A photo viewer application lets you look at and navigate the stored pictures seamlessly. Now, it’s frustrating if the photo-viewing application keeps crashing frequently. On the other hand, your system’s default photo viewer might not offer enough editing options. And, even if it does, the application might feel bloated and heavy.
So, we got you the best photo viewer for Windows 10 and macOS computers if you want outstanding performance, legit editing features, and no lag. Let’s review them so that you can pick the best photo viewer according to your preferences and the system requirements.
What is the Best Photo Viewer for Windows 10 and Windows 11?
Fortunately, countless high-end photo viewers and editors are available for Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs. Here, we have mentioned a list of the best photo viewer for Windows computers. While selecting them, we have focussed on their snappy performance, support for diverse image formats, and loaded features.
However, Microsoft Photos is the default photo viewer on Windows computers. This application supports and processes a wide range of picture formats, starting from JPG to HEIF. Hence, you should set any of these below-mentioned applications as the default photo viewer on your Windows computer if you don’t want Microsoft Photos to open and process them as soon as you open them.
To do that, navigate to the Settings application using the Windows + I key shortcut. Next, click on Apps and go to the Default Apps section. Then, you can choose the compatible application to set it as the default photo viewer for your computer. Now, let’s find you the best photo viewer for Windows 10 free download:
1. Picverse Photo Manager
Your digital memories mean a lot to you. If you want to watch them at your pace or enhance them with competent editing qualities, Piceverse Photo Manager is the right choice. Moreover, this photo viewer assists you in cropping, flipping, resizing, rotating, and applying more adjustments to an individual or bunch of photos.
Additionally, Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems are compatible with this photo-viewing software. Here are some noteworthy features of Picverse Photo Manager:
- This application lets users view and manage PNG, RAW, JPEG, and photo formats.
- You can enable full-screen mode on this photo viewer.
- In addition, the application can detect every face individually in photos. It can even create an album specifically for every face found in photos.
- This best photo viewer for Windows 11 can identify and select similar images for you. Thus, you can recognise them and get rid of duplicate photos.
- Furthermore, you can tag photos with this software.
The best part of this photo viewer is that you can try it for free. Later, you can buy it if you want to unlock more features and wish to stick to it.
2. IrfanView
Are you looking for something professional and aesthetic for photo viewing and processing? Recommended by renowned photographers and designers, IrfanView can be your next download for advanced photo editing and more.
This best photo viewer for Windows 10 lets you preview a batch of photos as a slideshow. Moreover, you can zoom photos, execute batch edits, etc. On the other hand, Irfan View is free to install and use.
This compact and fast photo-viewing application has the necessary plug-ins to support various pictures, videos, and audio formats. Now, let’s check out the significant features of IrfanView:
- You can preview photos using thumbnails.
- The software allows you to save any file format that you can view.
- Additionally, the application supports OCR to recognise text on the images.
- You can easily tag and organise photos using IrfanView.
- IrfanView lets you perform basic photo-editing features in a batch.
3. Google Photos
Now, Google Photos is a solid and popular option to manage, access, backup, and everything regarding digital media storage. Additionally, Google Photos doesn’t require any complex setup. Just download the application and log into your Google account. And, you are ready to view photos as a slideshow using Google Photos.
On top of that, Google Photos will take care of everything. It uses Google Sync and backup tools to extract meaningful information about photos, such as geolocation, devices, and more. On the other hand, Google Photos protects libraries by syncing them to PCs, smartphones, etc., and backing them up to the cloud storage.
Let’s check out why Google Photos is a trusted choice for a photo viewer for PC:
- It offers unlimited storage for high-quality photos (up to 16MP) and videos (up to 1080p).
- Google Photos supports automatic sharing and backup options.
- Indeed, you don’t have to connect to the internet whenever you want to view or access photos on your PC.
- Google Photos supports metadata processing and batch image edits at a basic level.
- Its in-built AI assistant assists you in creating slideshows and animating images.
- Google Photos lets you print images and create a canvas with selected photos.
4. ImageGlass
This software is a suitable replacement for Microsoft Photos if you want a modern user interface. ImageClass is a better option for user-friendly and good-looking UI than IrfanView. So, you can choose ImageClass if you don’t like the native performance of the Microsoft Photos app.
As per our observation, ImageClass offers a negligible loading time for photos. And, a photo preview shows up almost instantly as soon as you hover over the image with the mouse pointer.
Here are some noted features of this best photo viewer for Windows 11:
- ImageGlass is a spontaneous and feature-rich photo viewer that supports BMP, BPG, GIF, HDR, JPEG, PNG, SVG, HEIC, etc.
- The software is free to download and install.
- Using the quick menu option, you can access different editing options like zooming, print, rotation, and so on.
- Its modern UI and active development functions make your photo viewing pain-free.
Best Photo Viewers for Mac Computers
Photos are the integrated photo viewer and processing software for macOS devices. However, this tool might not be helpful if you want advanced edits. You can try the following alternatives to view, sort, manage, edit, and execute more operations on your Mac media storage.
Let’s review top-notch options for a photo viewer for Mac computers:
1. Photo Mechanic
This image-viewing application is one of the most professional choices for Mac computers. Photo Mechanic is more than just a simple photo viewer on your Mac device. Now, you can organise, manage, edit, export, and more with photos on Mac computers with Photo Mechanic.
The following features state why this application is one of the most trusted and downloaded photo viewers for Mac:
- The tool is available for free to download and install. Later, you can pay for its subscription if you love its exclusive features.
- Using the photo viewer to manage and process your photos is easy.
- This best photo viewer for Mac offers a variety of attributes so that you can map and mark metadata.
2. Phiewer
Try the free version of Phiewer before you get the subscription. However, this tool allows you to view an image at a time once you open a particular photo. Additionally, Phiewer lets you view thumbnails on the left panel to the main image at the centre. And, you can directly start the slideshow on this application.
On the other hand, Phiewer has been proven to be one of the fastest photo viewers for macOS computers. Meanwhile, let’s have a look at the supported features of Phiewer:
- The tool shows all the basic details of the opened picture on its surface.
- Additionally, you can open, access, edit, manage, and do more to various photo formats with Phiewer. Hence, this might become the go-to application to view versatile media storage on your MacBook.
- The Pro version offers filters, cropping, alignment, handling granular aspects, etc.
- Moreover, the app offers a solid palette of effects for your pictures.
3. Adobe Bridge
You can never skip the name Adobe when discussing the best photo viewer for PCs. We found Adobe Bridge the right pick for macOS users to view and process images on the go. You can also apply advanced edits on photos and other media with Adobe Bridge on your macOS device.
Now, check out some exciting features of Adobe Bridge:
- Adobe Bridge lets you view, manage, and organise your image library.
- In addition, the tool lets you show your creativity by providing tons of editing options and features.
- Adobe Bridge uses smart metadata search features.
- You can share your edits, creations, or libraries with others through Adobe Stock and Creative Cloud Libraries.
4. Movavi
So far, Movavi is one of the best photo viewers for Mac due to its AI-facilitated features and smart functions. Whether viewing a wide range of photo formats or merging them, everything is a big yes with Movavi. You can even add tags to image files with Movavi Photo Manager.
Interestingly, Windows PCs also support this tool. Let’s review the features of Movavi:
- It supports RAW, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and more formats with minimal system requirements.
- The tool can remove duplicate photos.
- You can crop, rotate, and resize images.
- Moreover, the tool can build photo albums according to date and location and store backup copies.
In Conclusion…
So, these are our recommendations regarding the best photo viewers for Windows 10, Windows 11, and Mac computers. You can try their free version and check out their compatibility first. Furthermore, you can opt for their Pro version if you find them suitable.
