How to Enable the Old Photo Viewer in Windows 11

With the upgrade to Windows 11, many users have found that the old, familiar photo viewer is no longer available. Instead, the system defaults to the new Photos app, which may not suit everyone. In this guide, we’ll show you how to bring back the old photo viewer with a few simple steps.

Why Was the Old Photo Viewer Removed?

Starting with Windows 10, Microsoft replaced the default photo viewer with the new Photos app, hiding the old viewer by default. While the classic viewer is still embedded in the system, it’s not accessible by default, requiring registry tweaks or file association changes to activate.

Step 1: Check if the Old Photo Viewer is Already Available

Before making registry changes, check if the old viewer is accessible. Here’s how:

  1. Right-click on any image file with the extension .jpg, .png, or any other format you wish to open.
  2. Select "Open with" → "Choose another app."
  3. Look for “Windows Photo Viewer” in the list. If it appears, select it and check "Always use this app" for that file type.

If the old viewer isn’t listed, proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Enable It Through the Windows Registry

To manually activate the old photo viewer in Windows 11, you’ll need to make a small change in the registry. Follow these steps:

  1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open the registry editor.
  2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Photo Viewer\Capabilities\FileAssociations.
  3. Create entries for each file format you want to associate with the old viewer. For instance, add strings named .jpg, .jpeg, .png and set their values to PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff.

Note: Be cautious when editing the registry. It’s advisable to create a system restore point beforehand in case anything goes wrong.

Step 3: Set the Old Photo Viewer as the Default App

After editing the registry, you’ll need to set the old viewer as the default app for image files:

  1. Go to "Settings" → "Apps" → "Default apps."
  2. Find the file type (such as .jpg) and choose "Windows Photo Viewer" from the list.

Once these steps are completed, your images will open in the classic Windows Photo Viewer, as they did in previous versions of Windows.