How to Restore Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10

Windows 10 is a popular operating system. If you are one of those users who want to view photos in Windows 10 using Windows Photo Viewer, let’s check out different approaches on how to restore Photo Viewer for Windows 10 and use it as your default image viewer. Let’s start!

What is Photo Viewer & How to Install it?

On Windows 7/8, Windows Photo Viewer is the default app for viewing image files. Later, Microsoft introduced its replacement app named Microsoft Photos. Windows 10 has this new app as its default utility which has raised concern for Windows 10 users who had been using Windows Photo Viewer as their default app.

If you are one of those people, then follow the steps below to install Photo Viewer in Windows 10. Note that the official app is not available on the internet anymore. So, we will be downloading and installing a utility that will install Windows Photo Viewer on your device. Now, let’s move on to the process:

Step 1.1: Open a web browser and look out for this software on any website (available for free).

Step 1.2: Click on Download Now to download the utility.

Step 2: Download the file on the bottom left corner of your screen by clicking on it.

Step 3: The below windows will appear. Click on Next.

Step 4: Choose the destination location and click “Next”.

Step 5: Choose the Start Menu folder and click “Next”.

Step 6: Check the box that says Create a desktop icon and hit Next.

Step 7: The installation process will begin. After finishing, the below window will appear. Check the box that says Launch Restore Windows Photo Viewer for Windows 10 and hit Finish.

Step 8: The utility will open up. You will notice a Restore Windows Photo Viewer button at the bottom left corner of your screen. Click on it to install Photo Viewer.

Set Windows Photo Viewer as Default in Windows 10

So, Windows Photo Viewer is successfully installed on your machine. Now, let’s discuss two methods using which you can set this app as the default image viewer in Windows 10.

Method 1: Using Default Apps

Step 1.1: Navigate to Settings > Apps > Default Apps.

Step 1.2: You will see a category named Photo Viewer. Notice that Microsoft Photos is set as your default photo viewer. Click on it to proceed.

Step 1.3: A dropdown list will appear and click on Windows Photo Viewer to set it as your default image viewer.

If that app doesn’t appear, move on to method 2.

Method 2: Using a Registry File

Step 1.1: Download a registry file in this process. Click on this link to download it.

Step 1.2: Now the registry file will be downloaded at the bottom left of your screen. Click on the down arrow and hit Show in folder.

Step 2: Now, Double-click on the file to open it.

Step 3: Click on Run.

Step 4: Click on Yes.

Step 5.1: After that, the registry should be modified. Now, find an image and right-click on it to proceed.

Step 5.2: Click on Windows Photo Viewer listed in that menu.

Step 5.3: Check the box that says Always use this app to open .jpg files to set Windows Photo Viewer as the default image viewer.

Step 5.4: Click on OK to save the changes and open the image in Windows Photo Viewer.

In this article, we have discussed two methods to restore and use Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10. Try these methods and see which one works for you!