How to Restore Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10

Windows Photo Viewer is one of the best image viewers thanks to its snappy performance and minimal user interface. While Microsoft replaced it with the new Photos app, many Windows users don’t like it due to its bloated UI, unnecessary integrations, and sluggish performance. Thankfully, you can restore Windows Photo Viewer on Windows 10. All you have to do is perform a couple of registry modifications and you are good to go. In this tutorial, I will guide you step-by-step on how to do it to restore the Windows Photo Viewer, let’s get started.

Before You Begin

• You need administrative rights to modify the registry.
• Backup the registry before making changes. The backup helps you restore it if something goes wrong.
• Make sure your computer has file extensions enabled. This makes identifying and changing file types easy.

Steps to Restore Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10

You don’t have to download anything to restore and enable Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10. This is because rather than removing it completely, Microsoft simply hid it. You just need to make a couple of registry modifications to restore the good old application. Follow the below steps:

Step 1: Open Notepad

First, press the “Start” button, search for “Notepad”, and click “Open”. This will open the Notepad application.

Step 2: Add the Registry Script

In the Notepad, copy (press Ctrl + C) the following registry script and paste it into it (press Ctrl + V).

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
​
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\photoviewer.dll]
​
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\photoviewer.dll\shell]
​
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\photoviewer.dll\shell\open]
"MuiVerb"="@photoviewer.dll,-3043"
​
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\photoviewer.dll\shell\open\command]
@="%SystemRoot%\\System32\\rundll32.exe \"%ProgramFiles%\\Windows Photo Viewer\\PhotoViewer.dll\", ImageView_Fullscreen %1"
​
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\photoviewer.dll\shell\open\DropTarget]
"Clsid"="{FFE2A43C-56B9-4bf5-9A79-CC6D4285608A}"
​
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\photoviewer.dll\shell\print]
​
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\photoviewer.dll\shell\print\command]
@="%SystemRoot%\\System32\\rundll32.exe \"%ProgramFiles%\\Windows Photo Viewer\\PhotoViewer.dll\", ImageView_Fullscreen %1"
​
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\photoviewer.dll\shell\print\DropTarget]
"Clsid"="{60fd46de-f830-4894-a628-6fa81bc0190d}"
​

Step 3: Save It as a Registry File (.reg)

In the Notepad window, click the “File” > “Save As” option.

Go to a folder where you want to save the file, set the “File Name” as “Restore-Windows-Photo-Viewer.reg”, select “All Files” from the “File Type” dropdown menu, and click “Save.”

Important Note: You should include .reg at the end of the file name. Otherwise, it will not be recognized as a registry file.

Close the Notepad window.

Step 4: Run the Registry File (.reg)

Open the File Explorer, find the recently saved .reg file, and double-click on it to run.

When prompted, click “Yes” to continue.

The above action merges the keys and values in the registry file with your registry. Once done, click “OK” in the confirmation window.

Step 5: Verify and Launch Windows Photo Viewer

After modifying the registry, you can start using the Photo Viewer. To do that, right-click on any image and select the “Open with” > “Choose another app” option.

Find and select the “Windows Photo Viewer” option from the list and click on the “OK” button. If you want to make the Photo Viewer the default, select the “Always use this app to open image files” checkbox before clicking the ok button.

Important note: If you cannot find the Windows Photo Viewer option, scroll down and click on the “More Apps” link. It will show the option.

As soon as you click the OK button, the photo or image will be opened in the Windows Photo Viewer.

Wrapping Up — Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10

As you can see, while Microsoft did hide the good old Photo Viewer, it is rather easy to restore it thanks to the registry modifications. While it’s easy, always back up the registry before making changes and proceed with caution.

If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I will answer them.