released for Linux, but Pinta is a free lookalike that opens the same files and works the same way.
Paint has shipped inside Windows since 1985 and there is no separate version for anything else.
Pinta is the replacement to reach for first. It was built to be a Paint that does a bit more, and it keeps the same simple idea: a canvas, a toolbar down the side, pencil, brush, fill, shapes and text. Anyone who can use Paint can use it in five minutes. It adds layers and an undo history that goes back further than one step, which is the main thing people wished Paint had.
Your files are all fine. A .png, .jpg or .bmp opens anywhere, and .paint files are not a thing, so there is no format to convert.
Two Paint features do not survive. The newer Windows Paint has background removal and image generation built in, and Pinta has neither. For background removal, GIMP can do it manually with a selection tool, which takes longer and looks better.
What to use instead of Microsoft Paint
Krita
Different way of workingFreeAimed at drawing and painting rather than quick edits. The right choice if you have a graphics tablet.
Your files: Opens common image files and .psd, and saves to .png and .jpg.
GIMP
Different way of workingFreeMuch larger than Paint and takes real learning, but it covers the background removal and photo work Pinta will not.
Your files: Opens .png, .jpg, .bmp and .psd, and exports back to the common formats.
This doesn't have to stop you
One stubborn program doesn't have to decide the whole question. You can keep Windows on the same PC and restart into it only when you need Microsoft Paint. Everything else you do can move.
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