Unable to open JPG files on Windows 10 and Windows 11, 6 solutions

1. Reduce the size of the JPG file

With modern smartphones equipped with a 108MP main camera, it is quite easy to capture images larger than 20MB. You will need to reduce the file size and save it as another image on your computer. You can use one of the popular image editors on your PC and reduce the file size. If you don’t have one on your PC, use web apps to reduce the file size. Sites like reduceimages.com help you to reduce the JPG file size.

2. Set the Photos app as the default viewer for JPG files

Windows allows you to keep different apps as default based on file type. For example, you have Paint to open .HIF files, Affinity Photos to open .DNG files, and the Photos app to open .JPG files by default. You need to go to Settings and make the necessary changes.

1. Open the Settings app on Windows (use Windows + I keys).
2. Go to the App menu.
3. Select Default apps.
4. Scroll down to Photo below.

This will open a menu with the current default apps for different file types. Scroll down to .jpg and make sure Photos is set as the default software to open JPG files on your computer.

3. Troubleshoot with the Photos app

The default Photos app doesn’t win any awards in terms of reliability. If the app isn’t working properly, you may encounter errors opening JPG files on Windows 10 or 11. Do not worry. Microsoft offers an option for repair the Photos app without affecting the data. Here’s how to fix the Photos app on Windows 11.

1. Go to the Settings app on Windows 11 (use Windows + I keys).
2. Go to the Apps menu and open Apps and Features.
3. Scroll down to Microsoft Photos.
4. Click on the three-dot menu and select Advanced Options.
5. From the following menu, select Repair from the Repair menu.

Windows will repair the Background Photos app. Try opening JPG files again and you should be able to reopen JPG files.

4. Reset Photos app

If you still can’t open JPG files on Windows 10 and Windows 11, you need to restore the Photos app to your computer. This is a critical step as Windows will delete all the Photos app data. You’ll need to pair OneDrive again to sync the photos.

1. Go to the Windows Settings app on your computer.
2. Open Apps and Features from the App menu.
3. Scroll down to the Photos app and select Advanced Options.
4. From the following menu, find Reset and reset the Photos app.

Now go ahead and try to open the JPG files on your computer.

5. Update the Photos app

The default Photos app is not tied to Windows. You can update the Photos app using the Microsoft Store on Windows 10 or Windows 11. Microsoft recently released a brand new Photos app on Windows 11. If you’re using an outdated version of the Photos app, you may have trouble opening JPG files. Open Microsoft Store on your computer and update the Microsoft Photos app to the latest version.

6. Use third party photo viewing apps

If you still can’t view JPG files on Windows, you need to install apps to view third party images on Windows.

Microsoft Store does not open in Windows 11

Apri file JPG in Windows 10 or Windows 11

It’s easy enough to fix when photos won’t open on Windows. The above steps should help you solve the problem. Were you able to open JPG files on Windows?