The Microsoft Photos app works fine as the default image viewer on Windows 10. However, it still has its fair share of flaws. For starters, it's not as feature-rich as the app for viewing photos on macOS. Some of my colleagues told me that there are many great alternatives that bridge the gap, so I went on a search for the best alternatives to look at photos on Windows 10.
Lightweight, snappy, and simple options like the Photo Viewer app for Mac. We've chosen apps that don't show you “Buy Pro Plan” instructions as soon as you launch the app. In this post we will talk about the seven best apps for viewing photos on Windows 10.
1. ACDSee Photo Studio
ACDSee is the perfect tool to get your photography workflow up and running effortlessly. It is one of the most responsive image viewers in the category.
The software is perfectly suited for home and professional users. It's like a complete photo studio suite with a combination of features like Lightroom, Bridge, and Photoshop in one setup. Photoshop vs Lightroom: Which Should You Use?
You can also edit, organize, manage and create unique images by correcting exposure, color, contrast, eliminating red-eye, shadows and highlights. You can also share digital photos with loved ones or friends or colleagues from the desktop background in one click with a single image or collage maker.
Most photo viewers can slow down PC performance, but this one, even with all its features, is quick to open and scroll through your image directories. It is free and you can try it on your computer.
2. Irfan View
One of the oldest photo viewers for Windows is IrfanView. It is a quick and easy photo editing tool. Because it is so feature rich, you will find many people who have been using it for years. However, it doesn't have the nicest user interface.
IrfanView will acquire images directly from your scanner. There is no need to go through a separate scanning process before starting to work on an image. The app allows you to split images and merge some together to create panoramas. It also supports OCR to recognize images and export bits in an editable format.
You can paint an image with various painting tools like brush, line, shape, etc. The somewhat basic look may not seem appealing to many, but the software is pretty feature-rich. Many veteran Windows users still swear by Irfanview.
3. ImageGlass
ImageGlass is a versatile open source image editor (30 Best Photo Editing Programs) that is lightweight, super fast, and gets the job done without asking you a single penny. It is a good choice for users and non-technical professionals.
The software offers image processing, curation and storage in over 70 formats, including GIF, PNG, WEBP, SVG, RAW, AVIF, JP2.
Its minimal aesthetic makes it extremely accessible and highly customizable. I like how you can add image transition while the slideshow is in progress and quickly switch between images.
4. WidsMob Viewer PRO
You can enjoy most of WidsMob's features absolutely free. However, it comes with a premium version which offers a better experience with quick and easy file management. It allows you to support multiple images and video formats with super-fast media manager.
The software also allows users to manage and edit images with color grading.
WidsMob is an all-in-one multimedia management software that offers an incredibly vibrant image viewing experience and supports fast batch processing and conversion rates. It is one of the highly recommended software from us. Go ahead with the link below.
5. FastStone Image Viewer
If you've been a Picasa user, FastStone Image Viewer will look familiar to you. It supports many image formats like JPEG, GIF, PNG, RAW and PSD, etc. The user interface is similar to that of Windows Explorer. Unlike Windows Photos, this tool is fast.
When you open the application, it lists all the folders and images. You can check the preview without opening the images. And open the image, it is presented in a full screen view.
It is worth mentioning the inclusion of the map option which is useful in the 3D image editor. FastStone is free for personal and educational purposes.
6.XnView
XnView is another great alternative to Windows Photos. From a design standpoint, the tool is similar to FastStone Image Viewer. However, it's not as feature-rich as FastStone.
It supports tabbed browsing, which means you can view multiple images at the same time. With support for over 500 image formats, it also offers basic editing tools like rotation, resizing, cropping, etc.
Apart from that, the tool also supports multiple layouts. You can choose the layout according to your preferences.
7. HoneyView
After completing the quick installation, HoneyView will welcome you with an elegant user interface. It allows you to work with almost any file type and browse high resolution images without buffering. There is a portable version that you can take advantage of, without spending any money.
To be more precise, the software can display animated web pages and GIFs. You can also correct the gamma levels and hide some information such as date, time, name and size. It also offers the ability to bookmark images for future use. We can also copy our favorite images.
Enjoy a better multimedia experience
For most of you, the Windows Photos app works flawlessly. But if you want more options with robust editing tools and all kinds of image format support, download a third-party alternative from the web
