How to Enable Windows Photo Viewer on Windows 11?

Microsoft made the Photos app the default image viewer with Windows 10. Microsoft’s Photos app is still used to open the default image viewer in Windows 11. If you don’t like the default Photos app in Windows 11, you can use the classic Windows Photo Viewer. That means Windows Photo Viewer is still included in Windows 11, and all you have to do is enable it on your computer.

Microsoft has changed the default file association for images in Windows Photo Viewer to the Photos app. If you right-click on an image, you will not be able to open it with the Windows Photo Viewer app. The relevant entries must be added to the Registry under the FileAssociations key.

How to Enable the Classic Windows Photo Viewer app on Windows 11?

Step 1. First, download the readymade Registry files.

Step 2. Then, extract its contents using any archiver tool. Step 3. Further, double-click the Enable Classic Photo Viewer.reg file. When prompted, click on the Yes button.

The file association part is finished once you complete the preceding steps. You can now use the Windows Photo Viewer app on your Windows 11 computer to open.bmp,.dib,.jpg,.jpe,.jpeg,.jxr,.jfif,.wdp,.png,.gif, .tiff, and.tif files. However, you must select Windows Photo Viewer each time you open an image file. To open the image with a double-click, make this app the default image app.

How to make Windows Photo Viewer the default image app on Windows 11?

Follow the below-illustrated steps to make Windows Photo Viewer the default image app on Windows 11:-

Step 1. First, locate an image file (for instance .png) and double-click on it to open.

Step 2. Then, you will see the following dialog:-

Step 3. Click on the Windows Photo Viewer in the list of available apps and check the checkbox Always use this app to open .png files. Finally, click on the OK button.

That’s all! Once you double-click on a .png file, it will open with the Windows Photo Viewer app.

You need to repeat the steps for .bmp, .dib, .jpg, .jpe, .jpeg, .jxr, .jfif, .wdp, .gif, .tiff and .tif image files.

How to Disable the Classic Windows Photo Viewer app in Windows 11?

Now double-click on Disable Classic Photo Viewer.reg file from the above-downloaded file. After that, click on the Yes button when it is prompted. Then, the Windows Photo Viewer app is disassociated, and it is no more the default image viewer.

Next, right-click on the image file (for instance .png), select Open With, and then Choose another app option.

Select the Photos app, check the checkbox Always use this app to open .png files, and then click on the OK button.

When you open other image files for the first time, you must go through a similar procedure. You can view them in the Photos app by double-clicking on them after associating them.

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