Set photos app as default

Have you tried to open a JPG file on your Windows 10 computer but suddenly there is no success, error message popup ‘The app didn’t start.” You are not alone, several windows 10 users unable to open jpg files due to System issues or corrupted files. If you are facing this issue, “Windows 10 can’t open the JPEG file,” or the Photos app gives error or photos app crashes while trying to open jpg images here best simple and practical fixes you need to apply.

Can’t open jpg files in windows 10

If this is the very first time Windows 10 won’t open JPG files, reboot your computer and try to reopen the image. This will fix the problem if a temporary glitch causes the issue.

Another quickest thing to try when Windows 10 won’t open JPG files is installing any pending and latest Windows Updates.

  • Right-click on the Windows 10 start menu select settings,
  • Click Update & security then check for  updates to allow download Windows update files from Microsoft server,
  • Once done, restart your PC to apply windows updates.

Again wrong file extension may cause “cannot open JPG files in windows 10”. Try renaming the file and use .jpeg as an extension and It may open the JPG image on Windows 10.

Set photos app as default

  • Press Windows key  +  I to open settings,
  • Click on apps then default apps,
  • Here you’ll see which apps are set to open your files by default.
  • Please scroll down and locate photos, click on it and from the menu, choose the photos app.

Set photos app as default

Reset Photos app

Try reset the Photos app to its default settings when it is not working properly.

  • Open the Start Menu and click on the Settings icon,
  • Click on Apps then Apps & features in the left panel,
  • Please scroll down and find out Microsoft Photos, click on it and select the Advanced options.

Microsoft photos advanced options

  • The next screen will display the option to reset the app click reset and again click reset when ask for confirmation to initiate the process.

Reset photos app

  • Once done, reboot your PC and try to open a jpg image on your computer.

Reinstall the Photos app

Still, need help? Try to reinstall the photos app that probably fix if bugs prevent jpg files from opening in windows 10.

  • Right-click on the Windows 10 start menu select Windows PowerShell (admin).
  • Now execute the command: get-appxpackage *Microsoft.Windows.Photos* | remove-appxpackage.
  • This will remove the Microsoft photos app from your computer once done, reboot your PC.
  • Now open Microsoft store, search for Microsoft Photos and download & install it again.

Download photos app on Microsoft store

Run DISM and SFC utility commands

In addition, run DISM restore health command with SFC utility that helps restore system image and restore corrupted system files with correct one.

  • From the start menu, search for cmd, right-click on command prompt, select Run as administrator,
  • Type command Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /restorehealth and press enter key to scan and correct any causes of the Windows 10 won’t open JPG files issue.
  • It will take some time, Let the scanning process complete 100%
  • Next type command sfc /scannow and press enter key
  • This will scan for corrupted, missing system files if found any, the SFC utility automatically restores them with the correct one.
  • Once the scanning process 100% completed, close the command prompt and restart the computer.

If the above solutions didn’t fix the problem, still windows 10 cant open photos then use a different third-party application such as Paint 3D, IrfanView, Snip & Sketch, Cool File Viewer, Photoshop, Inkscape, etc.

Also read:

Steve Ballmer
With over 7 years of experience in the IT industry, I have experience in IT support, helpdesk, sysadmin, network admin, and cloud computing. Certified in Microsoft Technologies (MCTS and MCSA) and also Cisco Certified Professional in Routing and Switching.