MS Paint Eraser and Fill Tools

The Eraser and Fill tools are two of the most frequently used tools in MS Paint. The Eraser removes unwanted parts of a drawing, and the Fill tool (also called the Paint Bucket) fills large areas with colour instantly. Together, these tools handle the most common correction and colouring tasks in any drawing project.

The Eraser Tool

The Eraser tool removes pixels from the canvas by replacing them with Color 2 (the background colour). By default, Color 2 is white, so erasing usually reveals a white background — just like rubbing a pencil mark off white paper.

How to Use the Eraser Tool

1. Click on the Home tab
2. Click the Eraser icon in the Tools group
3. The mouse cursor changes to a square block on the canvas
4. Click and drag over the area that needs to be erased
5. Release the mouse button to stop erasing

Example: Draw a circle on the canvas. Select the Eraser and drag it over the left half of the circle. The left half disappears, leaving only the right half visible.

Changing Eraser Size

Click the Size button in the ribbon to change the eraser size. A large eraser clears big areas quickly. A small eraser removes fine, detailed sections with more precision. Choose the size that matches the area that needs erasing.

Eraser and Color 2 Relationship

The Eraser does not truly delete pixels — it replaces them with Color 2. This means:

• If Color 2 is white, the eraser creates a white area (standard erasing)
• If Color 2 is blue, the eraser paints the area blue instead of white
• This feature allows the Eraser to act as a wide brush that paints in Color 2

Practical tip: Always check what Color 2 is set to before using the Eraser. Set Color 2 to white (right-click the white swatch) to ensure standard erasing behaviour.

Erasing a Specific Color

MS Paint includes a special mode for the Eraser that removes only one specific colour from the canvas, leaving all other colours untouched. This is called colour-specific erasing.

How to use it:

1. Set Color 1 to the colour that needs to be removed (use the Color Picker if needed)
2. Set Color 2 to the replacement colour (usually white)
3. Select the Eraser tool
4. Hold the right mouse button and drag over the canvas
5. Only the pixels matching Color 1 are replaced with Color 2 — all other colours stay

Example: A drawing has a red outline that needs removing while keeping the blue fill. Set Color 1 to red, Color 2 to white, select the Eraser, and right-click drag. Only the red pixels disappear.

The Fill with Color Tool (Paint Bucket)

The Fill with Color tool, commonly called the Paint Bucket, fills an entire enclosed area with the selected colour in a single click. It works by detecting all connected pixels of the same colour and replacing them with Color 1.

How to Use the Fill Tool

1. Click on the Home tab
2. Click the Fill with Color icon in the Tools group (it looks like a tilted paint bucket)
3. Choose the desired fill colour as Color 1
4. Click anywhere inside the area on the canvas that needs to be filled

Example: Draw a rectangle with a pencil. Select the Fill tool, set Color 1 to green, and click inside the rectangle. The entire inside of the rectangle fills with green instantly.

Left Click vs Right Click with Fill

• Left click – fills the area with Color 1
• Right click – fills the area with Color 2

Important: The Fill Tool and Gaps

The Fill tool only fills closed areas. If the outline of a shape has a gap — even a gap of one pixel — the colour floods out through the gap and fills the entire canvas or a large unexpected area.

To fix a fill that goes outside the intended area:

1. Press Ctrl + Z immediately to undo the fill
2. Zoom in using the Magnifier tool to find the gap in the outline
3. Close the gap with the Pencil tool
4. Try the Fill tool again

Filling the Entire Canvas with a Colour

To change the background colour of the entire canvas:

1. Select the Fill tool
2. Choose the desired background colour as Color 1
3. Click anywhere on the blank canvas (area with no drawing)

The entire blank area fills with the chosen colour. Any drawings on the canvas remain untouched.

Eraser vs Fill — Key Differences

Practical Exercise

1. Draw three separate shapes on the canvas: a rectangle, a circle, and a triangle
2. Use the Fill tool to fill each shape with a different colour
3. Draw a small unwanted mark on the canvas
4. Use the Eraser (small size) to remove just that mark
5. Draw a shape with an intentional gap in the outline
6. Try to fill it and observe how the colour escapes through the gap
7. Undo, close the gap with the Pencil tool, and fill again successfully

Knowing how to correct mistakes and colour areas efficiently saves a great deal of time in any drawing project.