windows photo viewer can't open this picture because either photo viewer doesn't support this file format or you don't have the latest updates to photo viewer"

Anonymous
2010-02-16T19:42:32+00:00

this is message I have received for nearly every photo in my pictures folder.  Just updated to Windows 7 --- pictures opened up just fine in XP pro AND in VISTA home.....   what gives......

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MODERATOR NOTE 9 JULY 2018

This 8 1/2 year old thread has long since run its course and is now locked.

The original question was properly answered on 17 February 2010, the day after it was asked.

More information:

  • There is no "update" for Windows Photo Viewer.  Windows Photo Viewer is part of the Windows operating system.  If any of its component files need updating, they will be updated if you use Windows Update.
  • If you have an image file type other than .jpg and .jpeg, .tif and .tiff, .png, .gif, .bmp and .dib, .wdp, ask your favorite search engine <<how do I open xxx files >>
  • If you have a version of Windows other than Windows 7, you should ask your question in the appropriate section of Microsoft Community.
  • If you have Windows 10 and want to use Windows Photo Viewer to view image files instead of the Windows 10 Photo app, you can find instructions for doing so by asking your favorite search engine.  One such site is https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/14312-restore-windows-photo-viewer-windows-10-a.html
  • If none of the information in the Answer or above helps you, please read the following articles and ask your own new question.  Please provide details about your system and your particular problem and please ask your question in the appropriate section of Microsoft Community.

How to begin your own, new thread about your computer & your problem

How to ask a question

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Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Music, photos, and video

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2010-02-17T15:02:33+00:00

Hi Arielnancy,

As the sentence suggests, the picture file format may not be supported or you do not have the latest updates to photo viewer.

Windows Photo Viewer can only view .jpg and .jpeg, .tif and .tiff, .png, .gif, .bmp and .dib, .wdp file types.

For more information refer this link: Understanding picture file types**http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Understanding-picture-file-types**

You may follow the steps below:

1.      Right click on any one of the picture and select Open With and click Change Default program.

2.      Now select the Windows Photo Viewer in the list.

3.      Now put a check mar for “Always use a selected program to open this kind of file”.

You may also try opening the same picture using Paint and check if you are able to open without any issues.

Check if you don't have file extensions displayed by default, right-click on an offending image and look at the file's name.

If you have not set it as default program to open images, do this :

Change which programs Windows uses by default

A default program is the program that Windows uses when you open a particular type of file, such as a music file, an image, or a webpage. For example, if you have more than one web browser installed on your computer, you can choose one of them to be the default browser.

Open Default Programs by clicking the Start button, and then clicking Default Programs.

In Default Programs, you can:

·         Set your default programs. Use this option to choose which programs you want Windows to use by default. If you want to use your Windows Live Photo Gallery or Photo Gallery to open all photos, use this option.

Refer to this link: **http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Change-which-programs-Windows-uses-by-default**

 Refer the link for similar issue: **http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7pictures/thread/2da99b17-8bd1-48a7-9ab9-160e4b3bac2c**

Thanks and Regards:

Swathi B - Microsoft Support. Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-05-01T13:51:31+00:00

    I would like to send you a photo so you can try to open it.  But the upload deny to upload so we have to find another way to get this to you to examine the photo.  If you would let me send the photo to you. :)  

    You could send me email to ******@simnet.is

    I have tried all the advice I can find here but nothing of them works.  Those photos and I am talking about lot of them did just say this stupid "Windows Photo Viewer cna't open this picture because either Photo Viewer doesn't support this file format, or you don't have the latest updates to Photo Viewer" and that is doing me crasy. So if you cold help in other way like examine the photo. And see if you could see it that would be nice.  Otherwise  I don't give a .... for these advice I have read all around the internet.  

    Kind regard. Baldvin Baldvinsson.

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-01-09T16:51:56+00:00

    I recently started have the SAME problem. Windows Photo Viewer had been working swimmingly over the last few months on the same exact images without any problems.

    I suspect Microsoft updated some code somewhere that got pushed out as an update -- that's now causing the problem.

    As a diagnostic, I tried right-click "Open with..." and chose Paint. The same file opened without any problems.

    Thumbnails are all being generated for ALL images without problem.

    Yet Windows Photo Viewer cannot view ANY of my image files. Paint has no problems.

    Similarly, right-click "Open with..." and chosing Microsoft Office 2010. Image loads with no problems.

    If the original poster has the same success using other programs -- then the problem is with Windows Photo Viewer -- Microsoft's not having it recognize the code permissions or something.

    This is on Windows 7 Professional 64-bit. Most recent updates from Microsoft applied.

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-03-17T10:14:11+00:00

    I am having the same message come up, but for me I can view the photos straight off my hard drive.. Its only when I've burn the photos to CD that I can't view them from CD.

    I gave a copy to my mum and she also can't view them with the same error message coming up. The strange thing is there is all the photos are okay, taken on the same day with the same camera etc... then all of a sudden the photo after a certain number start coming up with this message when the photo before is the same...??

    PLEASE PLEASE help me as these are photos from my son's first birhtday and I want to have a copy on cd and not just on my harddrive.

    HELP!

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  4. Anonymous
    2011-01-22T22:16:34+00:00

    I have been having  no luck opening pictures originally made with a canon camera and saved through an iMac G3  to an external hard drive.  All the pictures had names like:  ._105-0556_IMG_2

    Then I realised that in each folder, the first half of all the files had that format, then at halfway they changed to the usual format:

    105-0556_IMG_2

    and they were viewable.

    Note that its the same file number twice, just each has a different layout, ie with the ._ before the first half of the files, which are also only 57kb instead of 333kb.  I dunno what it is but I hope it helps someone.

    Malcolm

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