Ways to See Pictures on Windows 10: Microsoft Photos + More

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How to see all of your photos in Windows 10
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Viewing photos in Windows 10 is rather different from previous iterations of the OS. Windows Photo Viewer is now a thing of the past, giving way to the new-and-improved Microsoft Photos. The change may present a bit of a learning curve for users accustomed to the old method of viewing photos, but Microsoft Photos remains a simple and easy way to comb through your favorite pictures! Whether you are a lifetime Windows user or a newcomer making the switch, this wikiHow article will guide you in viewing photos in Windows 10.

Viewing Photos in Windows 10

Open "File Explorer," then click "Pictures” on the left-hand side of the screen. Double-click any photo to open the Microsoft Photos app. You can also open the Photos app in the Start menu to see all your photos.

Section 1 of 7:

Viewing Photos in File Explorer

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  1. The Photos app on Windows 10 may look a bit different, but you can find your photos just like you always have. Open your PC's File Explorer to get started. It is located in the taskbar at the bottom of your screen, represented by a folder icon.
    • If you don't have a specific photo in mind, you can also type Photos in the taskbar's search box and select the Photos app directly. [1]
  2. This should be where most of your computer's pictures are stored.
    • If you have photos stored in your "Downloads" folder, or anywhere else on your device, feel free to click on those folders instead.
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  3. The photo will automatically open in the new Microsoft Photos app on Windows 10.
    • If you upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or 8, you may still have access to Windows Photo Viewer. To check, right-click a photo and select "Open With" to look for the Photo Viewer app. [2]
    • If you want to view multiple photos, press Ctrl and click to select multiple images, then double-click any of the highlighted photos to open the group.
    • If the photo opens in another program, you need to set the default photo viewer to Photos .
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Section 2 of 7:

Viewing and Sorting All Photos

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  1. 1
    Open Photos. You can find this app by clicking the "Photos" icon in the Start menu or by searching Photos .
    • Since October 2022, Photos got a redesign so it syncs with OneDrive and iCloud. That way, you can see pictures that you take on your iPhone or iPad (or even images from your Mac!) from your Windows computer.
    • Keep in mind that Windows 10 will no longer be supported after August 2025. That means that Microsoft will no longer provide security patches and software updates or offer tech support for Windows 10. To continue with those benefits, you should upgrade to Windows 11.
    • The Photos app works the same for Windows 11.
  2. 2
    Click the arrow next to the "Sort" icon. The "Sort" icon is near the top of the window, and looks like two arrows next to each other: one arrow is pointing up, and the other is pointing down.
  3. 3
    Choose a method of sorting. By default, your photos are displayed by the date taken. You can click any other option so they sort differently:
    • Date created
    • Date modified
    • Name
  4. 4
    Choose how you want the photos displayed. In the same menu, click Ascending or Descending to change how the photos appear.
    • For example, if you want to see older photos first, select Date created > Ascending .
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Section 3 of 7:

Adding & Viewing Favorites in Photos

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  1. 1
    Open Photos. Click the app icon in your Start menu.
  2. 2
    Select a photo you want to favorite. When you select it, it will open in a new window with more options.
  3. 3
    Click U+2661 . It's in the lower left corner of the window and will add that picture to your favorites.
  4. 4
    View your favorites by clicking Favorites . You will see this next to a heart icon in the panel on the left side of your screen that will show you all the photos you tagged as a favorite.
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Section 4 of 7:

Getting Photos Legacy

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  1. 1
    Open Photos. If you type photos in search, you will either already have an option to use Photos Legacy or you can continue with the steps in this section to enable the Legacy version from settings.
    • To search, press Win and type your search.
  2. 2
    Click. You'll see this gear icon in the top right corner of the Photos app.
  3. 3
    Select Get Photos Legacy . If the Legacy version is already on your computer, you'll see "Open Photos Legacy" instead. [3]
    • Once you have Photos Legacy open, you'll be able to browse and view all the pictures on your computer.
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Section 5 of 7:

Restoring Windows Photo Viewer

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  1. 1
    Download a copy of Windows Photo Viewer for Windows 10. You can use this link from Tenforums, which is highly popular.
  2. 2
    Save the .reg file to your desktop. It'll be easier to find that way.
  3. 3
    Double-click the file to run it. You'll need to run, accept, and approve the merge.
    • You can delete the original .reg file.
  4. 4
    Select Windows Photo Viewer as the default viewing app. To do this, open Settings, go to Default Apps > Photos, and change every photo file type to "Windows Photo Viewer."
    • If you don't see Windows Photo Viewer listed as an option, close Settings and open it again. [4]
    • Images will now open by default in the old Windows Photo Viewer.
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Section 6 of 7:

Setting the Default Photo Viewer

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  1. 1
    Open Settings. You can do this by pressing Win + I.
  2. 2
    Go to Default apps . You can do this quickly by clicking the search bar and entering Default apps . You can also find this in System or Apps .
  3. 3
    Click Photos . A list of all image file extensions will open and show you what program opens that extension.
    • For example, a .avi file extension opens with Media Player, and a .bmp file extension opens with Photos.
  4. 4
    Change the file type to open with Photos. If you're trying to open a .GIF and it keeps opening in GIMP instead, change it here so .GIF opens with Photos.
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Section 7 of 7:

FAQ

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  1. 1
    What do I do if Photos gives me a "No such interface supported" error? Right-click the "Photos" icon in your Start menu and select App Settings > Reset/Repair .
  2. 2
    I double-clicked an image, and Photos is just a blank screen; what do I do? Here's a list of troubleshooting steps if Photos opens to a blank screen,
    • First, update Photos in the Microsoft Store, then right-click the "Photos" app icon and select App Settings > Reset . Restart your computer and see if that fixed the issue.
    • Next, open Command Prompt as an administrator and enter:
      • DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth . After you see a message that the operation was completed successfully, enter:
      • sfc /scannow . Once verification is 100%, type exit .
        • If that still hasn't fixed your issue, uninstall Photos from PowerShell this way:
          • Open PowerShell as an administrator.
          • Enter get-appxpackage *Microsoft.Windows.Photos* and uninstall Photos.
        • Open the Microsoft Store and reinstall Photos, then restart your computer and see if your problem is fixed. [5]
  3. 3
    How do you print pictures? Open Photos, click a photo, and click the print icon.
  4. 4
    Why am I unable to open any of my photos? You may have turned off OneDrive when it synced and removed images from your computer, leaving behind thumbnails. Open Photos and go to OneDrive to sign in and see the images that you synced. Or you can search "OneDrive" in the Start menu and sign back in.
  5. 5
    Are there any third-party photo viewers I can use? The updated Windows Photos seems pretty all-inclusive, but if you really want to use additional software to manage your photos, check out Google Photos , IrfanView , Picasa, or FastStone Image Viewer.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/see-all-your-photos-c0c6422f-d4cb-2e3d-eb65-7069071b2f9b
      2. ↑ https://www.techradar.com/uk/how-to/how-to-restore-and-use-windows-photo-viewer-in-windows-10
      3. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/what-is-photos-legacy-61255007-a189-4a02-8193-6ba18e5f96d3
      4. ↑ https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/14312-restore-windows-photo-viewer-windows-10-a.html#option2s5
      5. ↑ https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/photos-app-opens-with-black-screen/a0b174cb-fa4c-4f5f-ba19-836097fcd666

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Open the File Explorer
      2. Double-click Pictures.
      3. Double-click any photo.
      4. Click See all photos in the top-left corner.

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