{"id":1400,"date":"2015-12-31T18:06:44","date_gmt":"2015-12-31T12:36:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.58.113.91\/blog\/?p=1400"},"modified":"2022-08-03T07:40:06","modified_gmt":"2022-08-03T02:10:06","slug":"restore-windows-photo-viewer-windows-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/restore-windows-photo-viewer-windows-10\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Restore Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10 and 11"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6308\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/wpv-1.png\" alt=\"windows photo viewer thumbnail image\" width=\"200\" height=\"177\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Windows Photo Viewer is a lightweight app similar to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/how-to-install-office-picture-manager-in-windows-10\/\">Office Picture Manager<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/windows-essentials-offline-installer-download-links\/\">Windows Live Photo Gallery<\/a>, both of which are discontinued by Microsoft. But, Windows Photo Viewer remains an integral part of Windows 10\/11.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Windows Photo Viewer is powered by a single DLL file named <code>photoviewer.dll<\/code> located in the <code>C:\\Program Files\\Windows Photo Viewer<\/code> directory in Windows 11 and earlier OS.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24090\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24090\" style=\"width: 741px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24090 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/wpv-dll-info.png\" alt=\"photoviewer.dll file information\" width=\"751\" height=\"355\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24090\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Windows Photo Viewer &#8211; photoviewer.dll in Windows 10 version 21H1.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For example, this command-line will open a file named <code>D:\\sample.png<\/code> using Windows Photo Viewer:<\/p>\n<pre>rundll32.exe \"%ProgramFiles%\\Windows Photo Viewer\\PhotoViewer.dll\", ImageView_Fullscreen d:\\sample.png<\/pre>\n<p>Now, all we need to do is add Windows Photo Viewer file association settings to the registry.\u00a0If you&#8217;re not a fan of the new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/reinstall-photos-app-windows-10\/\">Photos app<\/a>, you can restore the missing Windows Photo Viewer registration in Windows 10 and 11.<br \/>\n<!--more--><\/p>\n<div class=\"rp\"><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/error-windows-photo-viewer-cant-display-this-picture-no-memory\/\">[Fix] Error &#8220;Windows Photo Viewer can\u2019t display this picture because there might not be enough memory available&#8221; <\/a><\/div>\n<h2>Restore Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10 and 11<\/h2>\n<p>To preview images using Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10, you need to add the necessary file associations registry keys. After applying the registry file listed in this article, the Windows Photo Viewer is displayed as an option in the Default Apps page and the <strong>Open With<\/strong> dialog.<\/p>\n<p>Follow these steps to restore Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10 and Windows 11:<\/p>\n<h3>Step 1) Add Windows Photo Viewer to Default Programs<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Log in to a user account that has administrator rights.<\/li>\n<li>Download <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/restore_photo_viewer_windows_10.zip\">restore_photo_viewer_windows_10.zip<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Extract the enclosed file <code>restore_photo_viewer_windows_10.reg<\/code> to a folder.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24160\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/restore-photo-viewer.png\" alt=\"Restore missing Windows Photo Viewer - Registry fix\" width=\"751\" height=\"293\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Double-click <code>restore_photo_viewer_windows_10.reg<\/code> to run it.<\/li>\n<li>Click Yes when asked for confirmation. Windows Photo Viewer option will now show up in Default Programs or Default Apps. The registry file adds the association settings for the following image file types:\n<pre>BMP, DIB, JFIF, JPE, JPEG, JPG, PNG, TIF, TIFF, WDP, WEBP<\/pre>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6338 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/icotip.gif\" alt=\"tips bulb icon\" width=\"34\" height=\"34\" \/>Note that you may need to re-apply the above <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/how-to-use-reg-files-registration-entries-windows\/\">registry file<\/a> after installing every Windows 10\/11 Feature Update &#8212; e.g., 20H1, whether it&#8217;s a clean install or in-place upgrade\/repair install.<\/p>\n<div class=\"rp\"><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/windows-photo-viewer-previous-next-buttons-disabled-arrow-keys-not-work-fix\/\">Windows Photo Viewer Previous &amp; Next Buttons and Arrow Keys do not work<\/a><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Step 2) Set Windows Photo Viewer as the default<\/h3>\n<ol start=\"6\">\n<li>Click Start \u2192 Settings \u2192 Apps \u2192 Default apps.<\/li>\n<li>Under &#8220;Photo viewer&#8221;, select <strong>Windows Photo Viewer<\/strong> from the list.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8813\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/w10-windows-photo-viewer-default-apps.png\" alt=\"windows photo viewer default apps - settings\" width=\"735\" height=\"617\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>This associates the above image file types with Windows Photo Viewer.<\/p>\n<p>To set it as the default viewer for chosen image file types only, click <b>Choose default apps by file type<\/b> and configure it accordingly.\u00a0You can also use the <strong>Open with<\/strong> dialog to set Windows Photo Viewer on a per-filetype basis.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-23736\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/wpv-open-with-dialog.png\" alt=\"windows photo viewer - open with dialog\" width=\"749\" height=\"542\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rp\"><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/error-windows-photo-viewer-cant-display-this-picture-no-memory\/\">[Fix] Error &#8220;Windows Photo Viewer can\u2019t display this picture&#8221;<\/a><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>(Optional) To create the registry file manually<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Open Notepad and copy the following contents into it.<br \/>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/gist.github.com\/winhelponline\/d60e35a3d1d38c33196972a76ebbf6f2.js\"><\/script><\/script><\/li>\n<li>Save the file as &#8220;<code>restore_photo_viewer_w10.reg<\/code>&#8220;<\/li>\n<li>Double-click the .reg file to apply the settings.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"rp\"><strong>SEE ALSO:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/webp-appear-dark-windows-photo-viewer\/\">[Fix] WebP Images Appear Very Dark in Windows Photo Viewer<\/a><\/div>\n<p>Microsoft is looking to transform most of the built-in Windows 10 tools and programs into modern or UWP apps. That&#8217;s probably why they decided to keep Windows Photo Viewer hidden in Windows 10\/11.<\/p>\n<p><em>The above procedure works on all builds of Windows 10 and 11.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 &#8230; <a title=\"How to Restore Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10 and 11\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/restore-windows-photo-viewer-windows-10\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How to Restore Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10 and 11\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8,869],"tags":[878,441,678],"class_list":["post-1400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-windows-10","category-windows-11","tag-default-apps","tag-registry","tag-windows-photo-viewer"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1442,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/windows-photo-viewer-instances-multiple-files-previewed-windows-10\/","url_meta":{"origin":1400,"position":0},"title":"Windows Photo Viewer Opens Multiple Windows When Multiple Files are Selected","author":"Ramesh","date":"January 18, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Windows 10&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"windows photo viewer multiple windows","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/wpv-multiple-0.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10327,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/restore-import-pictures-and-videos-autoplay-option-windows-10\/","url_meta":{"origin":1400,"position":1},"title":"Restore &#8220;Import pictures and videos&#8221; AutoPlay Option in Windows 10\/11","author":"Ramesh","date":"July 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Windows 10 has the Import photos and videos option in the AutoPlay dialog which helps you import photos and videos from your phone, SD card, camera, etc. The option uses the built-in Photos app to import photos and media from the device into your Pictures folder. However, many users would\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Windows 10&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"import pictures and videos autoplay windows 10","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/w10-import-pictures-rundll32-3.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10694,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/how-to-install-office-picture-manager-in-windows-10\/","url_meta":{"origin":1400,"position":2},"title":"How to Install Office Picture Manager in Windows 10","author":"Ramesh","date":"August 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Microsoft Office Picture Manager is a graphics viewer and editor introduced in Microsoft Office 2003 and included up to Office 2010. Many people prefer the good old Microsoft Office Picture Manager, perhaps for it's UI or UX, and want to install it on Windows 10. However, Microsoft has discontinued the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Office&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Office","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/office\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"install office picture manager in windows 10","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/office-picture-manager.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/office-picture-manager.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/office-picture-manager.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":19898,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/webp-appear-dark-windows-photo-viewer\/","url_meta":{"origin":1400,"position":3},"title":"[Fix] WebP Images Appear Very Dark in Windows Photo Viewer","author":"Ramesh","date":"November 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Utilities&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Utilities","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/utilities\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"webp dark windows photo viewer","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/webp-wpv-dark-2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":280,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/windows-photo-gallery-shows-tinted-background-when-previewing-images\/","url_meta":{"origin":1400,"position":4},"title":"Windows Photo Viewer Applies Yellow Tint to Photos","author":"Ramesh","date":"August 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"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. Solution Option 1: Remove all color profiles Click Start, search for Color Management, and open\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Windows&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"windows photo gallery yellow tint","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/windows-photo-viewer-yellow-tint-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/windows-photo-viewer-yellow-tint-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/windows-photo-viewer-yellow-tint-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1032,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/fix-error-problem-starting-photoviewer-dll-edit-image-windows-7\/","url_meta":{"origin":1400,"position":5},"title":"Fix Error &#8220;There was a problem starting PhotoViewer.dll&#8221; When Editing Image Files in Windows 7","author":"Ramesh","date":"April 4, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"After upgrading your Windows Vista computer to Windows 7, when you right-click on a JPG\/JPEG image and click Edit, the following error message may appear: There was a problem starting C:\\Program Files\\Windows Photo Gallery\\PhotoViewer.dll The specified module could not be found. 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