FIX: Can’t view photos on Windows 10

• Many users have reported that their Windows 10 photo viewer is not working as it is supposed to.
• If you are among them, consider using an alternative photo viewer, or checking your antivirus settings.
• You can also try reinstalling the app, updating it, or troubleshooting it accordingly.
• Alternatively, using third-party photo viewers to replace the default one can also help.

1. Download Restoro PC Repair Tool that comes with Patented Technologies (patent available here).
2. Click Start Scan to find Windows issues that could be causing PC problems.
3. Click Repair All to fix issues affecting your computer’s security and performance

• Restoro has been downloaded by 0 readers this month.

All of us store our favorite photos on our PCs, but a number of users reported a strange issue on Windows 10 regarding photos.

According to users, they can’t view photos on Windows 10, so let’s see if we can fix that problem.

What can I do if Photo Viewer stops working on Windows 10?

Many Windows 10 users reported that they can’t view photos on their PC. This can be a big problem, and speaking of photo issues, users reported the following problems as well:

• Windows 10 photo viewer not working
  • Many users reported this problem on their PC. If you encounter this issue, you might have to re-register Photos app and check if that solves the problem.
• Can’t open photos in Windows 10
  • This is another common problem in Windows, and it can be caused by a corrupted user profile. However, you can easily fix it by creating a new user account.
• Can’t open jpg files, can’t view jpeg photos
  • If you can’t view jpg files on your PC, you might be able to fix the problem simply by switching to a third-party photo viewer.
• Windows photo viewer won’t open jpg
  • If you’re having problems viewing photos on your PC, you might be able to fix the problem by switching to the Windows Photo Viewer. In addition, be sure to set Windows Photo Viewer as the default photo app, and the problem should be resolved permanently.

1. Download Adobe Lightroom

If you’re having troubles viewing your photos, you might want to consider a completely different solution from the start. And why not choose one that has a plethora of advantages and bonus features?

Adobe Lightroom is a strong tool that enables you not only to view photos but to capture, edit, share, and organize them as well.

By installing Lightroom you will be able to view and manage any number of photos, group your photos into albums, filter to easily find them, plus you get to choose who else can view, download, or add photos on the web or in the app itself.

Its interface is highly intuitive and easy-to-use, nevertheless, if you are not thrilled by the idea of utilizing a new software, you will be pleased to hear that Lightroom comes with in-app step-by-step tutorials.

Adobe Lightroom

2. Check your antivirus

According to users, sometimes your antivirus can interfere with Windows and cause problems with photo viewing.

If you can’t view photos on Windows 10, you might want to try disabling certain antivirus settings and check if that solves the problem.

If that doesn’t work, you might have to disable your antivirus entirely. If that doesn’t help, the last resort is to uninstall your antivirus.

Several users reported problems with AVG antivirus, but after uninstalling it, the problem was completely resolved.

Keep in mind that other antivirus tools can also cause this problem to appear, so even if you don’t have AVG, you might have to uninstall your antivirus in order to fix this issue.

If removing the antivirus solves the problem, you should consider switching to a different antivirus. There are many great antivirus tools available, but the best has to be BullGuard.

3. Try using Photo Viewer as a default image viewer

1. Download this .reg file.
2. Once the file is downloaded double click Restore_Windows_Photo_Viewer_CURRENT_USER.reg file to run it.
3. You’ll be asked if you’re sure that you want to add the contents of the file to the registry. Click Yes.
   
4. After running this file, Windows Photo Viewer should be enabled.

Now you should test if Photo Viewer works on your PC by trying to open any image on your PC. If the application works, you might want to set it as a default application for image files by doing the following:

1. Open Settings app and go to Apps section.
   
2. In the left pane navigate to Default apps. Find Photo Viewer section and click Photos.
   
3. Select Windows Photo Viewer from the list.

Another way to set Photo Viewer as default photo application is to use Open With option when selecting an image. To do that follow these steps:

1. Find the image that you want to open, right click it and choose Open with > Choose another app.
   
2. Scroll down and select Microsoft Photo Viewer, check Always use this app to open .jpg files and click OK.
   

Photo Viewer was present in the older versions of Windows, and many users prefer using it due to its speed and simplicity.

Windows 10 uses Photos app as a default image viewer, but you can restore Photo Viewer with a simple registry trick.

Bear in mind that changing the registry can sometimes lead to system instability issues, so it might not be a bad idea to create a backup of your registry if anything goes wrong.

If you want to disable Photo Viewer, just download this .reg file and run it, and Photo Viewer should be disabled once again.

4. Use PowerShell to reinstall Photos app

1. Press Windows Key + S and enter power. Right click PowerShell and choose Run as administrator.
   
2. Once the PowerShell starts enter get-appxpackage *Microsoft.Windows.Photos* | remove-appxpackage and press Enter.
   
3. After removing Photos app download it again from the Microsoft Store.

PowerShell is a powerful tool that allows you to do all sorts of different things on your PC. Since this is such a powerful tool bear in mind that using it can lead to system instability if you’re not careful.

5. Use a third-party photo viewer

Photos app and Windows Photo Viewer are decent photo viewing apps, but if you can’t view photos on Windows 10 you might want to consider using a third-party photo viewer.

15 BEST Photo (Image) Viewer Apps for Windows 10 in 2021

Photo viewer is computer software that can display stored pictures. These tools can handle many common file formats like PNG, BMP, JPG, etc. You can use software to rename, cut, copy, delete, and convert images from one format to another. Many applications enable you to view images in full-screen mode without any hassle.

Following is a handpicked list of Top Image Viewer for Windows, with their popular features and website links. The list contains both open source (free) and commercial (paid) software.

Best Windows 10 Photo (Picture) Viewer Apps & Software

1) ACDSee Ultimate

ACDSee Ultimate is a tool that can find duplicate images from a variety of locations and folders. You can get pictures stored on cloud storage apps like OneDrive or DropBox.

Features:

• Convert massive images into other formats.
• The tool is fully customizable.
• View collection of images by date.
• Wirelessly send images to ACDSee Photo Studio from your mobile.
• Supports HEIF (High-Efficiency Image File Format) file formats.
• Erase unwanted objects in the photo.
• It provides image cropping.
• Automatically correct the exposure levels of any photo.
• Adjust the contrast of any image.
• This software allows you to view files in ZIP format without extraction.

2) Microsoft Photos

Microsoft Photos is image viewer for window OS that enables you to edit photos with no hassle. This software enables you to search photos for places, people, things, and more.

Features:

• You can make images smaller for fast scrolling.
• It has improved navigation and design.
• You can crop, and rotate photos, adjust color, lighting, and more.
• Enables you to fix red eyes and blemishes in photos.
• View photos and albums from all your devices.
• See images as a slideshow.
• Set image as a lock screen image or desktop background.
• This tool automatically arranges photos in a timeline that can be scrollable.
• It supports image formats like BMP, JPEG, JPEG GIF, PNG, and more.

3) Adobe Photoshop Elements

Adobe Photoshop Elements is a tool that enables you to edit, create, manage, and share photos. It allows you to add motion to your static images with just one mouse click.

Features:

• You can add personalized quotes or messages to pictures.
• Allows you to create landscape images with ease.
• Offers customized effects to your photos.
• You can move, scale, or duplicate objects.
• This tool automatically adjusts the position of the human face for a selfie.

4) Movavi Photo Manager

Movavi Photo Manager is a tool for Windows, which enables users to manage digital photo collection. It helps you to edit individual or multiple images for the enhancement. The software also helps you to flip, crop rotate, and resize the photo.

Features:

• It enables you to manage RAW, PNG, JPEG, and many other formats.
• Automatically detects faces in the photo and create an album of each person.
• You can add tags to image files.
• It enables you to find and remove duplicate photos from your hard drive quickly.
• View photos in full-screen mode.
• The software can select visually similar images for you.
• Review automatically created photo albums which are sorted by the company.

5) Apowersoft Photo Viewer

Apowersoft Photo Viewer is an app that provides a free cloud service. It supports numerous image formats like PNG, BMP, JPG, etc. This software comes with a function of processing images in batch.

Features:

• You can share photos instantly with other people.
• View long images with ease.
• Screenshot anything which is there on your screen.
• Offers free cloud space.
• It can also work as a PDF reader app.

6) 123 Photo Viewer

123 Photo Viewer is a tool having a simple user interface. This tool supports the most common image formats like .bmp, gif, .jpg, .jpeg, and many more.

Features:

• Animation formats supported by this software are GIF, PNG, etc.
• You can magnify images.
• Use delete key for fast deletion of any file
• You can use a mouse to drag and drop images to the directory.
• Press ‘ESC’ key to quite from the application.
• 123 Photo Viewer enables you to change the format and rename image in batch.

7) Jalbum

Jalbum is application that enables you to create a photo album website from your images. It allows you to create folders to organize your album with no hassle.

Features:

• You can drag and drop images to this web application.
• A photo album can be uploaded to any website or blog.
• You can customize the presentation.
• Allows you to create or edit templates.
• Supports more than 160 different video formats suitable for web presentation.
• You can adjust any images with Straighten and crop tools.

8) ScanMyPhotos

ScanMyPhotos is a website that enables you to scan and view your photos with ease. This service helps you to enhance your old pictures.

Features:

• Offers photo restoration facility.
• It provides you video transfer service.
• ScanMyPhotos allows you to scan all your photos in bulk.
• You will get fast digitization of your photographs.

9) Google Photos

Google Photos allows you to share photos with friends and family using shared albums. It is one of the best photo viewer for Windows 10 which enables you to make room for more memories.

Features:

• This picture viewer for Windows 10 enables you to get back up unlimited photos, images, and videos for free, up to 16MP.
• This app helps you in the management of phone storage.
• It allows you to access them from any phone, tablet, or computer.
• See your photos automatically organized by the people, places, and things that matter.
• Navigate a lifetime of photos with simple gestures.

10) XnView

XnView is a free image viewer that enables users to open and make changes in photos easily. This Windows photo viewer supports JPEG, TIFF (Tagged Image File Format), PNG, PSD (Photoshop Document), GIF, etc.

Features:

• You can adjust the color of image, resize, and crop it.
• It can find duplicate image
• You can quickly view photos and manage images.
• Rename file in batch.
• Create a slideshow of images.
• Available for mobile phones as well as PC.

11) IrfanView

IrfanView is a compact and free image viewer for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10. It provides multi-language support. This software enables you to preview images using Thumbnail.

Features:

• This picture viewer for Windows 10 supports multiple undo steps.
• You can cut or crop any image.
• Convert image from one format to another in batch.
• You can save slideshow as SCR or EXE.
• Provides directory view of images.
• It allows you to add a watermark into the image.
• Change color in depth.
• Multipage TIF (Tagged Image Format File) editing is possible.
• You can rotate JPEG files.
• This tool supports OCR tread text from image and export in an editable format.

12) FastStone Image Viewer

FastStone Image Viewer is an image viewer for Windows 10. It supports numerous different image formats. This tool allows you to view photos in a variety of ways, like full screen, thumbnails, etc.

Features:

• It provides a fast and user-friendly photo browser.
• FastStone offers quick access to EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) information.
• This tool provides HD magnifier and a musical slideshow with many transactional effects.
• You can drag and drop photos to a directory.
• Add special effects on the image.
• It has a customizable image magnifier.
• This tool has multi-level undo/ redo capability.
• FastStone Image Viewer supports one-touch best fit or actual size display.
• You can compare images side by side.

13) HoneyView

HoneyView is a portable free image viewer. This tool supports operating systems like Windows XP, Vista, 7,8, and 10. You can use it to convert batch photo format conversion with resizing.

Features:

• Supports formats like GIF, JPG, BMP, PNG, and more.
• A portable version is also available.
• It is a freeware software.
• This photo viewer app for Windows 10 allows you to view files in a RAR or ZIP folder without unzipping it.

14) ImageGlass

ImageGlass is a lightweight and versatile image viewing software. It is designed for Microsoft Windows 10, 8, 7 and Vista.

Features:

• This photo viewer app for Windows 10 supports more than 70 file formats.
• You can personalize the software the way you like.
• Switch quickly between images.
• Open-source image viewer that can be used for any purpose.

15) GonVisor

GonVisor is a free sequential image viewer designed for Microsoft Windows. It enables you to view images in the form of a comic book or magazine.

Features:

• This program supports Brazilian, Dutch, English, French, and German, and more languages.
• You can enhance images that are bad taken or scanned.
• You can effortlessly check which comic book you have started reading.
• This Windows 10 photo viewer allows you to sort images and add a description.
• This software enables you to view images quickly.
• Support a full-screen view.
• Adjust image according to the size of your screen.
• Rotate image and save it with a new direction.

16) Nomacs

Nomacs is a free and open source image viewer that supports multiple platforms. It is one of the best photo viewer for Windows 10 that helps you to view all common image formats, including PSD and RAW files. It displays additional information like thumbnails, metadata, and histogram.

Features:

• You can browse images in MS Office files or zip that can be extracted to any directory.
• This image viewer for Windows 10 offers file explorer panel that allows switching between folders.
• You can add notes to the image.
• You can apply filters within the directory.

17) Photo Mechanic

Photo Mechanic is an application that enables you to view, organize, manage, and export digital photos. This tool makes the process of choosing, managing, and adding metadata to your image easier.

Features:

• You can edit any image quickly.
• It is one of the best photo viewer Windows 10 which enables you to copy images from memory cards.
• You can add metadata to the image.
• It has a basic feature that helps you to preview images with ease.
• Contains structured Keyword lists that enable you to add related keywords for searching a file.
• Copy, delete, tag, watermark, rename, and resize the image in batch.
• Geotag images by applying your saved GPS tracking logs.
• Synchronize photos from more than one camera.
• You can view and compare images side by side.

18) DigiKam

DigiKam is an open-source and free image viewer and tag editor written in C++. This tool can work with Operating systems like Linux, Windows, and even macOS. It contains a set of tools that can be used for importing, managing, editing, and sharing photo.

Features:

• You can transfer photos directly from external storage devices like USB sticks, SD cards, etc.
• Process images and publish them to social media.
• Filter album by file name, type, labels, and tags.
• Icon view enables you to display images as a thumbnails and full size.
• Easily compare images.
• You can create image presentation using this Windows 10 photo viewer.
• It enables you to crop, rotate, and flip photos.

19) FastPictureViewer

FastPictureViewer is a software that is developed for photographers with the aim of speeding up the image section. It has a facility to quickly review, rate, and annotate large quantities of pictures.

Features:

• It is one of the best photo viewer Windows 10 that provides full support of 4K and 5K monitors.
• View images in full-screen mode.
• You can press the delete button to simply remove the images.
• Tag, filter by rating, move, or copy images in batch.
• Allows you to sort by folder and file name.

⚡ Which are the Best Photo Viewing Apps for Windows 10?

Following are some of the best photo viewing apps for Windows 10:

• ACDSee Ultimate
• Microsoft Photos
• Adobe Photoshop Elements
• Movavi Photo Manager
• Apowersoft Photo Viewer
• 123 Photo Viewer
• Google Photos

💻 How to set default Photo Viewer in Windows 10?

Below are the steps to set the default photo viewer of your choice in Windows 10:

1. First, make sure you have installed the photo viewer you want to set as default on your computer
2. On the desktop, press “Win + I”
3. Navigate to the Default Apps > Photo viewer
4. Press the left click on Photos, and you will see the list of Photo viewing apps
5. Select the app you want to set as default
6. Your desired app will be set as default to view photos

✅ How to select the Best Photo Viewer for Windows 10?

To select the best photo viewer for Windows 10, we should consider the following factors:

• GUI and User Experience
• Usability and Compatibility
• File formats supported
• Tools and functionalities offered
• How photos are organized
• Ease of finding images
• Sharing options
• Album creation
• Basic editing, filters, and tagging features
• Cloud compatibility