Windows 10 uses the Photos app as the default app to open image files. By default, Windows Photo Viewer is no longer listed in Open with, and only has .tiff files associated with it in Default Programs.
This tutorial will show you how to restore Windows Photo Viewer to be able to select to open image files.
- Download the DefaultPhotoViewer.reg.zip Registry file (Hosted at Abijita Foundation)
- Right-click on the downloaded ‘DefautlPhotoViewer.reg.zip’ file and click extract.
- Now Double-Click ‘DefautlPhotoViewer.reg’ file and Windows will prompt you if you want to run it. Click ‘Yes‘ when you see security alert.
- You will now be shown a User Account Control prompt asking if you would like Registry Editor to run. Click ‘Yes‘ at this prompt.
Once done, you can now access the Windows Photo Viewer, but there’s a catch – you need to manually set the Photo Viewer as the default app for each image file type.
To do this, right-click on an image and click on ‘Open with,’ select ‘Choose another app,’ scroll to the bottom and select ‘More apps,’ and then select Windows Photo Viewer to set it as the default program for this image type.
You need to repeat the above steps for all other image file types that you wish to use Windows Photo Viewer by default.
