How to fix ‘Windows Photo Viewer can’t display this picture’ problem
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Written By Sumona Chatterjee
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Approved By Tanushree Chatterjee
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Updated on 12 Jun, 2024 -
Min Reading 5 Min - Share
Summary: Windows Photo Viewer is a default program to view photos in Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10. However, there are several cases reported about Windows Photo Viewer unable to open CR2, NEF and other image file formats, along with this error message.This post shares how you can fix ‘Windows Photo Viewer can’t open this picture’ problem and view your photos on Windows PC.
Are you unable to display pictures in Windows Photo Viewer on Windows 10, 8, or 7 computers? Is it giving the ‘windows photo viewer can’t display this picture’ error?
Common reasons for getting the ‘Windows Photo Viewer can’t open this picture’ error
- Windows Photo Viewer is not updated
- Image file is not supported by the program
- Photo is corrupt
- Picture has encryption
- Software conflict on your computer
6 Ways to Fix Windows Photo Viewer can’t open this picture problem
1. Update Windows Photo Viewer
Software updates can fix bugs and other issues. Thus, updating Windows Photo Viewer might fix the problem.
Steps to update your Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10:
- Go to Start> Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
- Select Check for updates
- Check in the box next to the Photo Viewer Click Install Updates
- Wait until the updates finish and then restart the computer
2. Open photo in different application
Windows Photo Viewer supports only JPEG, TIFF, PNG, GIF, BMP, DIB, and WDP file formats.
If the image file is of different format, open it in another supporting application. You can use Adobe Photoshop, IrfanView, Photo Retouch, Raw Image Viewer etc.
3. Convert image to different format
When an image file format is not supported by Windows Photo Viewer, you can convert the file to JPEG, TIFF, or PNG which can be viewed in Windows Photo Viewer.
This will fix the ‘Windows Photo Viewer can’t open this picture’ problem. However, this method will compress the large-sized high-resolution photos. But now you can at least view them in the program.
4. Repair image with a Photo Repair Software
The image file might be corrupt if,
- Unable to open in Windows Photo Viewer and other applications
- Updating Windows Photo Viewer or converting to another file format didn’t help
In such a case, try out a photo repair software because your photo is most likely corrupt, due to which it is showing the error.
There are several photo repair software available online. Most of them work only on JPEG, TIFF, and PNG files and do not support camera raw images. A more comprehensive and effective solution is provided by Stellar Repair for Photo that not only repairs JPEG and TIFF but also repairs popular raw camera file formats like CR2, NEF, ORF, DNG etc. The software is secure and advanced enough to fix images that are broken, pixelated, grainy, or have grey bands, etc.
The software can simultaneously repair unlimited photos of same or different formats.
Steps to repair corrupt pictures with Stellar Repair for Photo
- Download and run Stellar Repair for Photo
- Click Add File
- Click Repair
- Preview the repaired photos and click Save Repaired Files
Watch this video to know how to Fix ‘Windows Photo Viewer can’t open this Picture’ error
5. Uninstall mobile phone backup suite
Have you recently updated your phone backup suite on PC? If yes, Windows Photo Viewer might not be able to open images due to this. The Android phone’s default photo viewer might be facing a conflict with your computer’s photo viewer.
So, try to view photos after uninstalling the Android phone backup program on your computer.
Steps to uninstall smartphone backup software:
- Press Windows+Rkeys
- Type ‘cpl’ in the dialog box and press Enter
- In the Programs and Featureswindow, find your phone’s related program with its name (Nokia, Samsung, HiSuit of Huawei etc.), select, and click Uninstall
Now, check if Windows Photo Viewer is able to open your images. You can reinstall the phone suite, later.
6. Turn off encryption in image file
Are you trying to open images imported from smartphones in Windows Photo Viewer? Smartphones have settings that encrypt photos, videos, and other files. It might be possible that Windows Photo Viewer is unable to open encrypted image files.
Try to fix ‘Windows Photo Viewer can’t open this picture’ issue by turning off encryption in the image file.
Steps to turn off encryption in photos:
- Right-click on the photo. Select Properties
- Under the General tab, click Advanced
- Uncheck the box before Encrypt Contents to Secure Data
- Click OK
Conclusion
‘Windows Photo Viewer can’t open this picture’ error is not new. Due to limited file format support, users commonly face this problem. In such a case, converting the file type or viewing the pictures in different photo viewers resolves the issue. Often updating the application along with the Windows update helps.
Apart from this, when you maintain smartphone backup on computer, the device backup suite on PC can cause the error. Try to view the images after uninstalling the Android phone backup suite. Sometimes, the imported images from Android phones do not open in the photo viewer because of the encryption settings. You can remove the encryption on the image file to view it in Windows Photo Viewer.
When none of these troubleshooting methods works, it means the image itself is corrupt. A repair software such as Stellar Repair for Photo serves as the ideal solution for this situation. The software effectively repairs corrupt JPEG, TIFF, DNG, CR2, SRF, and other image file formats of DSLRs, camcorders, action cameras, etc. And it also works on an extensive variety of image corruptions including broken, pixelated, blurry images, and more.
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NO About The Author
Sumona is a tech blogger, avid photographer, & technogeek with vast experience in writing about media file recovery tips and tutorials. She has over 10 years of experience in media file recovery/media file repair technology. She is passionate about Photography, Creative Designing, Music, and Exploring lesser-known destinations.
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Over the weekend I lost the ability to open jpg and text files. I cannot “Update Windows Photo Viewer”. That choice is greyed out. The machine also will not allow me to download a different photo viewer. I also cannot get the update windows box to open. I can usually find something on the web about fixing issues, but ‘m mystified here.
HI Chip.
It sounds like you’re experiencing some technical issues with your computer’s ability to open JPG and text files, as well as problems with Windows Photo Viewer and updating Windows. It’s a good idea to ensure your system is up-to-date. Go to “Settings” > “Update & Security” > “Windows Update” and check for any pending updates. Also, Try the methods mentioned above in the blog.
I didn’t put Microsoft on so I can’t get rid of it in my gallery
Hi Gloria,
A simple update can fix many problems. Please follow the methods mentioned in the blog.
I USED A FLASH DRIVE THAT i HAD USED WITH A (USB OTG CABLE FOR IPAD AND IPHONE) CONNECTOR TO MY IPAD, GOT A CANT READ MESSAGE ON THE PC, SO I PAID FOR A HEIC PROGRAM BECAUSE I SAW WHERE THAT WAS WHAT APPLE USES FOR THEIR PICS…IT DIDN’T WORK, SO I TRIED YOUR PROGRAM ,WHICH ALSO DIDN’T WORK..WHEN I USE ‘PROPERTIES’ WHEN LOOKING AT THE PICS ON THE PC IT SAYS JPEG….I AM 80 AND MAY WELL BE MISSING SOMETHING ON HOW TO DO THIS. MY AIM WAS TO GET MY PICS ON THE CLOUD SO THEY WOULDN’T GET LOST LIKE WHEN MY PC CRASHED BEFORE. HOPE YOU CAN HELP. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
Hi BARBARA,
I understand your frustration. It can be difficult to troubleshoot technical issues, especially when you’re not familiar with the technology. It sounds like your flash drive is formatted in a way that your PC can’t read. The HEIC program and my program are both designed to convert HEIC files to JPEG, but they won’t be able to do anything if the flash drive is formatted in a way that the PC can’t read.
Check the file format and file system of the photos on the flash drive and try to match it with the requirements. Once you’ve fixed the issue with the flash drive, you can then upload your photos to the cloud.
Why my photo viewer is saying- “Convert Picture to Another Format?”
When the image file format you try to open is not supported by Windows Photo Viewer, you’ll get the error. If this is the case, you should convert your image file to JPEG, TIFF, PNG, or any other formats that can be supported by Windows Photo Viewer.
I recently purchased dell laptop that came with windows 10 installed. When transfer photos in drive and open I get this error and I think its problem with the Photo Viewer and Photos. What I do to fix it? Please help!
Hi Stevens, Please update your windows OS and driver in your laptop. And if you are open raw files on Windows Photo Viewer you need to open it another supporting application such as Adobe Photoshop, raw image viewer. Thanks!
I just update my Windows 10, but when I tried to open my picture in Photo Viewer showing error “photo viewer can’t open because file appear to be corrupted” I don’t know what I do? Please help…
Hi Harry, The best way you can open the folder containing all infected images and select all and right-click one and from the context menu ‘choose paint’. If you still find an error, you can try our software demo version and see the preview of repaired files. Thanks!
Hi, I had this issue when i try to open specific jpg image file windows photo viewer show this error message. Thanks for provide the steps to fix this issue. Step 6 will help to fix my issue. Thank you very much!
Hi Martha, Thanks for reading our blog and share your valuable feedback with us!
I had this issue when I try to open a specific jpg jpeg image file. I also right click and select properties and try to change the file extension with jpg but fails to open the file. Can this software repair my jpeg file?
Hi Colin, Yes, You can try our software demo version and see the preview of repaired files. Thank you very much!
Hi, Couple of days there are no thumbnail and Photos open in Windows Photo Viewer I don’t understand what is causing this problem? I’m using windows 7 with 4 GB RAM and 500 GB hard disk. Please help!
Hi Ray, I suggest please updates you windows because software updated will fix bugs and other issues. If the problem is same you can try our software demo version and see the preview of your repaired jpeg files.
I had the same issue with some of jpeg’s files that won’t open in anything else on windows 10. I don’t know how these files are corrupted after find the solution on your blog and try the methods to fix this issue.
Hi Jessica, Thanks for sharing your valuable feedback with us!
I had the same issue on my windows 10 when I open a jpeg file this error message shown. I had tried to fix this issue, but unsuccessful. I used your Photo Repair software that’s repair my jpg files. Thank you very much!
Hi Chris, Thanks for choosing our software and sharing your valuable feedback with us!