Getting Error message " Paint cannot read this file. This is not a valid bitmap file, or its format is not currently supported"

Question

I just saved a file in MS Paint and then had to re-open it.  Now I am getting an error message " Paint cannot read this file. This is not a valid bitmap file or its format is not currently supported".

What's up with that?

It is a PNG file like all the rest.

The 2 things I noticed is that the file size is 3x the size of others I recently made and I also noticed that it was set to open with a picture app - not Paint - so I changed that.  It didn't resolve the issue.

It did take alot longer to save so I am wondering if it was corrupted somehow...

I'd hate to have to remake the dang thing....  any advice?

(Sorry about the catagory choice but there wasn't one for MS Paint...)

Answer 1

Sounds like the file became corrupted.  Paint should open PNG files.

What "picture app" did the file want to use?

How did you change that?

See if free IrfanView can deal with it:  http://www.irfanview.com/

Make a copy of the file and delete the file extension (the dot and letters after the dot).

Open IrfanView, then drag and drop the file onto the open IrfanView window.

IrfanView will attempt to determine the file type and open it.

If it does open in IrfanView, use File > Save as to save it in the format you want.

Answer 2

Me too.

I had Windows 10 (1511) Pro installed on one computer and THAT ONE computer kept doing this to me, while all the others recognized .jpg files just fine.

Over this past week I did a fresh re-install of Windows 10 (1607) Pro on that same computer and have the same results.

Once Windows 10 MS Paint alters and saves a .jpg file, it can't open it again, however Windows 7 MS Paint and Windows XP MS Paint CAN OPEN that same file created by Windows 10 MS Paint.

Going back to that SAME computer, if go into File Explorer and view it with "Extra Large Icons" I can see it perfectly, and if I pull it up in the Photos App, I can manipulated it and print it perfectly ... but if I go back to MS Paint in Windows 10 (the very program that created the file) and, just as it did with Win 10 (1511), I get this:

I'm glad to find someone else has the same problem.  It's still an unsolved problem, but it's good not to be alone.

Could the problem be staring us in the face?  "This is not a valid bitmap file" ???  Don't bitmaps have a .bmp extension instead of a .jpg extension?  Is "bitmap" just a generic graphical term ... or ... upon re-opening a file created by Windows 10 MS Paint, is it by some accidental default expecting a .bmp file no matter if the file has a .jpg extension? This could be a simple programming glitch deep in the source code!  It might be worth a look.

Answer 3

I came across this issue today and as far as I can tell it has to do with the resolution of the image. Anything above 1200*1200dpi won't open in Paint, even if it is a BMP file.

See this thread:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows\_10-files/paint-wont-open-valid-file-types-over-1200x1200/176a85c8-ac6a-4e1a-a6e2-6b7ce7190ea7

Until I get an answer or Microsoft fix it, I would suggest using Paint.net or GIMP. They're genuinely free and easy to use with some more advanced features too if you need them.

Answer 4

Hy i think i found the problem or it worked for me. I was busy editing my tiff file in Paint and when i saved it my file size went from 2.49MB to 352MB so i open it in Irfanview (latest version) and i dit a Save as (Tiff) and next to the dialog box there were a nother dialog boxs that shows Compression and i seleckted CCITT Fax 4 and it shrinked my file size back to 2.36MB and my problem were solved i can now open my file that i edited in paint again