We have analyzed the most popular free “viewers” with options for editing, cataloging graphic files, and their paid analogues. We gave each a fair assessment and looked at typical situations and the ease of using different software for specific purposes. The conclusions suggest themselves.
If all you need is to watch photos and pictures downloaded from the Internet in full screen, install one of the trinity IrfanView, FastStone Image Viewer, Universal Viewer. This software is absolutely free, instantly opens files, and conveniently scales. In addition, FastStone Image Viewer supports batch renaming, file conversion, the advantage of IrfanView in creating photo albums, Universal Viewer also supports playback of audio, video, screenshots in any format.
In the category of the best photo viewer for the home, FastStone Image Viewer and XnView are confidently in the lead. They support a large number of formats and have all the simple editing and conversion functions. Well, if you are the proud owner of the Windows 10 operating system and don’t even need basic image editing on your computer, the built-in Windows image and photo file viewer will help out.
In fact, two applications suitable for semi-professional use are XnView and Picasa. The latter will especially please administrators of groups on social networks, because it allows you to easily create collages and can synchronize photos on different devices using a Google account. The only serious contender for the title of professional software in our selection is ACDSee. There is cataloging, processing, cloud synchronization between different copies of the application and other options for specialists, but the price of a licensed copy is steep.
STDU Viewer stands apart because it is used for reading e-books and edit-protected documentation in PDF, Djvu and other similar formats. The choice is yours, and the download link can always be found above. Also, the review did not include quite interesting applications Zoner Photo Studio and Ashampoo Photo Commander Free. The fact is that their functionality goes significantly beyond the scope of a standard weaver and includes, for example, tools for capturing the screen (taking screenshots), adding watermarks, and creating slideshows. Read our other reviews, you will probably be interested
In our review, we decided to consider free applications for viewing digital images with high-quality functionality, extensive editing capabilities and good performance. A selection of the best programs for viewing photos will help you get to know the viewers in more detail and choose the one that will meet your requirements.
Rating of programs for viewing photos on a computer
| Programs | Russian language | License | Seal | Rating | LaunchSlide show |
| Yes | Free | Yes | 10 | Yes | |
| Yes | Free | Yes | 10 | Yes | |
| Yes | Free | Yes | 10 | Yes | |
| Yes | Free | Yes | 7 | No | |
| Yes | Trial | Yes | 10 | Yes | |
| Yes | Free | Yes | 10 | Yes | |
| Yes | Free | Yes | 6 | No | |
| Yes | Free | Yes | 8 | Yes | |
| Yes | Trial | Yes | 10 | No |
Free image viewers
A high-quality utility with editing functions for more than 100 graphic formats and conversion to convenient formats. Allows you to print images, create photo albums, burn photos to disk, protect photos in a directory with a password, batch rename and apply a large set of effects and tools.
The viewer is convenient and functional, has all the options for convenient viewing and high-quality processing. The user has access to settings for sepia, blur corners, rotate, resave, reduce, enlarge, etc. Modified pictures can be saved, printed or burned to discs. The functions of slide show, cataloging, setting up “hot keys” and adjusting the position of the material on the sheet are available. The only disadvantages of the editor are the English-language menu and a sufficient load on system resources.
The software allows you to conveniently view and edit images with high quality. Supports popular graphics formats, performs conversion, has RGB settings and batch processing. In the application, the user can create a business card and manipulate the image using a variety of effects.
Functions available include auto color enhancement, watermark installation, red-eye removal, and slide show creation using more than a hundred transitions, music, and effects. When editing a picture, you can change its name and size, remove fragments, adjust or change color, use a magnifying glass, and remove shadows. Also available are histogram building, tag processing, drag-and-drop file transfer, and JPEG file annotation.
This feature-rich utility's options allow you to view and edit images, import various files, convert objects to graphics formats, and print your finished work. The user has at his disposal more than 80 viewer actions, the use of high-quality tools and effects, import into hundreds of formats and conversion to various graphics formats.
The user can scan and print material without loss of quality, configure the desired appearance of the resulting picture, organize a slide show, screenshot a picture, create a web page and use search. The program can be integrated into the Total Commander shell using special plugins.
This Google utility was created for editing, organizing and processing images available on your PC. Picasa has tools for editing photos in comparison, using retouching and other tools to improve pictures.
Using the photo organizer, you can quickly find, view, improve and print material, create collages and slide shows using adjustments and effects. The photo editor scans a specific area of the system or hard drive, indexes the found video files and images for further sorting into visual albums organized by date. In addition, you can send photos and clips to Google+.
Multifunctional image viewers
A convenient application for structuring and organizing images according to various parameters, applying filters and effects, removing duplicates and downloading GPS tracks.
The viewer catalogs images according to selected parameters (location of shooting, date of photo creation, unsorted, marked, etc.), so the user can view the material in chronological order, distribute the image by geotags and create his own travel map. Sharing on social networks and smart search are available in Karambis.
The software works with images of most known formats and has functions for editing and conversion. Able to quickly open a file in different viewing modes, recognize audio and video content and expand capabilities by adding plugins.
The user has access to built-in editor options, opening little-known video and audio, batch conversion, inserting text, resizing a picture, extracting an image from an icon, and more. You can work in the utility via the keyboard, enable thumbnail preview and create screenshots.
The utility converts graphic images into the required format and size, supports popular and RAW digital camera formats, integrates into Windows and has a batch mode.
The converter allows you to quickly change the size of a photo, compress files, manage and process images, publish on the Web, send by mail, change expansion and compression, import from memory cards, set up templates for renaming and apply watermarks. There are versions for 32 and 64 different OS.
Developed by Nero for playing, burning to discs or searching for files in a media catalog. Allows you to edit pictures, create images in ISO and NRG formats, play Blu-Ray and HD movies, and record mp3 files.
Nero Quick Media works with most well-known formats and provides the ability to share material on social networks and video hosting sites. In the utility, the user can create a video presentation and slide show, as well as use a face recognition algorithm.
The multifunctional application allows you to view, organize and edit your photos. It has batch processing, an advanced editor, synchronizes photos with the Android version of the program, uploads material to online galleries and social networks.
The built-in editor is not inferior in functionality to professionals in this industry; it intelligently sorts collections, quickly displays them, and edits with high quality with a wide range of options. The user can adjust the color depth and palette, overlay captions, open RAW images, create 3D buttons, layouts and collages.
What is the best photo viewer? The built-in Windows tool is not an option if you have tried anything more interesting. But among the numerous alternatives, it is difficult to choose the ideal one for yourself, unless, of course, you spend time testing everything. Therefore, we offer you a description of the best programs for viewing photos.
We fundamentally decided to consider only free software. The programs offered are, of course, not ideal, but neither are commercial ones. All applications in question have general set of advantages:
- Compatible with Windows 10 and other current versions, up to Windows 7
- A richer set of functions than the standard “peeper” offers
- Individual “superpower” for every decision
FastStone Image Viewer
At the end of the 2010s, this program’s popularity can only be compared with ACDSee in the early 2000s. The difference is that ACDSee was mostly hacked among post-Soviet users, but there is no need to hack FastStone. Based on user reviews and the positive/negative ratio, FastStone is the best photo viewer these days.
The program works quickly, has a built-in editor, and can convert photos in batch mode. Note the unusual interface design: in full-screen mode, just move the cursor over the edge of the display to access various menu sections.
FastStone supports a variety of image formats, from mainstream to professional. The only thing missing is built-in support for .webp, but soon this format, invented by Google programmers, will be supported in Windows at the system level. 
Advantages:
- Decent Russification
- Contains a built-in editor with a wide range of functions
Flaws:
- Unusual editor logic
- Minor bugs in the batch conversion function
Another super hit of the market of free photo viewing programs. From the very beginning of the installation, a rich history is visible: in the list of plugins that are proposed to be installed, there is even a plugin for writing pictures to disk in Nero (who remembers this dinosaur?)
The interface of the program resembles the classic approach of ACDSee or the same FastStone: a browser with photo thumbnails, a more detailed view of the selected image in the same window, and a full-screen view by double click. 
However, there is an interesting feature - working with tabs. On each tab, you can open a separate folder or photo and switch between them.
Advantages:
- Small size
- Fast work
- Supports a wide range of formats
- Good Russification
Flaws:
- Slightly outdated style
- Inconvenient keyboard controls
A classic program that Bosnian developer Irfan Skilyan created back in 1996 and named after himself. The program is in demand even more than two decades after its creation. Installers for 32- and 64-bit versions are available separately. This way you can choose the one that is more suitable for your system. 
The program is loved because there is nothing superfluous in it - only viewing and basic photo editing. For other needs, the photo can be sent to third-party editors directly from full-screen viewing.
Advantages:
- Supports multiple image formats
- Required Editing Capabilities
- Integration with external editors
- Adobe BF8 plugin support
- Ability to create panoramic photos
- Batch Converter
Flaws:
- No own file manager
- Outdated interface (for example, it is impossible to download an additional language pack through the program itself)
A relatively little-known player on the market, DIMIN View has its trump cards. Probably the most interesting feature compared to analogues is the ability to create playlists from photos, a sort of simplified analogue of presentations. The playlist can be organized, compiled from pictures located in different folders, and played in slide show mode. 
DIMIN View is a unique attempt to bring the logic of the iTunes library into the photo viewer. You do not need to transfer image files to organize them into a group: just add them to a special playlist.
Advantages:
- Supports plugins
- Allows you to create photo collections that can be viewed like a music playlist
Flaws:
- Unusual interface logic
- Incorrect Russification (there is a translation, but we haven’t seen such problems with displaying the Cyrillic alphabet since Windows XP, so it’s better to use English, please!)
By the standards of its simple and small analogues, this program is a corroded giant. WildBit has a wild appetite and requires more than 100 MB for installation. However, these megabytes are not wasted: the program has something to show. 
Advantages:
- Many formats supported
- Beautiful slideshow with a variety of effects
- Separate implementation for 32- and 64-bit systems
- Working with multiple monitors simultaneously
- Built-in powerful editor
Flaws:
- Big size
- Redundancy of functions if you just need to view
The program with the sweetest name suggests that viewing photos through it is like eating honey - you will stick and will not come off. Indeed, the developers have produced a good product that rightfully takes its place on the list.
One of the most interesting features of HoneyView that competitors do not have is integration with Google maps. If the EXIF data of a photo contains the coordinates of the place where it was taken, then you can go to this place on Google Maps in one click, view a street panorama (if available) and use all other functions of the service. 
Just click on the “GPS” button, and the program opens the coordinates from the photo data using the web version of Google Maps.
Among other things, it is a simple and easy way to view photos on your computer. Convenient navigation using keys, a built-in browser with thumbnail display, basic editing and conversion functions - perhaps this is the best choice for lovers of travel.
Advantages:
- Easy viewing of EXIF data and its integration with Google Maps
- Support for rare formats (for example, .webp)
- Successful integration into the Windows context menu
- Menu in Russian
Flaws:
- Somewhat overloaded interface
An absolute masterpiece of minimalism. The program does not require installation and is distributed in the form of a single executable file xlideit.exe. When launched, the application is integrated into the system automatically and generates configuration files, so it is better to immediately create a separate folder for it.
Since installation is not necessary, the program can be kept on a flash drive. This is convenient in many respects: for example, it allows you to view photos without launching the main program on the PC (you never know what the owner used it to look at last time). 
For a file smaller than 3MB, Xlideit's capabilities are astounding. It opens different file formats, contains a built-in file manager and a set of tools for basic processing - what more could you want from such a midget?
Advantages:
- Minimum size
- Works from anywhere on your computer, including removable media
- Rich options
Flaws:
- Interface is in English only
- Stutters when opening uncompressed photos
- Sometimes it works unstably
Which of the proposed viewers is considered the best is a matter of taste. Each one has some kind of unique “trick” - perhaps you will find room on your computer for two or three at once. Thus, the author of the review believes that FastStone (as a universal viewer and editor) and HoneyView (as a tool for working with metadata) will make a good combination. There is always room for Xlideit on a flash drive with photos. However, each user has different needs, so you may choose a different program or set of them.
Have you switched to the new Windows 10 OS, but didn’t like viewing photos through the new program? Then let's bring back the good old standard “viewer” like in Windows 7 or 8.1.
You won’t be able to download the standard photo viewer in Windows 10 from previous versions, and why should it, because it’s already in the system. You just need to activate it.
The standard photo viewer on Windows 10 is already installed on the system, you just need to use it!
Where is it located - the Windows 10 photo viewer? And how can I set it as the main one for viewing photos? Go!
How to open pictures in Windows 10 through browsing
We make changes to the registry.
1) Start - Windows System Tools - Run (or by holding down the Win + R keys). We write regedit - we call the Windows registry.
Attention! The registry is an important element of Windows. Don't change anything unnecessary here. Just to be on the safe side, we recommend making a Windows restore point (backup).
2) Once in the registry window, go to the folder:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows Photo Viewer/Capabilities/FileAssociations
Only 2 image formats have been added for the photo viewer: tiff and tif.
3) Right-click on an empty space and select New - String Parameter. Sign the name.jpeg
4) Left-click twice on the created name and enter in the Value field: PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff
Next OK.
5) Create names as in point 3 for other file types, namely: .jpg, .png, .gif and any others, for example .ico and .bmp. The value is the same for everyone: PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff
As a result, you will get this picture:
Setting up Photo Viewer in Windows 10
6) Start - Settings (or Win+i) - System - Default applications - Set default values for the application (link below).
If there is no Default Applications item in the list, then write Applications in the search box at the top left (Find parameter) and the desired item will appear in the drop-down list.
7) On the left in the list of programs, select Windows Photo Viewer and click Select default values for this program.
If you have a slightly different window (the usual list of programs), then find Photo Viewer in it, click once and select Manage. Then select the desired program for all file formats.
9) Now right-click on any image in .jpg, .png, .gif or .jpeg format - Open with - Select another application (or select an application).
Select Windows Photo Viewer from the list and check the box Always use this application.
Bottom line. In this simple way, in 5-10 minutes you can permanently install the standard Photo Viewer for Windows 10, which was in Windows 7 and 8.1.
Download programs for viewing images and photos.
The best free image viewers for Windows XP, 7, 8, 10.
Download photo, image and graphic file viewing programs on your computer.
A free application for viewing images with the ability to edit them, which allows you to take screenshots, view photos in slideshow mode, and open video and audio files.
Initially, IrfanView was conceived as a regular photo viewer. But then the creators decided to add some functionality to it, thereby increasing the popularity of the product. Let's take the latest version of IrfanView and take a closer look at what they came up with.
version: 2.49.2 from December 13, 2019XnView is a powerful photo viewer that includes some editing tools. With its help, you can organize convenient viewing of pictures, change the format of selected files, improve sharpness and brightness, add a watermark, and also create a photo gallery for a web page.
If you are planning to show your friends photos from your trip to Thailand or prepare a photo gallery for your website, it is best to do this with XnView - downloading this multifunctional application will be very useful in such cases. Indeed, in addition to creating conditions for comfortable viewing, the program will also allow you to edit images in just a couple of clicks.
version: 7.4 from August 29, 2019FastStone Image Viewer is a fast, stable and user-friendly viewer, editor and converter. FastStone Image Viewer has a nice set of features, including viewing, comparing and resizing images, red-eye removal, and color management (reduction and adjustment).
FastStone Image Viewer features an innovative yet intuitive full-screen viewing mode, a convenient thumbnail browser, and quick access to essential tools through hidden toolbars that pop up when the mouse touches the four edges of the screen.
version: 3.9.14.259 from November 06, 2015A smart application from Google that will allow you not only to find and organize images on your computer, but also to improve them. At your service is a chic set of popular photo editing tools, as well as several basic tools for video processing.
First of all, Picasa is known as an advanced graphics file organizer. You don't have to search all over your computer for a specific photo. Add tags to images or entire folders and sort them the way you want, not just by date. In addition, you will provide yourself with quick access to pictures - thanks to a kind of library located on the left side of the interface and search tools.
