# Microsoft Photos Application: Microsoft Corporation Also called photos app, windows photos Microsoft Corporation, System 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 | 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. | Photos.exe | Photos gallery and viewer | | ---------- | ------------------------- | ## Startup components Photos starts when you open a picture. A Startup shortcut is unusual. ## File locations | Typical install | C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.Windows.Photos\_\*\\ | | --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ## File formats JPEG, PNG, GIF, HEIF (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. | Download | [apps.microsoft.com/detail/9wzdncrfjbh4 ](https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9wzdncrfjbh4)Official installer or vendor page | | ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Help | [support.microsoft.com/windows/photos ](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/photos)Vendor support | | Official site | [apps.microsoft.com/detail/9wzdncrfjbh4 ](https://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 Technical details Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build. ## Related These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link. [Photos.exe: Application Process](https://feex.it/wiki/process/photos.exe)[Microsoft Paint: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/microsoft-paint)[How to read Task Manager: Guide](https://feex.it/wiki/software/system/how-to-read-task-manager) ## Sources and verification Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research). - [Microsoft Photos official site ](https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9wzdncrfjbh4)· Vendor product page - [Microsoft Photos help ](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/photos)· Vendor support - [Microsoft Support: Photos ](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/view-edit-and-share-photos)· End-user Photos help - [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark. ## Was this article useful? A yes or no is enough. Pick a reason if you want, or add a short note. Quick facts The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article. - **Developer**: Microsoft Corporation **Category**: Photo viewer and light editor **Process**: [Photos.exe](https://feex.it/wiki/process/photos.exe) **License**: Included with Windows **First released**: 2015 **Official site**: [apps.microsoft.com/photos](https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9wzdncrfjbh4) **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026 --- Source: [Canonical Feex Wiki page](https://feex.it/wiki/software/microsoft-photos/) [Developer guide](https://feex.it/wiki/developers/) | [API policy](https://feex.it/developers/api-policy/) | [Agent guidance](https://feex.it/wiki/llms.txt)