How to Open Images in Default Photo Viewer of Windows 10

Since upgrading to Windows 10, you’ll not find the default Photo Viewer which we used to have in Windows 7 or Windows 8. Usually now, it’ll give you option to open images in metro apps of windows like Photos, Paint or even GIMP if you have that installed. But since you’ve upgraded, you still have that default Photo Viewer of Windows 8 in your PC, but it’s not linked to images of any format anymore. So, in order to get the images may open in default Photo Viewer of Windows, here’s what you need to do:

Solution 1

In order to get the Photo viewer working, you need to get the .dll of photo viewer running as rundll32, and not to redirect “Windows Photo Viewer” to it’s original .dll file. So, copy following text and paste it in a notepad file:

• Save the file with any name but as a .reg file. For example, save the file as photo.reg and do ensure that while saving the file, you’re selecting the file type as “All files” in notepad.
• Run the registry file and let it add entries to windows registry.

If above solution didn’t work, then head to Solution 2.

Solution 2

Copy following text and again, copy to it notepad and save the file as photo1.reg at any place.

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Run the Photo1.reg and let it add entries to the registry. Now, try opening any JPEG file by right clicking on it and select “Open With” and now you should find “Windows Photo Viewer” too in the apps list.

For linking other files like .png or .gif or any format you require to open, change the above content as per respective image format. For example, replace jpegfile with pngfile or giffile or “paint.picture” (paint.picture is for .bmp format), make registries files for every image format and execute it, so that you may find “Windows Photo Viewer” as one of the option to open image files.