How to Enable Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10/11 Easily

Activation of Windows Photo Viewer.

Windows Photo Viewer is still present in Windows 10 and 11 but hidden — Microsoft replaced it with the Photos app as the default image viewer. To bring it back, you can either use WinAero Tweaker (a free GUI tool that re-registers the viewer in one click) or import a registry file that restores the file associations manually. Both methods take under two minutes.

Applies to: Windows 10 (22H2) and Windows 11 (23H2, 24H2, 25H2) | Last updated: April 7, 2026

How to Enable Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10/11 (Tutorial)

Key Takeaways

  • Windows Photo Viewer is not removed from Windows 10/11 — it is just unregistered as a default app. Re-adding the registry entries makes it available again in Default Apps settings.
  • Method 1 (WinAero Tweaker): Download the free tool, click “Activate Windows Photo Viewer” under Get Classic Apps, then set it as default for image file types.
  • Method 2 (Registry file): Save the registry entries below as a .reg file, run it, then set Windows Photo Viewer as default in Settings. No third-party software needed.
  • Both methods are reversible — you can switch back to the Photos app at any time through Settings → Apps → Default apps.

Quick Steps

  1. Download WinAero Tweaker (or use the registry method below if you prefer no software).
  2. Open WinAero Tweaker → scroll to Get Classic Apps → click Activate Windows Photo Viewer.
  3. In the Default Apps settings that opens, find Windows Photo Viewer and set it as default for .jpg, .png, .bmp, and other image formats.
  4. Open any image — it now opens in the classic Windows Photo Viewer.

In This Guide

This guide covers two methods to restore Windows Photo Viewer:

Method 1: Enable Windows Photo Viewer With WinAero Tweaker

WinAero Tweaker is a free Windows customization tool that can re-register Windows Photo Viewer in one click. Download it from the official site, extract the ZIP, and run the setup. I recommend choosing Portable mode during installation so it does not clutter your system.

Once WinAero Tweaker is open, scroll down the left panel to the Get Classic Apps section. Click Activate Windows Photo Viewer. This adds the necessary registry entries and opens the Default Apps settings page automatically.

WinAero Tweaker showing the Activate Windows Photo Viewer option under Get Classic Apps

In the Default Apps list, scroll down and find Windows Photo Viewer. Click into it and set it as the default app for each image file type — .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .bmp, .gif, .tif, and .tiff. Click OK for each one.

Windows Default Apps settings showing Windows Photo Viewer selected for image file types

That is it. Open any image file and it will now display in the classic Windows Photo Viewer.

Method 2: Enable Windows Photo Viewer With a Registry File

If you do not want to install any software, you can restore Windows Photo Viewer by importing a registry file. This does the same thing WinAero Tweaker does — it re-registers the Photo Viewer file associations so Windows recognizes it as an available default app.

Open Notepad, paste the following content, and save the file as Enable-PhotoViewer.reg (make sure to change “Save as type” to All Files so it does not save as a .txt):

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.bmp]
@="PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.gif]
@="PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.ico]
@="PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.jpeg]
@="PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.jpg]
@="PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.png]
@="PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.tif]
@="PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.tiff]
@="PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff"

Double-click the saved .reg file and click Yes when prompted by User Account Control. The registry entries will be imported. Now go to Settings → Apps → Default apps, find Windows Photo Viewer, and set it as the default for the image formats you want.

Tip: These registry entries use HKEY_CURRENT_USER, so they only affect your user account and do not require administrator privileges. To undo this, simply change the default app back to Photos in Settings.

How to Switch Back to the Photos App

If you want to revert to the default Photos app, go to Settings → Apps → Default apps, find Photos in the list, and set it as the default for your image file types. No need to remove any registry entries — changing the default app overrides them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Windows Photo Viewer still in Windows 10 and 11?

Yes. The program files are still present in Windows — Microsoft just removed the file associations and replaced the default image viewer with the Photos app. Re-adding the registry entries makes it available again as a default app option.

Is this safe? Will editing the registry break anything?

Both methods are safe. The registry entries only add file associations under your user profile (HKEY_CURRENT_USER), which is the lowest-risk type of registry change. You are not modifying system files or removing anything — just telling Windows to recognize Photo Viewer as an option for opening images.

Can I use Windows Photo Viewer alongside the Photos app?

Yes. Both apps remain installed. You set the default per file type, but you can always right-click any image, choose Open with, and pick either viewer. Setting one as default does not remove the other.

Why would I want Windows Photo Viewer instead of Photos?

Windows Photo Viewer is faster and lighter — it opens images almost instantly with no loading screen. The Photos app has more features (video editing, AI enhancements, OneDrive integration), but if you just want to quickly view images, the classic viewer is a better experience.

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