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Getting Started with WinForms PictureBox

Updated on Feb 10, 2026

This tutorial will help you to quickly get started using the control.

Adding Telerik Assemblies Using NuGet

To use RadPictureBox when working with NuGet packages, install the Telerik.UI.for.WinForms.AllControls package. The package target framework version may vary.

Read more about NuGet installation in the Install using NuGet Packages article.

With the 2025 Q1 release, the Telerik UI for WinForms has a new licensing mechanism. You can learn more about it here.

Adding Assembly References Manually

When dragging and dropping a control from the Visual Studio (VS) Toolbox onto the Form Designer, VS automatically adds the necessary assemblies. However, if you're adding the control programmatically, you'll need to manually reference the following assemblies:

Telerik.Licensing.Runtime
Telerik.WinControls
Telerik.WinControls.UI
TelerikCommon

The Telerik UI for WinForms assemblies can be install by using one of the available installation approaches.

Defining the RadPictureBox

To start using the control you only need to add a RadPictureBox control to the form either at design time by dragging it from the toolbox and dropping it into the form or via code. From the smart tag you can dock the control in parent's container.

By default, the control is shown with no image icon:

WinForms RadPictureBox Default View

Customize Default Look When there is No Image

You can use the DefaultSvgImage/DefaultImage and DefaultText properties to customize both the image icon and text according to your needs:

C#
this.radPictureBox1.DefaultSvgImage = RadSvgImage.FromFile(@"..//..//PictureBox//noimage.svg");
this.radPictureBox1.DefaultText = "No image available";
VB.NET
Me.RadPictureBox1.DefaultSvgImage = RadSvgImage.FromFile("..//..//PictureBox//noimage.svg")
Me.RadPictureBox1.DefaultText = "No image available"

WinForms RadPictureBox Customize Default Look

Load an Image

To load an image in RadPictureBox control you can use SvgImage or Image property:

Load an image:

C#
this.radPictureBox1.Image = Image.FromFile(@"..//..//PictureBox//emoticon-happy.png");
VB.NET
Me.RadPictureBox1.Image = Image.FromFile("..//..//PictureBox//emoticon-happy.png")

Load SVG image:

C#
this.radPictureBox1.SvgImage = RadSvgImage.FromFile(@"..//..//PictureBox//emoticon-happy.svg");
VB.NET
Me.RadPictureBox1.SvgImage = RadSvgImage.FromFile("..//..//PictureBox//emoticon-happy.svg")

WinForms RadPictureBox Load an Image

ImageLoaded Event

The ImageLoaded event is fired when an image is successfully loaded into the RadPictureBox control, whether from a file or from the clipboard. As of Q1 2026, this event provides detailed information about the loaded image through the PictureBoxImageLoadedEventArgs class.

Event Arguments

The PictureBoxImageLoadedEventArgs class exposes the following useful properties:

Property	Type	Description
ImageKind	ImageKind	Gets the kind of image that was loaded (Raster or Vector).
LoadContext	LoadImageContext	Gets the context from which the image was loaded (File or Clipboard).
FilePath	string	Gets the file path from which the image was loaded. This property is valid only when LoadContext is LoadImageContext.File.

The event handler signature uses the base EventArgs type. To access the properties listed above, you need to cast the event arguments to PictureBoxImageLoadedEventArgs.

Example Usage

The following example demonstrates how to use the ImageLoaded event to update the window title with information about the loaded image:

C#
private void RadPictureBox1_ImageLoaded(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    if (e is PictureBoxImageLoadedEventArgs args)
    {
        string title = "Image Viewer";

        if (args.LoadContext == LoadImageContext.File && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(args.FilePath))
        {
            var fileInfo = new FileInfo(args.FilePath);
            title = $"Image Viewer - {fileInfo.Name} ({args.ImageKind})";
        }
        else if (args.LoadContext == LoadImageContext.Clipboard)
        {
            title = $"Image Viewer - Clipboard Image ({args.ImageKind})";
        }
        
        this.Text = title;
    }
}
VB.NET
Private Sub RadPictureBox1_ImageLoaded(sender As Object, e As EventArgs)
    Dim args As PictureBoxImageLoadedEventArgs = TryCast(e, PictureBoxImageLoadedEventArgs)
    If args IsNot Nothing Then
        Dim title As String = "Image Viewer"
        
        If args.LoadContext = LoadImageContext.File AndAlso Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(args.FilePath) Then
            Dim fileInfo As New FileInfo(args.FilePath)
            title = $"Image Viewer - {fileInfo.Name} ({args.ImageKind})"
        ElseIf args.LoadContext = LoadImageContext.Clipboard Then
            title = $"Image Viewer - Clipboard Image ({args.ImageKind})"
        End If
        
        Me.Text = title
    End If
End Sub