How to use Windows Photo Viewer instead of Photo in Windows 10

The modern app program called Photos is used as the default app to open image files on Windows10. Easy adjustment and processing such as photograph browsing and slide show, color and brightness of the image are possible.

But, the traditional classic application Windows Photo Viewer was not included in the default app selection.

The “Photo” application of Windows 10 has a convenient function for image processing, but some people may want to display it with a classic “Windows Photo Viewer“.

Unfortunately, on Windows 10, it seems that “Windows Photo Viewer” is excluded as the “default app” of the program that opens the image file.

▼　Basically, there are “photo” or “paint” etc to start up as an application associated with opening an image file in Windows Explorer as follows.

▼　As below, you can select 1“Photo” or “Paint” as the photo related application on Settings of the 1“Default apps”.

Now, let’s set up “Windows Photo Viewer” so that image files can be opened in it, regardless of the default app above.

Creating a Windows Picture Viewer – Starting Registry Editor

▼　First as shown below, press shortcuts Windows + Rkey and open Run. Enter 1regedit in the text box, and click 2OK button.

▼　User Account Control(UAC) appears to allow you to run the Registry Editor. click 2OK button.

▼　Registry Editor window opens. First, if you are currently logged in, move to the following path.

Creating a new key

Here we create two subkeys under the “shell” key.

▼　First, 1Right-click on the “shell” key, and click 2New > Key.

▼　Rename New Key #1 to 1openwpv.

▼　Next, in the right pane, double-click 1Default, and type 2 Open with Windows Picture Viewer in the Value data. Click 3OK button to close.

Creating a subkey: command

▼　Using the above method, you create 1command as a subkey of openwpv key. In the right pane of command key, double-click 2Default and type the following line in the 3Value Data field.

▼　Click 4OK button to close it.

Creating Subkey DropTarget

▼　Once again, you create a subkey 1DropTarget as a subkey of the key openwpv. In the right pane of DropTarget key, right-click and create a new value, clicking 2New > String value.

▼　Rename New Value #1 to 1CLSID.

▼　Double-click 1CLSID and type the following line in the 2Value Data field.

▼　Click 3OK button to close it.

▼　The registry settings are finished. Close the registry editor and try right clicking on the image file as follows. 1Right-click on the image file and click 2Open with Windows Picture Viewer that is displayed in the menu.

▼　You can view the image file in Windows Picture Viewer as below. If not, try restarting your PC.