Microsoft Photos

ApplicationMicrosoft Corporation

Also called photos app, windows photos

Microsoft CorporationSystem

The Windows photo viewer and light editor. The process is Photos.exe. It is not IrfanView and not Paint.

What you need to know

Photos is the Windows gallery. IrfanView and Paint are different apps.

Microsoft Photos is the in-box viewer and light editor. Get updates from the Store listing. It is not IrfanView and it is not mspaint.exe.

What is it?: The Windows photo viewer
Same as IrfanView?: No. IrfanView is third-party
Same as Paint?: No. Paint is mspaint.exe

Feex says

If a JPEG opened in Photos and someone hunts mspaint, I point at Photos.exe. Paint is a different editor. IrfanView is a third-party viewer you install yourself.

What is Microsoft Photos?

Photos.exe is Microsoft Photos under WindowsApps. It shows libraries and does light edits. mspaint.exe is Paint. IrfanView is i_view64.exe from a different vendor.

If you have never used it

If a JPEG opened in a gallery instead of Paint, Microsoft Photos is the Windows viewer. It ships as a Store app. Light edits, albums, and video import live here. It is not IrfanView, not Paint (mspaint.exe), and not the old Windows Photo Viewer from Windows 7.

What is it used for?

View a folder of pictures

The gallery is the everyday job. IrfanView is a faster single-file viewer for many people. Paint is an editor, not a gallery.

Light crop, filters, and video import

Edits stay in Photos. Heavy retouch is still Paint, Paint.NET, or another editor.

OneDrive and library views

Cloud libraries can make Photos wait on the network. That is not IrfanView's local folder walk.

Who is it for?

People who double-click a JPEG on current Windows
Anyone who wanted the old Windows Photo Viewer back
Users comparing this to IrfanView or Paint

Current status

Microsoft Photos (2015) is a current photo viewer and light editor from Microsoft Corporation. The vendor still points Windows users at https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9wzdncrfjbh4.

How old is it?

Microsoft Photos arrived with Windows 10 in 2015. It replaced the older Photo Viewer for many associations. IrfanView is a third-party viewer from the 1990s. Current Photos is the Store package, not the 2009 Windows Photo Viewer.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Microsoft Photos Store app

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	Ships with supported Windows 10 and Windows 11
RAM	Enough for Windows plus this app. Heavy projects want more.

Resource profile

CPU demand: Rises on import or a huge RAW
RAM demand: Follows the open library
GPU demand: Viewer acceleration

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
Photos.exe	Photos gallery and viewer

Startup components

Photos starts when you open a picture. A Startup shortcut is unusual.

File locations

Common Microsoft Photos locations
Typical install	C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.Windows.Photos_*\

File formats

JPEGPNGGIFHEIF (with extensions)many camera formats Photos lists

Common problems

Default app fight with Paint or a third-party viewer

Settings > Apps > Default apps picks Photos or IrfanView per file type. They are not the same process.

Blank gallery on a OneDrive library

That is the cloud index, not Paint. Check the network, then repair Photos in Apps.

Getting unstuck

Open file location on the busy row

WindowsApps\Microsoft.Windows.Photos is Photos. PaintApp\mspaint.exe is Paint. IrfanView lives under Program Files if you installed it.

Repair Photos in Settings > Apps if the gallery is blank

Do not download a Photos.exe from a filename site.

If you wanted a tiny fast viewer, install IrfanView from the vendor site, not a "Photos replacement" ad

Photos stays the in-box gallery. IrfanView is optional.

Alternatives

IrfanView for a fast third-party viewer. Paint for pixel drawing. Windows Photo Viewer on older Windows if it is still present.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	apps.microsoft.com/detail/9wzdncrfjbh4 Official installer or vendor page
Help	support.microsoft.com/windows/photos Vendor support
Official site	apps.microsoft.com/detail/9wzdncrfjbh4 Start here, not a random exe host

Related hardware

A huge RAW or a large OneDrive library wants RAM and a working GPU for the viewer.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Microsoft Photos official site · Vendor product page
Microsoft Photos help · Vendor support
Microsoft Support: Photos · End-user Photos help
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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