We all know about Windows 10 in-built photo viewer app called Photos. If you use it regularly, you would have encountered the photo loading time issue. When you double click on an image for quicking viewing, Photos App fails to load it quickly. This issue badly affects the overall user experience.
To overcome this commonly faced issue, we have curated a list of fast and simple alternative Best Photo Viewers for Windows 10.
ImageGlass
ImageGlass is a handy photo viewer for Windows 10 with a decent User Interface and clean design. The photo viewing and management are much simpler and faster in comparison to the Photos App. The image loading times are far more improved, making it one of the best windows photo viewer.There is support for more than 70 image formats, including GIF, HVG, and RAW. The level of personalization is top-notch, considering the ease of installing new language packs and themes. Additionally, there is an option to link each file format with specific image editing tools. This feature makes it very easy to work on an image of that particular file format later on.
Pros:
- Lightweight and fast performance
- Wide range of file format support
- User-friendly UI
Cons:
- No in-built editing capability
Key Features: Slideshow View | Modern UI | Enhanced Personalization Features| File Format Linkage
Download: ImageGlass
Related: Recover Deleted Files/Photos in Windows 10 with EaseUS
IrfanView
IrfanView is one of our top contenders for best photo viewer for Windows 10. Created by Irfan Sklijan, this third party application is free to use. Being lightweight (only 2-3 MB), user-friendly, and fast image loading speeds make it on demand. File format support is pretty vast, including BMP, GIF, Flash, OGG, and so on.
In addition to nimble image viewing, IrfanView also supports text identification in images and export using “OCR.” Users can perform operations like File format conversions and color corrections with ease.
Pros:
- Lightweight and nimble
- User-friendly UI
- Image format converter
- Zero Bloatware
Cons:
- Scrolling through folders is difficult
Key Features: Lightweight | User-Friendly UI | OCR Support| Color Correction | Adding Watermarks
Download: IrfanView
XnView
XnView is a comprehensive picture viewer application on Windows 10. There is image viewing, editing, and organizing covered in one package. Apart from multi-lingual support, it has compatibility for over 500 file formats and videos too. Image navigation is made super easy with options to preview, zoom and change orientation.
XnView allows basic editing operations like rotate, resize, conversion in batch mode, and cropping with ease. File formats supported include JPG, TIFF, PNG, Raster, and several others.
Pros:
- Multi-lingual support
- Robust image organizer
- Enhanced file format support
Cons:
- The free version only for individual use
Key Features: Duplicate file finder | Multi-purpose | Video support | Slideshow View | Raster format support
Download: XnView
Related: How to Download All Photos from iCloud to Mac, Linux or Windows
HoneyView
If you desire an experience similar to Windows Photos App, HoneyView is a slightly improved picture viewer. A few additional file formats are supported, such as GIF, BMP, PSD, PNG, and archive formats like RAR, ZIP, LZH, etc. This app is suited for users who prefer minimalism.
You can copy the image link in HoneyView and edit it using third- party editors like Photoshop. The image loading is swift and stable. Basic features like rotate, crop and slide view are supported.
Pros:
- Lightweight and nimble
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Not feature-rich
- No in-built editor
Key Features: Image Bookmarks | Stable Performance | Slideshow View
Download: HoneyView
FastStone Image Viewer
A lightweight windows photo viewer that is suited for smooth viewing of images in fullscreen mode. The slideshow view is a plus point with above 150 attractive transition effects and musical background. Most of the major file formats, including GIF, PNG, JPG, RAW, are supported.
FastStone is feature-rich with the ability to mail images, remove red-eye, retouch, color configurations, and so on. Smooth handling of excessive images using multi-monitor support takes FastStone to the top of best photo viewer on Windows 10 list.
Pros:
- Easy to use with attractive UI
- Both video and audio support
- Most feature-rich photo viewer
Cons:
- Image navigation is slow
- Thumbnail generation is time-consuming
Key Features: Multi-theme Support | Email Sharing feature | Top-notch Magnifier | Advanced Slideshow feature | File conversions in batches
Download: FastStone Image Viewer
Related: How to Slideshow Photos on TV from Mac and Windows?
FocusOn Image Viewer
If you have used Adobe Lightroom, you will find a similar resemblance to FocusOn Image Viewer’s editor window. The image editor is pretty extensive in features and a histogram for graphical representation. Editing is made easy using slides for each image property such as Sharpness, Brightness, RGB values, and so on.
Support for over 100 file formats, including JPG, BMP, PNG, and RAW, taking it to the league of best photo viewer for Windows 10. A standout feature is the ability to view and delete EXIF data. Renaming of images in batch mode is also built-in.
Pros:
- Robust photo editor tool
- User-friendly UI
Cons:
- Images view inside archived folder not supported
Key Features: View and Delete EXIF | Social Media Sharing feature | Email sharing feature | File conversions in batches
Download: FocusOn Image Viewer
Nomacs
Nomacs is a feature-rich, free-to-use windows photo viewer. All major image configurations like brightness, exposure, hue, etc., can be done quickly. There is compatibility with a wide range of file formats, including the RAW format for digital cameras.
The differentiating feature, in this case, is the ability to compare images using synchronization. You can compare photos by zooming at the exact point or by overlaying using opacity variation. Image viewing from Archived folders is supported. There is also the added feature to make notes on images for identifying their lineage/origin.
Pros:
- Robust photo editor tool
- User-friendly UI
Cons:
- Images view inside archived folder not supported
Key Features: Image Comparison | Open source | Email sharing feature | File conversions in batches
Download: Nomacs
JPEGView
JPEGView is another light, fast, and configuration-rich windows photo viewer and editor. The focus is on quick editing capability. A preview bar is designed with sliders to adjust brightness, color, contrast, rotation, perspective, and so on.
There is the option to view JPEG images as a movie in Movie Mode. The image resampling filter is top quality, making sharpness at optimum levels. File format supported include JPEG, WEBP, TGA, GIF, TIFF, and so on.
Pros:
- Extensive and easy editing functionality
- Light and nimble
Cons:
- EXIF data not supported
- Print button missing
Key Features: Easy editor | Movie Mode | Resampling filter | Real-time image processing
Download: JPEGView
Related: How to Add Google Drive to File Explorer in Windows 10
123 Photo Viewer
123 Photo Viewer offers light and fast photo viewing, making it one of the best photo viewers for windows 10. The User Interface is designed for easiness and navigation is smooth. Users can perform image changes in batches with support for OneDrive.
Image editing features are on the higher side with a wide range of filters, transition effects for slideshow view. Basic quick fixes such as resizing, red-eye removal, cropping are pre-built.
Pros:
- Easy and effective editing functionality
- Simple UI
Cons:
- Auto-scan and Auto-detect feature not supported
Key Features: Straight forward UI | OneDrive support | Slideshow View
Download: 123 Photo Viewer
Movavi Photo Manager
The last in our list of best photo viewers for Windows 10 is Movavi. An advanced photo viewing app with an in-built image recognition feature included. This feature makes it simple to collate photos of individuals into different folders.
The app performance is top class, with the ability to handle many images with ease. The critical value addition lies in Movavi’s search and sort features. You can search images using image metadata and images sorting by date, location, and other metadata.
Pros:
- Stable performance under heavy load
- Easy Album creation
- Removal of duplicates
Cons:
- Images to be uploaded manually
- Contextual search not supported
Key Features: Face recognition feature | Search and Sort by Metadata | De-duplication support
Download: Movavi Photo Manager
There you have it. We are at the end of the list of best photo viewers for Windows 10. We hope you found it valuable in selecting the photo viewer of your choice and preferences. Most of these picture viewers are free to use and fast compared to the Windows Photos app. Please comment on your thoughts. Let us know other applications you think deserve to make it to this list.