However, it’s interesting to note that Photo Viewer is no longer included in Windows 10. So, if you do a clean install, you’re not going to find Photo Viewer. The only way to keep it is to do an upgrade to Windows 10 from an existing version.
Replace Photo Viewer in Windows 10
The screenshots below, both show the same version of Windows 10, one is upgraded from a previous version, and the second is a clean install. Photo Viewer was initially based on Microsoft’s Photo Gallery, which originally came preinstalled with Windows Vista. When Microsoft launched Windows 7, many of the bundled apps, including Photo Gallery, were moved to the free Windows Essentials suite which is available as a separate download. So, the best way to replace Photo Viewer on a clean Windows 10 install is to install the Windows Live Photo Gallery from Windows Essentials 2012. When you run the installer, all of the programs in the suite will be checked by default, but you can uncheck the ones you don’t want. In this case, you only want Photo Gallery.
Windows Live Photo Gallery 2012 includes quick Photo Viewer mode which happens to work just the same as the built-in Photo Viewer in Windows 7 and earlier versions. There is not much difference between the two when previewing photos. They offer the same functionality such as slideshow, rotation, printing, and email. The only significant difference you will see is, the Live Photo Gallery has a nicer interface.
We don’t know how long Microsoft will continue to support Windows Essentials, so I would recommend getting used to the new Photos app in the meantime. It’s a little different, but it’s nice to use, and it includes a lot of tools for viewing, managing, and editing your photos. Of course, there are other apps out there that you can use for photo’s, so what’s your take? Do you have a desktop program or app that you’ve used to replace Photo Viewer? Leave a comment below and let us know. Fotor, Irfanview, Xnview, Phoxo, Free Vimager, Honeyview32, paint.net, Zoner free, Ashampoo free, Lazpaint portable, Photoscape … Sites such as Majorgeeks and Softpedia, for example, have a good range of alternatives. I would be very dissapointed if Microsoft were to discontinue support of this application. In fact in my way of thinking it would be justification for reverting to Windows 7 as there is nothing special in Windows 10 that I require that cannot be served by Windows 7. For your information I am 75 years old and have been using Windows since it came out. I am in the same situation with over 10000 pictures tagged and organized in windows 7 but I don’t know how to get that back. Thanks for the awesome article… I’ll also suggest you to try KrojamSoft PhotoViewerPro It’s helpful too…. Comment
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