Native Windows 10 image viewer.
Many users, when familiarizing themselves with the new OS from Microsoft, discovered that viewing Windows 10 photos is done through the Photos program. But in Windows 8, Microsoft offered a choice between a photo viewer and a Photos tool.
Why did the developers save users the ability to view common graphic formats through a more convenient and functional program?
Many Windows 10 users are starting to look for third-party products that are more suitable for them, knowing that Photo Viewer only works with TIFF and TIF formats. Therefore, today we will look at how to add this tool to the “Default Applications” section and the “Open With” dialog, where the program is initially missing.
Let's use the registry editor
More advanced users try to specify "Photo Viewer" as the application to open pixel images via the Program Mapping tool, but again, the application is only available for the above TIFF/TIF. Is it possible to make it so that the photo viewer can be specified as an opener for other image formats? Naturally, and this is easy to do.
1. Call the registry editor by running the “regedit” command in search bar or the text line of the command interpreter “Win + R”.
2. Go to HKLM/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows Photo Viewer/Capabilities/FileAssociations.
Here you will see a couple of parameters with the name of image formats that can be opened using the photo viewer.
3. Using the right button, call up the context menu of the free part of the space in the right frame of the window and select creating a string parameter (REG_SZ).
4. Enter its name as “.jpeg”, and set the value to “PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff”.
We perform all the same operations for other formats (.jpg, .gif, .png) that you want to open through more handy tool visualization of images.
5. Call “Settings” using Win+i.
6. Go to “System” → “Default Applications”.
8. In the left frame with the list of programs, click on “Photo Viewer”, then on the icon with the inscription: “Select default values for the program.”
9. Check the boxes next to the required formats.
11. Call the item context menu“Open with” on one of the selected image formats.
The Windows Photo Viewer option will appear.
12. Specify the tool as the default image opener.
Alternative method
For beginners who do not want to delve into the wilds of storage Windows settings 10, it is recommended to use the WinAero Tweaker utility.
- After launching the application, move to the last item of available tweaks “Windows Accessories”.
- Click on the “Activate Windows Photo Viewer” button.
The result will be the same in both cases.
We switched to the new Windows 10 OS, and viewing photos via new program didn't like it? Then let's bring back the good old standard “viewer” like in Windows 7 or 8.1.
Download standard program viewing photos in Windows 10 from previous versions It won’t work, and why should it, because it’s already in the system. You just need to activate it.
The standard photo viewer on Windows 10 is already installed on the system, you just need to use it!
Where is it located - the Windows 10 photo viewer? And how can I set it as the main one for viewing photos? Go!
How to open pictures in Windows 10 through browsing
We make changes to the registry.
1) Start - Windows Utilities— Execute (or by holding down the Win+R keys). We write regedit - we call the Windows registry.
Attention! The registry is important Windows element. Don't change anything unnecessary here. Just in case, as a fireman, we recommend making a point Windows recovery(backup copy).
2) Once in the registry window, go to the folder:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows Photo Viewer/Capabilities/FileAssociations
Only 2 image formats have been added for the photo viewer: tiff and tif.
3) Click right click mouse on free space and select New - String parameter. Sign the name.jpeg
4) Left-click twice on the created name and enter in the Value field: PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff
Next OK.
5) Create names as in point 3 for other types of files, namely for: .jpg, .png, .gif and any others, for example, .ico and .bmp. The value is the same for everyone: PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff
As a result, you will get this picture:
Setting up Photo Viewer in Windows 10
6) Start - Settings (or Win+i) - System - Default Applications - Set default values for the application (link below).
If there is no Default Applications item in the list, then write Applications in the search box at the top left (Find parameter) and the desired item will appear in the drop-down list.
7) On the left in the list of programs, select Windows Photo Viewer and click Select default values for this program.
If you have a slightly different window ( regular list programs), then find Photo Viewer in it, click once and select Manage. Then select the desired program for all file formats.
9) Now right-click on any image in .jpg, .png, .gif or .jpeg format - Open with - Select another application (or select an application).
Select Windows Photo Viewer from the list and check the box Always use this application.
Bottom line. Like this in a simple way In 5-10 minutes you can permanently install the standard Photo Viewer for Windows 10 that was in Windows 7 and 8.1.
Now let's see what to use to view images on a computer, and choose the best photo viewers for Windows. The best photo viewer is a subjective concept, so in this article I will offer several applications that can be used to open popular graphic formats for viewing and processing images.
Any user, when working on a computer, inevitably encounters pictures, images, photographs. In any case, the files graphic formats will end up on your computer, so you will need a program to open and view them. Therefore, you need a photo viewer on your computer to convenient viewing digital images.
Windows 10 has a built-in Photos application, with which you can open a graphic file, create an album, make the necessary changes to photos, etc. In previous versions Windows versions Windows Image Viewer application was used. The user can install Windows Picture Viewer in Windows 10, in addition to the Photos program.
Exists free application Photo Gallery included in the main components Windows Live. The photo album supports opening and editing photos. The program must be installed on your computer (it is not included in the OS).
In addition to applications produced by Microsoft, a large number of third party programs to view and edit images. In this article we will look at the best free image viewer programs that have many additional built-in tools for working with graphic file formats.
Third-party photo viewers (viewers) can be used on your computer as an alternative to standard ones Windows tools. For the best free image viewing programs, I recommend checking out the following programs: FastStone Image Viewer, XnView, IrfanView, Ashampoo Photo Commander Free, Honeyview. These programs run in Russian on the Windows operating system.
Application data, in addition to basic functions, have image editing tools. For more serious picture editing, you will need another program - an image editor (photo).
The best photo viewers, in addition to the viewing function, have additional features necessary for working with images on a computer. The programs have built-in tools to perform various operations with digital photographs or any other images: rotate, resize, remove red-eye, swatch, color correction, convert to other formats, send for printing, etc.
Beyond the scope of this review is free Picasa program(which would have been included in this review), due to the fact that Google stopped developing and supporting the application in 2016.
FastStone Image Viewer
FastStone Image Viewer- a powerful free program for viewing and processing images with simple, clear interface. Built-in tools will help the user solve certain problems with photography: remove red-eye, change image size, apply color correction, convert files, etc.
Available for download regular version FastStone Image Viewer or a portable version of the program that does not require installation on a computer.
Main characteristics FastStone programs Image Viewer:
- Opening graphic files of major formats
- Editing digital photos and graphics files
- A large number of built-in tools for working with images
- Batch file processing
- Batch conversion to another format
- Creating a slide show with transitions and effects
- Preview function
XnView
XnView is a free (for non-commercial use) image viewer, multimedia files, to convert files to other formats. This quality program to manage photos on your computer. Thanks to the support large quantity formats, in XnView, in addition to working with graphic files, for example, you can watch movies or listen to music.
The program has a simple interface, a large number of built-in tools, XnView will do an excellent job of processing and editing photos on a computer.
The user can download the regular or portable version of the application to the computer from the official XnView website.
Features of the XnView program:
- Supports more than 500 formats
- Photo editing
- Applying filters and effects
- Screen capture
- Batch conversion
- Editing metadata
- Convert files to 70 file formats
- Supports viewing video and audio files, archives, documents
- Creating a Slideshow
- Plugins are supported to expand the program's capabilities
IrfanView
IrfanView is a fast, free image viewer that consumes minimal amount computer resources. The program is one of the leaders in the number of downloads in the world for programs of this class. This indirect information tells us about the quality of the application, which is rated by users.
Honeyview is a free image viewer with a simple and intuitive interface. The program opens quickly graphic files, the application has photo editing tools.
You can download from the official website of the developer in the form installation file or as a portable version.
Honeyview program features:
- Supports a large number of graphic formats
- RAW format support
- Viewing images in archives
- View photos in slideshow mode
- Bookmark for favorite photos
- Support GPS data on photos
Conclusion
The user can choose the best photo viewer running on Windows for their computer. Free programs: FastStone Image Viewer, XnView, IrfanView, Ashampoo Photo Commander Free, Honeyview are among best viewers images, in this class programs.