Tag: windows photo viewer

[Fix] Error “Windows Photo Viewer can’t display this picture”

Last Updated on: January 10, 2022 by Ramesh

When you try to preview an image file (JPEG/PNG) using Windows Photo Viewer, the preview would be blank and the following error message is displayed:

Windows Photo Viewer can't display this picture because there might not be enough memory available on your computer. Close some programs that you aren't using or free some hard disk space (if it's almost full), and then try again.

It’s a misleading error message, as in most cases, it may not have anything to do with the system memory. The Windows Photo Viewer error is caused due to color profile metadata (ICC_Profile) embedded into the JPG image(s).

(You can reproduce the issue by transferring images from your Android/iOS mobile and previewing the image using Windows Photo Viewer on your computer. Another possibility is that your system has multiple video cards and the issue happens on the secondary graphics card only. Switching over to the primary video card may resolve the error.)

However, other utilities like IrfanView, GIMP, or the built-in/modern Photos app would be able to open the image correctly. This issue is limited to Windows Photo Viewer (and perhaps Windows Live Photo Gallery) only.Read more

[Fix] WebP Images Appear Very Dark in Windows Photo Viewer

Last Updated on: November 16, 2020 by Ramesh

WebP is a modern image format that provides lossless and lossy compression for smaller, richer images on the web. When you preview a WebP (.webp) image using Windows Photo Viewer, the image may appear very dark.

However, the File Explorer preview pane and the thumbnail view show the .webp image correctly. Also, the same WebP image would render correctly in Firefox, Chrome, and Microsoft Edge (Chromium) web browsers.

Windows Photo Viewer Previous & Next Buttons and Arrow Keys do not work

Last Updated on: November 16, 2020 by Ramesh

If the Windows Photo Viewer the navigation buttons (previous and next) or left and right arrows, and the slideshow button don’t work, this post tells you why this happens and how to fix the problem.Read more

Windows Photo Viewer Applies Yellow Tint to Photos

Last Updated on: July 20, 2022 by Ramesh

When previewing images using Windows Photo Viewer or Windows Photo Gallery (part of the Windows Essentials suite), the viewer background, as well as the image, may show up with a yellow tint and appear off-colored.Read more

Windows Photo Viewer Opens Multiple Windows When Multiple Files are Selected

Last Updated on: August 1, 2022 by Ramesh

You may be wondering why Windows Photo Viewer, which previously opened images in a single window instance when multiple files were selected and previewed, is now opening up separate windows or instances–one for each image file selected.

The Windows Photo Viewer multiple instances problem usually seen in Windows 10 or 1 is not due to any design change, and no functionality is broken. It’s a simple file type association setting and fixing it that can straighten things up.

Selecting multiple files in a folder, right-clicking, and selecting preview should open a single Windows Photo Viewer window, and the user can cycle through the chosen set of images using the arrow keys. This is the expected behavior, and that’s how Windows Photo Viewer worked in the earlier OS.

You don’t have to read the next section if you’re not looking for an explanation for this problem. Proceed straight to the Solution part.
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How to Restore Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10 and 11

Last Updated on: August 3, 2022 by Ramesh

Windows Photo Viewer is one of the things that gets removed or hidden from access after upgrading to Windows 10. The new Photos app takes charge as the default handler for image files in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

The good news is Windows Photo Viewer application still exists in the same location in Windows 10 and Windows 11. But what is removed is only its registration.

Windows Photo Viewer is a lightweight app similar to the Office Picture Manager and Windows Live Photo Gallery, both of which are discontinued by Microsoft. But, Windows Photo Viewer remains an integral part of Windows 10/11.

Windows Photo Viewer is powered by a single DLL file named photoviewer.dll located in the C:\Program Files\Windows Photo Viewer directory in Windows 11 and earlier OS.

photoviewer.dll file information — Windows Photo Viewer – photoviewer.dll in Windows 10 version 21H1.

For example, this command-line will open a file named D:\sample.png using Windows Photo Viewer:

rundll32.exe "%ProgramFiles%\Windows Photo Viewer\PhotoViewer.dll", ImageView_Fullscreen d:\sample.png

Now, all we need to do is add Windows Photo Viewer file association settings to the registry. If you’re not a fan of the new Photos app, you can restore the missing Windows Photo Viewer registration in Windows 10 and 11.
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