windows photo viewer installer windows 10

How to Get Back Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10

Are you missing the classic Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10? You're not alone. While Microsoft has replaced it with the new Photos app, many users still prefer the old viewer for its simplicity and ease of use. In this article, we'll show you how to get back Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10.

Windows Photo Viewer was a staple in previous versions of Windows, but it's nowhere to be found in Windows 10 by default. The good news is that it's still there, hidden from view. To access it, you'll need to make a couple of Registry edits. Don't worry; it's easy and won't harm your system.

If you're coming from Windows 7 or 8.1 and upgrading to Windows 10, you may be able to access Photo Viewer immediately. However, if you've performed a clean installation of Windows 10 or bought a new PC with the operating system pre-installed, you'll need to take the extra step to enable it.

To get started, open the Registry Editor by searching for 'Regedit' in the Start menu. Navigate to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.jpg

Create a new key called 'UserChoice' if it doesn't already exist. Then, create two new subkeys: 'ProgId' and 'ApplicationName'. Set the value of 'ProgId' to 'PhotoViewer.FileassocProps.3-5-0.102040' and the value of 'ApplicationName' to 'Windows Photo Viewer'.

Next, navigate to the following key:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\jpegfile\shell\open\command

Create a new string value called '(Default)' and set its value to:

'C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Photo Viewer\PhotoViewer.exe' '%1'

This will associate the .jpg file extension with Windows Photo Viewer.

Once you've made these changes, restart your computer. You can now right-click on an image file, click 'Open With,' and select 'Windows Photo Viewer' from the list to use it as your default image viewer.

If you want to set Windows Photo Viewer as your default image application, check the box next to 'Always use this app' in the Open With dialog box.

That's it! You should now be able to use Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10. While it may not have all the features of the new Photos app, many users prefer its simplicity and ease of use.

Windows photo viewer installer windows 10