123 Photo Viewer

123 Photo Viewer is a static and animated photo viewer app for Windows 11/Windows 10 that has managed to attract more than 1 million users with its wide array of useful tools and a regular cadence of updates.

The 123 Photos: View, Edit & Convert app provides both home, school, and business users with up-to-date support for all modern photo formats.

It is important to note that 123 Photo Viewer was built from the ground up to be distributed only by the Microsoft Store, and therefore cannot be experienced on older versions of Windows OS.

The user interface of 123 Photo Viewer is optimized for both desktop and touchscreen use. The main dashboard of the app features a photostream at the very bottom, which will include all the photos located in the same directory as the currently loaded photo, and a wide array of useful tools such as zoom, save (with convert feature for most popular photo formats), and delete.

Once installed, the app can become the default viewer of photo formats and can even open Photoshop’s PSD files and generate their thumbnails in Windows Explorer, which is a feature that can be very rarely found today from any competing image viewer app. There are no tools for customizing the app interface, and no access to any kind of advanced features, such as photo editing or batch rename/convert.

123 Photo Viewer prides itself on several features that make working with photos easier than in many other similar apps. This includes integrated support for advanced playback of GIF, APNG, and WebP files with tools for stopping, resuming, adjusting the rate of playback, moving frame by frame (both forwards and backward), and exporting individual frames as standalone images.

The app features a powerful magnifier that is especially useful with vector images, a small selection of keyboard shortcuts, and even a useful slideshow tool.

Since its very first version in 2014, 123 Photo Viewer has been updated more than 100 times, with many photo file formats being added as soon as they are presented to the public. For example, it was one of the first apps to integrate support for Apple's “.livp” and “BPG” formats on the Microsoft Store.

123 Photos: View, Edit & Convert can be downloaded exclusively from the Microsoft Store on Windows 11/10 desktop, laptop, and tablet PCs, by simply clicking on the blue “Get” icon on its official store page. The entire app weighs just over 50MB in size, making it a perfect lightweight photo viewer for home users who just want quick access to their digital images.

Image Formats Supported

• Common: bmp, gif, jpg/jpeg/jfif, pdf, png
• Animation: gif, webp, apng, dcm/dicom
• Special: bpg, dcm/dicom, heic, livp, tif/tiff, webp
• Designer: ai, ico, indd, psd, svg
• Texture: dds, exr, tga, astc
• Camera RAW: Various formats including 3fr, arw, cr2, dng, nef, raf, raw, sr2, x3f

Animation Features

• Pause, play, rewind, speed control, and frame number display
• Frame magnification, saving, and rotation

User Interaction

• Instant magnification at any scale
• Click for previous/next, scroll for zoom or navigation
• Shortcuts: Esc (quit), F (fullscreen), Delete (quick or confirmed delete)
• Left edge for EXIF review
• Adjustable thumbnail size with progress bar for navigation
• Filename, resolution, progress, and size are displayed in the title bar
• Over 10 themes

Cropping

• Supports irregular quadrilateral cropping
• Rotate before cropping
• View pixel color info and cropping resolution

Mosaic

• Five types of mosaic with adjustable size and strength

Other Editing Features

• 11 adjustable real-time filters
• 40+ collage styles for multiple images
• Pencil drawing tool
• Text addition support

Batch Processing

• Format conversion, renaming, resolution change, and watermarking

Video Support

• Formats: 3gp, avi, flv, mkv, mov, mp4, mpg, ogg, webm, wmv, rmvb, swf, vob
• Speed adjustment
• Thumbnail preview on progress bar

FAQs

What is 123 Photo Viewer used for?
123 Photo Viewer is a lightweight image viewing app for Windows that allows users to open, browse, and organize photos quickly. It supports common image formats and provides a clean interface for everyday viewing.

Does 123 Photo Viewer support image editing?
Yes. While primarily a viewer, it includes basic editing tools such as cropping, resizing, applying filters, and adjusting brightness or contrast.

Is 123 Photo Viewer free to use?
Yes. The app is free to download from the Microsoft Store, though some versions may include ads or optional in-app features.

What formats does 123 Photo Viewer support?
It supports a wide range of image formats, including JPG, PNG, BMP, GIF, and others, making it suitable for most everyday photo viewing needs.

Is 123 Photo Viewer still relevant in 2026?
Yes. In 2026, it remains a practical alternative to the default Windows Photos app for users who prefer a simpler and faster image viewer.

Allternatives

IrfanView – A fast and lightweight image viewer that supports a wide range of formats, basic editing, batch processing, and plugin extensions.

FastStone Image Viewer – An image viewer with built-in editing tools, slideshow features, and batch conversion for managing and enhancing photos.

XnView – A versatile image viewer and organizer that supports hundreds of formats, batch processing, and basic editing capabilities.

ImageGlass – A modern, open-source image viewer focused on speed and simplicity, with support for multiple formats and a clean interface.

PROS

• User-Friendly Interface – Simple and easy to navigate.
• Fast Photo Processing – Quick editing and conversion.
• Supports Many Formats – Works with various file types.
• Basic Editing Tools – Includes cropping, resizing, etc.
• Lightweight Software – Doesn’t use much system memory.

CONS

• Limited Advanced Tools – Lacks pro-level features.
• No Cloud Integration – Can’t sync with online storage.
• Occasional Bugs – Some crashes and glitches have been reported.