At one point, Windows Photo Viewer was the go-to application for viewing images on Windows systems. However, Microsoft replaced it with the modern Windows Photos app in recent versions of Windows, including Windows 11. While the Photos app offers advanced features like integrated photo and video editing tools and efficient media organization, many users find it sluggish and less responsive compared to its predecessor.

If you miss the speed and simplicity of Windows Photo Viewer and want to bring it back on your Windows 11 device, you're in the right place. This guide will walk you through the steps to re-enable Windows Photo Viewer and set it as your default image viewer.

Enable Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 11 via Registry

Windows Photo Viewer is still present in Windows 11; it's just hidden. To unhide and enable it, you'll need to create and run a registry file. Don't worry—it might sound technical, but it's straightforward and requires only the Notepad app that's already on your computer.

Step 1: Open Notepad by clicking on the Start menu, typing Notepad in the search bar, and selecting the app from the search results.

Step 2: In the Notepad window, copy and paste the following code:

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]
@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
00,5c,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,72,00,75,00,\
6e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,20,00,22,00,25,\
00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,46,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,73,00,\
25,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,20,00,50,00,68,00,6f,\
00,74,00,6f,00,20,00,56,00,69,00,65,00,77,00,65,00,72,00,5c,00,50,00,68,00,\
6f,00,74,00,6f,00,56,00,69,00,65,00,77,00,65,00,72,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,\
00,22,00,2c,00,20,00,49,00,6d,00,61,00,67,00,65,00,56,00,69,00,65,00,77,00,\
5f,00,46,00,75,00,6c,00,6c,00,73,00,63,00,72,00,65,00,65,00,6e,00,20,00,25,\
00,31,00,00,00

[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]
@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
00,5c,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,72,00,75,00,\
6e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,20,00,22,00,25,\
00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,46,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,73,00,\
25,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,20,00,50,00,68,00,6f,\
00,74,00,6f,00,20,00,56,00,69,00,65,00,77,00,65,00,72,00,5c,00,50,00,68,00,\
6f,00,74,00,6f,00,56,00,69,00,65,00,77,00,65,00,72,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,\
00,22,00,2c,00,20,00,49,00,6d,00,61,00,67,00,65,00,56,00,69,00,65,00,77,00,\
5f,00,46,00,75,00,6c,00,6c,00,73,00,63,00,72,00,65,00,65,00,6e,00,20,00,25,\
00,31,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\photoviewer.dll\shell\print\DropTarget]
"Clsid"="{60fd46de-f830-4894-a628-6fa81bc0190d}"

Step 3: Click on the File menu at the top left corner of Notepad and select Save As. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl+S on your keyboard.

Step 4: In the Save dialog box, choose a location where you want to save the file. In the File name field, type a name like EnableWindowsPhotoViewer.reg. Ensure that you include the .reg extension.

Step 5: Set the Save as type dropdown to All Files. This is crucial; otherwise, the file will be saved as a text file and won't function as a registry file.

Step 6: Click Save to create the registry file. Step 7: Navigate to the location where you saved the .reg file. Double-click on the file to run it.

Step 8: A User Account Control (UAC) prompt may appear, asking for permission to make changes to your device. Click Yes to proceed.

Step 9: A warning message will pop up, informing you about the risks of adding information to the registry. Click Yes to continue.

Step 10: A confirmation dialog will appear, stating that the keys and values have been successfully added to the registry. Click OK.

At this point, Windows Photo Viewer is enabled on your Windows 11 system. Next, you'll set it as your default image viewer.

Set Windows Photo Viewer as the Default Image Viewer

Now that Windows Photo Viewer is enabled, you can set it as the default app for opening images.

Step 1: Open File Explorer by clicking the folder icon on the taskbar or pressing Windows+E on your keyboard.

Step 2: Navigate to any folder that contains an image file (e.g., JPEG, PNG).

Step 3: Right-click on an image file. In the context menu, hover over Open with and then select Choose another app.

Step 4: In the pop-up window, you might not see Windows Photo Viewer listed immediately. If it's not visible, click on More apps to expand the list.

Step 5: Scroll down and select Windows Photo Viewer from the list.

Step 6: Check the box that says Always use this app to open .[file extension] files to set Windows Photo Viewer as the default for that image format.

Step 7: Click OK to apply the changes.

Step 8: Repeat these steps for other image file types if necessary (e.g., .png, .bmp, .gif) to ensure Windows Photo Viewer is the default for all your images.

You've successfully restored Windows Photo Viewer on your Windows 11 device. You can now enjoy faster image viewing without the lag often experienced with the Windows Photos app.