Microsoft made significant modifications to the foundation of the Windows OS with the release of Windows 10 in 2015. Reworking the Windows Photo Viewer and substituting a contemporary-looking Photos app was one of the significant modifications. However, the new app significantly decreased performance, and even in 2020, the app takes a long time to preview an image. As most people browse images on their Windows PCs, this problem continues to rankle Windows users. Nevertheless, we have discovered some excellent Windows Photo Viewer substitutes that might take the place of the default Photos software. Additionally, I have mentioned a clever workaround that enables Windows 10 to revert to its previous Windows Photo Viewer. After that, let’s start with the list.
Best Windows Photo Viewer Alternatives in 2020
I’ve listed a total of 10 Windows Photo Viewer alternatives in this article, all of which outperform the built-in Photos software. You can also follow the short instructions to reinstall the previous version of Windows Photo Viewer. Let’s start now without wasting any more time.
1. IrfanView
The finest programme for viewing images on Windows PCs is without a doubt IrfanView. If you’re coming from the default Windows 10 Photos app, you’re going to adore this one. It loads pictures quickly and is far snappier than the Windows Photo Viewer. Given that IrfanView is a rather lightweight app, the performance difference is just night and day. There is no bloatware contained in the software because its footprint is only 3 MB.
In addition to its performance, it features a decent built-in image editor, supports a wide range of media types, can convert media files, can batch edit images, and does a lot more. The scroll bar also allows you to zoom in on individual photographs and flick between them. In essence, IrfanView offers all the advantages of the previous Windows Photo Viewer while maintaining very similar functionalities. Install IrfanView to replace the buggy Windows 10 Photos app if you’re looking for the best Windows Photo Viewer substitute.
Get IrfanView from the Microsoft Store (Free)
Install IrfanView from its Website (Free)
2. ImageGlass
While IrfanView is a complete powerhouse of an app, it looks dated in terms of user interface and design. If you want similar performance like Irfanview, but with modern aesthetics, then ImageGlass is a great alternative. It s a simple, modern looking photo viewer without any bells and whistles, but the performance is vastly superior to the native Windows 10 Photos app. The image loading time is almost negligible and you get an instant preview of the images the moment you open it. What I love about ImageGlass is the quick menu on top of the image. Unlike nested menus, it has quick access to all important features like rotation, zoom, print, etc on the top bar. You want to rotate an image, just click on the rotate button and there you have it. Overall, ImageGlass is a great Windows Photo Viewer alternative and I am sure you will love the performance jump from the native Photos app. If IrfanView s user interface doesn t cut for you, you should definitely go for ImageGlass.
Download ImageGlass from its Website (Free)
3. Bring Back Windows 7 Photo Viewer
For many, the simple photo viewer on Windows 7 was the best app to view images. It was fast, efficient and worked without any issues. If you want the same app on Windows 10 as well then there is good news. You can get back the old Windows 7 Photo Viewer on Windows 10 easilyand without much workarounds. In this section, I will share some easy steps to replace the Photos app on Windows 10 with the older Windows Photo Viewer. So without further ado, let s begin with the steps.
1. First of all,download the Registry fileto activate old Windows Photo Viewer fromhere.
2. Now, open the Registry file.
It will seek your permission, allow it. After that, it will ask your final permission before merging the file with your Registry. Click on the Yes button.
3. Now open Windows Settings by pressing Windows and I keys at once. Here, click on Apps .
4. Next,switch to the Default Apps tabon the left pane and change the default photo viewer to Windows Photo Viewer .
5. Now go ahead and open images. You will find the old Windows Photo Viewer is back and the images are loading in no time. Enjoy!
4. FastStone Image Viewer
Note:Windows 7 is officially deprecated, it will no longer receive updates or security patches. Now is the time toupgrade to Windows 10if you have not already done so.
If you are someone who always wants to view the images in full-screen mode then FastStone Stone Viewer is the best app to get. It s pretty fast, opens a range of image formats, and gives you a complete view of the image in its entirety. If you are a photo editor, the full-screen preview can help you a lotin getting a clear idea of the image. This app is basically designed for users who work on images all day long. Besides, there are also a few editing options including color management, viewing histogram, changing effects, etc. All in all, FastOne Image Viewer is a powerful photo viewer app with great performance. And if you are a photographer or an image editor, this app is strongly recommended.
5. XnView
Download FastStone Image Viewer from its Website (Free)
XnView is quite a popular app for viewing photos on Windows computers. What makes XnView stand out from other apps is thatit can handle multiple images in a single, tabbed window. Having a one-stop window for all the open images make it easier for users to view and navigate to all the photos at the same time. For example, if you want to compare multiple images side by side, then it can organize the images in a single window with the ability to preview images in detail. You can zoom, change the orientation, start a slideshow all within one window. I found this feature really interesting and helpful. It s one of the best Windows Photo Viewer alternatives and you will be surprised to see the performance even while dealing with multiple images. So to break down XnView for you, if you are someone who deals with multiple images at once then XnView is a great option. Go for it.
6. HoneyView
Download XnView from its Website (Free)
HoneyView is a simple and lightweight photo viewer for the Windows platform. It doesn t fancy a long list of features like other apps in this list but provides a minimal interface with stable performance. Image loading is fairly quick and you won t find any sort of lag issues. Further, the app has all the basic features like crop, rotation, slideshow, etc. However,there are two things that I liked the most and those are bookmarks and image clipboard. You can bookmark an image and find it quickly whenever you are browsing photos on your PC. Also, you can copy multiple images in the clipboard and paste them in predefined folders. So to conclude, if you are looking for Windows Photo Viewer alternatives, HoneyView is an awesome app to replace the native Photos app. It s kind of simple yet functional and very stable. Also, if you don t want any Registry hacks, this is the closest you can get to the older Windows Photo Viewer.
7. Nomacs
Download HoneyView from its Website (Free)
Nomacs is an open-source photo viewer app and it s pretty good, both in terms of performance and visuals. Talking about the former, photo loading is way faster and efficient than the native Photos app. The image preview is almost instant and there is no stutter or lag while opening multiple images. Coming to the interface, it has got a standard look of an image viewer with a dash of image editor baked in. There are basic features like zoom, crop, print, etc. However,underneath, it also has an inbuilt image editor which is pretty feature-rich. You can sharpen images, do batch processing, manage opacity, and a lot more. To sum up, if you are looking for Windows Photo Viewer alternatives which can also provide you some editing features then Nomacs is the best pick for you. I am sure you are going to love it.
8. JPEGView
Download Nomacs from its Website (Free)
JPEGView is the lightest of all the apps mentioned in this list with a memory footprint of just 2 MB. At the outset, it is a very simple photo viewer app with support for JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF, and a few other media formats. By default, JPEGView opens the images in full-screen mode, but you can change it to window mode as well. It offers a few features like color correction, quick navigation, photo enhancements, etc within the app. You also get basic features including rotation, slideshow, quick access to EXIF data, etc. Overall, I like JPEGView for its tiny footprintand good performance without choking the CPU. So, if you are using a low-powered Windows PC and looking to replace the native Photos app then JPEGView can be a great alternative. You should definitely go for it.
9. 123 Photo Viewer
Download JPEGView from its Website (Free)
123 Photo Viewer might have a generic name, but it s a well-designed and capable photo viewer available on Windows 10. Unlike Win32 apps (IrfanView, FastStone, etc.) which are built on older Windows API,123 PhotoViewer is a modern, UWP applicationsimilar to the default image viewer on Windows 10. The only difference is that 123 Photo Viewer is much faster and brings a number of quick editing tools. Also, the interface is based on the Fluent design language so it goes pretty well with the overall Windows 10 aesthetics.
Apart from that, there are a few handy shortcuts to navigate through the photos in a seamless manner. You can quickly go into the full-screen mode by pressing the F key, delete photos without confirmation, and more. However, the best part about 123 Photo Viewer is thatit s compatible with touch-screen Windows 10 laptops. You don t have to click on buttons to move back and forth between images. Instead, just tap on either side and comfortably preview the photos. Not to mention, there is also support for Apple s Live Photos (LIVP format) so that is great. All in all, 123 Photo Viewer is a feature-packed application and a suitable alternative to the default Photo Viewer on Windows 10.
10. Apowersoft Photo Viewer
Download 123 Photo Viewer from Microsoft Store (Free, Offers in-app purchases)
Apowersoft Photo Viewer is another great application that you can use on Windows 10, in place of the default Windows Photo Viewer. It has features packed to the brim and brings support for most of the media file-formats including some new and proprietary ones. For instance,ApowerSoft Photo Viewer can display HEIF images on Windows 10 nativelywithout having todownload HEIF extensionseparately. Further, it can also preview images from popularphoto-editing programslike Adobe Photoshop (PSD) and CorelDRAW (CDR) so that is amazing. Apart from that, you can also organize your photos with folders, tags, dates, etc.
The best part about Apowersoft Photo Viewer is that it also comes with a built-in screenshot tool. You can capture full-screen screenshots or take a Window snip seamlessly with this application. And if you wanted something like IrfanView with batch processing features then Apowersoft Photo Viewer has you covered. You can resize, rename, and change file formats of the bulk of images in just one click. How awesome is that? Not to mention, it has a footprint of just 10MB so it s faster and lighter. To sum it up, Apowersoft Photo Viewer is a relatively new application, but it brings all the essential features to the table that simply lacks on the default Windows Photo Viewer.
Pick The Best Windows Photo Viewer Alternatives
Download Apowersoft Photo Viewer from its Website (Free)
