Windows Photo Viewer cannot open this image

Some users have reported problems with the default Windows photo viewer (WPV). Users who encounter this problem see the following error message in some / all photos opened through Windows Photo Viewer: "Windows Photo Viewer cannot open this photo because Photo Viewer does not support this file or does not have the latest updates".

This particular topic is mostly reported on Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. Windows 10, another default photo viewer. Windows users 10 they can only encounter this problem if they previously modified their system settings to use WPV by default.

We go ahead and do some research on this topic. These are some of the most common scenarios that will trigger this problem:

• Photo / Image is a file type that is not supported by Windows Photo Viewer.
• The photo file / image is corrupted.
• Android Suite / Third-party iOS is causing conflicts with the default photo viewer.
• The file is encrypted.
• The operating system is dealing with corrupted system files.

If you are having trouble with this particular problem, use the following methods to fix it. It is strongly recommended that you follow the fixes in order until the issue is resolved. In any case, start with the Method 1 and eliminate the possibility of a corrupted or unsupported file.

Method 1: check if the file is corrupted or unsupported

Before troubleshooting system corruption or software conflicts, it is important to eliminate the possibility of a photo or image being corrupted and to make sure that the format is actually compatible with Windows Photo Viewer.

WPV is quite old software, so it doesn't support so many file types. The first thing is to check the extension of the file in question and see if it is really compatible with the software. Windows Photo Viewer can only open .jpg files, .jpeg, .tif, .tiff, .png, .gif, .bmp, .dib y. wdp. You can see the file type of the image by right-clicking the file and selecting Properties. Later, check the file type in the General tab next to File type.

If your file extension is not compatible with WPV, you will not be able to open it with this software. If that's the case, see Method 5 for instructions on how to use a different app to view photos.

If you have determined that the file type is compatible with WPV, let's see if the file is not damaged. You can do this in a number of ways: move the file to a different system and see if it opens there, or send the photo to a friend and ask them to open it. You can also transfer it to an Android phone and open it using the default photo app (supports more file types than WPV).

Once you have made sure that the file is not corrupted or unsupported, you can start troubleshooting with the methods listed below.

Method 2: reinstall Android Backup Set / iOS

Some users have started experiencing this problem immediately after updating their phone's backup package. They allegedly lost the ability to open images in the photo viewer as soon as the update was applied.

In your case, the solution was to uninstall the phone software and reinstall it. It turns out that many of those phone utilities include a photo viewer which can cause compatibility issues with the default photo app.. Here is a quick guide to remove the program associated with the phone:

1. Pulse la tecla de Windows + R and type »appwiz.cpl«. Press Enter to open the Programs and Features window.

   

2. Find an entry related to your phone manufacturer and uninstall it from your system. Note: In this case it is HiSuite belonging to Huawei, but you will see a different suite depending on your phone. To facilitate this, use the Publisher column to confirm that the software belongs to the manufacturer of your phone.

3. Check if you can now open photos in Windows Photo Viewer.

4. Reinstall the telephone suite.

Method 3: remove encryption from this file

Windows has a history of displaying strange error messages when it comes to encrypted files. If the name of the file you are trying to open appears in green letters (or the folder that contains it), means the file is encrypted.

This usually occurs when trying to open photos obtained manually from a different operating system (OS X, iOS, Android, Linux, etc.). If the file appears in green letters, follow the steps below to fix the problem and open it with Windows Photo Viewer:

1. Right click on the file and choose Properties.

2. On the General tab, click the Advanced button.

   

3. Uncheck the box labeled »Encrypt content to protect data» and click OK.

   

Method 4: Run the System File Checker

If you have burned all the above methods and still have the same problem, there is a great chance that you are dealing with some corrupted system files. If that's the case, Running a System File Checker scan will generally repair most cases of corruption that might be affecting your system. Here is a quick guide on how to start a System File Checker scan:

1. Click on the Windows start bar (lower left corner) and look for cmd. Right click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

   

2. At the elevated command prompt, type sfc / scannow. This will scan all protected system files and replace corrupted ones with clean versions.

   

3. Reboot and see if the problem is resolved.

Method 5: use a different app to view photos

If the file is not compatible with Windows Photo Viewer or the software has become unusable, you can easily use a different program to open the respective image file.

Right click on the file that is causing problems and go to Open With, and then select a different program from the list. Paint is a good choice as the list of supported file types is larger than that of WPV.

Note: you can also use more specialized software like IrfanView graphic display . This software is free and supports practically any type of file used for photos or images. There is also an application for Windows 10 available for download on the Microsoft App Store.

If Paint or another program can open the photo / picture, right click again> Open with and choose Change default program (Choose another app).

For the change to be permanent, select the application you want to use from now on, check the box next to Always use this app to open jpg files and hit OK.

Method 6: disable inheritance

If you still want to use Windows Photo Viewer to be able to view photos, you can try to disable image inheritance, allowing you to view them despite permit objections from your previous residence. To do that:

1. Right-click on the image in question and select “Properties”. Selecting «Properties».

2. Click on the option “Safety” above and select the button “Advanced”.

3. Click on any of the “Permission entries” and select the button “Disable inheritance”. Selecting Disable inheritance

4. Select option “Convert inherited permissions” and select “Apply” and then click “To accept”. Selecting the option «Convert inherited permissions»

5. After that, try opening the photo and see if the problem persists.

Method 7: install updates

In some cases, pending updates can also trigger this error because Windows functions require updates from time to time to compensate for new file formats, new types of encryption and to accommodate other issues. Therefore, in this step, we will update Windows to fix this problem. For it:

1. Press “Windows” + “I” to open the settings panel.

2. Click on “Update and security” and select “Search for updates”. Update and security in Windows settings

3. Now Windows will automatically check and download the new updates that fix the problem with Windows Photo Viewer.

Method 8: enable thumbnail preview

There have been reports that this issue was triggered because thumbnail preview was not enabled in settings. Therefore, we are going to enable it, to do this follow the steps indicated below.

1. Open File Explorer, click on the tab “Watch” and then select the button “Choices” in the upper right.

2. Now «Uncheck» the button »Always show icons, never miniatures«.

3. Uncheck the button »Hide extensions for known file types«. Uncheck the options

4. Click on “Apply” and then in “To accept”.

5. Check if the problem persists.

Method 9: scan USB drive

If you face this problem on a specific USB drive, you can run a SFC scan on it and check if that's causing the problem. To do that:

1. Press “Windows” + “R” to open the message “Run”.

2. Scribe “cmd” and then press “Ctrl” + “Shift” + “Enter” to provide administrative privileges. Running the command prompt

3. Type the following command and press “Enter” to run it.

   SFC /scannow /OFFWINDIR=F:Windows /OFFBOOTDIR=F:

   Note: Replace the “F” with the name of the USB drive.

4. Check if the problem persists after completing the scan.

Note: Also make sure Windows Photo Viewer is selected as the default program for viewing photos. What's more, be sure to check if the files are running on another computer.

Method 10: change color management settings

In this step, We will reconfigure the Color Management settings, in which we will remove the associated profiles and change certain settings to the default system. To do this, follow the steps below.

1. Right-click anywhere on the desktop and select “Screen settings”.

2. Select option “Advanced display settings” and then select the tab “Display adapter properties for display 1”.

3. Click the button “Color management” and then select the button “Color management”. By clicking on the button «Color management»

4. Click on all the profiles one by one and select “Get rid of”.

5. Now, click on the tab “Advanced” and make sure all drop down menus are set as “Default system”. Dropdown settings.

6. What's more, be sure to click the button “Recalibrate screen” and follow the instructions on the screen.

7. After doing all this, check if the problem persists.

Solution 11: Request registration

In some cases, Windows Photo Viewer registry entries may be out of order, thus creating this problem. Therefore, in this step, we will register the applications using a file. For it:

1. Right-click anywhere on the desktop and select “New> text document”.

2. Copy and paste the following code into the newly created document.

   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 ; Change the file type of the extension [HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClasesN-. jpg] @="PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff" ; Change the file type of the extension [HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClasses.jpeg] @="PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff"

3. Click on “File> Save as” and then select “Save as type: All the documents”.

4. Name the file “Photo.REG” and click “Keep”. By clicking on the “Save option”

5. The file will be saved as a log file, run this file and check if the problem persists.