2024 Full Guide of Microsoft Photo Editor

The Windows is still the most prevalent operating system around the world. Most users have heard of or even used the native photo editor, Paint, but never tried Microsoft Photo Editor.

This tutorial will share everything you should know about the program, including the best alternatives.

Part 1: What is Microsoft Photo Editor?
Part 2: Top 3 alternatives to Microsoft Photo Editor
Part 3: FAQs of Microsoft Photo Editor

Part 1: What is Microsoft Photo Editor?

According to Wikipedia, Microsoft Photo Editor is a raster picture editor and a part of Microsoft Office 97. Its key features include:

1. Support GIF, BMP, JPG, TIF, PNG and PCD.
2. Open a single picture from your hard disk or paste a photo from Office.
3. Contain basic photo editing tools, like crop, zoom out, etc.
4. Adjust color, resolution, and size.
5. Decide the output quality when exporting the pictures.

Pros

1. The interface is straightforward.
2. It is free of charge if you have Office 97.

Cons

1. Microsoft Photo Editor may be too simple to edit photos.
2. It cannot process large photos.

How to edit pictures with Microsoft Photo Editor on Windows 7

Step 1: Import a picture

Open Microsoft Photo Editor and go to File > Open to import the photo to edit. To quickly load a photo, click the Folder icon.

Note: It will be installed automatically, if you have Microsoft Office 97. It is not available in other suits.

Step 2: Edit and adjust the photo

Crop the photo: Click the Selection icon, place your mouse to the start point, hold and drag the border until it encloses the area you wish to crop. Release your mouse and you can still adjust the area by dragging the control points.

Right click the selected area and then select Crop. The unwanted parts will be removed. To get advanced options of cropping, click Image > Crop to open the crop dialog. Here you can set borders, oval or rectangular photos and corners.

Enhance the photo: Go to Image > Balance to trigger the balance dialog. Now, you can adjust Brightness, Contrast and Gamma.

Adjust the resolution: Navigate to File > Properties and open the properties dialog. Then reset the value of Resolution.

Step 3: Save the photo

Go to File > Save As, and fill in the necessary information, like location, file name, and format. Hit the Save button to complete it.

FAQ

1. Can I use Microsoft Photo Editor on Windows 10?
As mentioned previously, Microsoft Photo Editor is only available in Microsoft Office 97. Microsoft has dropped it in Microsoft Office 2003 and later.
2. Where to download Microsoft Photo Editor?
You cannot download the program separately from Microsoft official website. There are some websites provide the download icon, but you should be careful and make sure the source is trustable.
3. Microsoft Photo Editor showed Error Reading File when open JPG.
The maximum file size is approximately 2MB. Version 3.0.2.3 and earlier have a 10 megapixel resolution limit. The large HD pictures cannot be opened. Plus, it may have various issues due in part to its age.

Part 2: Top 3 alternatives to Microsoft Photo Editor

Microsoft Photo Editor is only a simple tool to edit photos on old machines. It cannot process HD photos. Moreover, it only offers limited photo editing tools. Therefore, we will share top 3 alternatives to help you edit photos quickly.

Top 1: AnyMP4 Video Editor

Key features:

1. Include all basic photo editing tools, like crop, rotate, flip, adjustment, etc.
2. Enjoy some advanced editing functions easily, such as filters and effects.
3. Support a wide range of photo, video and audio formats.
4. Optimize photo quality using advanced algorithm automatically.
5. Create video slideshows with your photos, video clips, and music.
Check the details here to edit the pictures on PC.

Pros

1. The interface of AnyMP4 Video Editor is straightforward.
2. You can find more tools in this Microsoft picture editor.

Cons

1. It may take a while to process and render HD photos.

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Top 2: Paint.Net

Key features:

1. Edit pictures on layers for free.
2. Contain an array of photo editing tools as a Microsoft equation editor.
3. Expandable with dozens of third-part plugins.
4. Available to Windows 10 and latest Windows operating systems.

Pros

1. The interface is concise and well designed.
2. All native features are free of charge.

Cons

1. The custom options are limited.

Top 3: Fotor

Key features:

1. Edit photos online or on computer quickly.
2. Built-in a variety of templates, frames, backgrounds and effects.
3. Retouch and makeup portraits like a pro.
4. Export photos in the original quality.

Pros

1. It offers both a desktop program and a web-based app.
2. This Microsoft picture editor supports all commonly-used photo formats.

Cons

1. It requires registration and subscription.

Part 3: FAQs of Microsoft Photo Editor

1. Is Microsoft Photo Editor free?

Yes. Microsoft Photo Editor is a free and simple photo editor to adjust color, add effects, rotate, crop, resize, frame, mirror and draw on your photos.

2. Does Windows 10 have a photo editor?

No. But Microsoft offers a free application for Windows 10 users, Photo Editor Free, so that users can edit images easily.

3. What is the default photo editor for Windows 10?

No. There is no built-in photo editing software on Windows 10. But Microsoft provides users a free photo editing tool, Photo Editor Free, and users can download it from Microsoft Store to use.

Conclusion

As an old tool for Windows, many people are not familiar with Microsoft Photo Editor. Considering there are still some users, we have shared our introduction, review and how-to. If you need more options, you can find top 3 alternatives in the post, too.