There’s a lot to like about the Windows Photos app, especially with Microsoft adding all the AI-powered features. But as polished as it looks, Photos still falls short in several key areas. It can feel sluggish when opening large images, essential editing tools are missing, and batch processing is practically nonexistent.
That’s why I turned to IrfanView. I first tried it years ago out of curiosity and didn’t expect much. Fast forward to 2025, and this lightweight, classic image viewer is still impressively capable—so much so that it has completely replaced Windows Photos on my PC.
IrfanView is a classic that doesn’t disappoint in 2025
The lightweight viewer that refuses to fade away
Some software earns the label “classic” for a reason, and IrfanView is a prime example. Its interface may look dated compared to modern standards, but don’t let it fool you. It’s still actively supported and beats the Windows Photos app in several areas.
One of IrfanView’s biggest strengths is its wide range of file support. From popular formats like JPEG, PNG, RAW, TIFF, and GIF to more obscure ones you may never have encountered, IrfanView can handle them all. It also displays key details about each photo at a glance, such as resolution, file size, date, and time. And if you prefer a cleaner workspace, you can hide the menu bar, toolbar, caption, and status bar for a distraction-free view.
Beyond file support, IrfanView offers all the viewing options you might need. You can zoom in or out, pan across large images, rotate with precision, or even create custom slideshows. Every option you need is right under the View menu, so you don’t have to look for icons. Also, all these features can be accessed through keyboard shortcuts, so learning the ones you use most often can save you a lot of time.
It’s more than just an image viewer
Editing without the bloat
IrfanView isn’t just for looking at pictures. It’s a versatile powerhouse that lets you convert, edit, and enhance images without ever needing to open a separate program. Whether you want to crop, rotate, adjust brightness and contrast, sharpen, or apply a range of filters, all the tools you need are built right into the app.
The editing options go beyond what the Windows Photos app offers. IrfanView lets you add borders and shapes, correct colors, remove red-eye, and much more. You won’t find a separate “edit mode” like in Photos, but that doesn’t slow you down. All these tools are easily accessible from the Image menu at the top, keeping everything within reach.
What I love most is how many of these tools can be accessed through keyboard shortcuts. For example, pressing R rotates an image to the right, L rotates it to the left, Ctrl + G converts it to grayscale, and Shift + S sharpens the image. It may not sound like much at first, but once you get used to it, editing images feels far more intuitive.
Batch process photos
Rename and convert in one go
On Windows, converting or renaming images at once typically requires using separate tools like PowerToys. But if you have IrfanView, you don’t need anything else. You can find the batch conversion and rename under the File menu. From there, you can convert multiple file formats, resize images to specific dimensions, adjust color settings, or apply filters—all in one go.
What’s great about IrfanView is the level of control it gives you. You can add custom prefixes or suffixes to filenames, preserve original folder structures, and even combine multiple actions in a single batch process. For anyone who works with images frequently, this feature is a huge time saver.
Plugins that make my photo workflow effortless
How plugins turn IrfanView into a Swiss Army knife
Perhaps the best thing about IrfanView is that you’re not stuck with what you get out of the box. It also supports plugins, which let you add new file format support, advanced editing tools, and even multimedia capabilities.
For instance, the Paint plugin adds simple drawing tools for annotations, shapes, or text overlays. The Effects plugin brings extra filters and enhancements that go beyond the built-in options. You can apply artistic touches, blur or sharpen with precision, and experiment with color adjustments to get exactly the look you want.
The FaceDetect plugin is another favorite. It can detect and highlight faces in your images, which is handy for organizing photos. Then there’s the PDF plugin, which enables viewing and converting PDFs to image formats. This is incredibly convenient if you work with scanned documents or need to extract images from PDF files without jumping between multiple apps. There are all kinds of other useful plugins available on IrfanView’s website.
I’ll be honest—I wasn’t sure about IrfanView at first. I tried it mostly out of nostalgia and wasn’t sure if I’d stick with it. But the more I used it, learned its shortcuts, and explored its features, the more I appreciated it. What makes IrfanView stand out is how it keeps things simple while still offering all the tools you might need. If you’re tired of struggling with the Windows Photos app and want something free and versatile, IrfanView is definitely worth a try.
