Do you have a problem with Windows Photo Viewer not working in Windows 11? You may recall that this was one of the most popular photo management and viewing apps for Windows 7 users. However, starting with Windows 10, you’ll find the Photos app, which many users don’t wish to use as their default photo app.
They’re seeking the vintage app but can’t seem to find it. If you’re one of them and want to restore Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 11, you’ve come to the right place.
In reality, you don’t require either downloading or installing Windows Photo Viewer; all you need is a tiny registry modification. After that, you may make it your default program for previewing and opening photos, as well as using its capabilities for various tasks.
Why do users prefer Windows Photo Viewer over Photos?
Windows Photo Viewer was the default photo viewing application on earlier versions of Windows. With the introduction of Windows 10, they introduced several new apps as the direct replacement for existing apps. For example, Paint 3D was for Paint, Photos for Windows Photo Viewer.
There weren’t any significant changes if you neglect the new interface. So, if you do like Windows Photo Viewer and want to restore it, see the below section.
Restore Windows Photo Viewer Back in Windows 11
The instructions provided below will guide you on how to get back the Windows Photo Viewer App in Windows 11. After you enable or restore this application, you need to make this app the default app for viewing photos on your device.
For simplicity, we have covered the process in two parts –
Download and Install the registry file on your PC
Though Windows Photo Viewer is not installed in Windows 11, you may get it back by downloading and installing a registry file. The reg file is provided below –
Registry File for Windows Photo Viewer
- First of all, download the reg file provided above.
- Go to the folder containing this file, and right-click on it.
- Choose the option – “Extract All” to unzip this folder.
- Double-click on the extracted folder, and then open the below folder –
“restore_Windows_Photo_Viewer_Windows_ 11”
- Inside this folder, you may see a registry entry. Right-click on it and select Open > Registry Editor.
- The UAC prompt will appear next, hit Yes to authorize accessing it.
- When you get a warning message stating “Are you sure you want to continue?“, hit Yes.
- Restart your computer next so that the recent changes come into effect.
Sign back into your PC again and set Windows Photo Viewer as your default photo viewing application.
How to set Windows Photo Viewer as the default app
You may set the newly restored app as the default program through either Settings or File Explorer itself. Let’s see how can you make this application the default app for viewing photos –
1. Use File Explorer
This is the easiest of the two methods provided in this article. Let’s see how to enable Windows Photo Viewer as your default application in Windows 11 –
- Select an image file and right-click on it.
- Choose Open with > Choose another app.
- On the subsequent window, click More Apps to view all options.
- Select Windows Photo Viewer, tick the checkbox, and hit OK.
That’s it, Windows Photo Viewer is your default photo viewing application on your Windows 11 PC.
2. Using the Settings app
You may use Windows Settings as well to open all photos on the Windows Photo Viewer interface. To do this, use these steps –
- Press Win + I to launch Settings.
- Select Apps and then Default Apps.
Note: Since the default file associations for Windows Photo Viewer are missing in Windows 11, you won’t see Windows Photo Viewer for Photo Viewer.
- Scroll down to the bottom and click Choose defaults by file type.
- You will find the Photos app selected by default. Click on it and hit More Apps.
- Select Windows Photo Viewer and this application will be set as your default app to view pictures.
I hope you find this article useful and easy to follow. Let us know in the comment section if you face any difficulty following this article.
