How to go to the next/previous picture using the Windows 10 default photo viewer?

The old Windows photo viewer showed some arrows that allowed you to go back and forth through the images in a given directory.

The default Windows 10 photo viewer also shows arrows that serve the same purpose, but they only appear sometimes. Other times, the arrows don't appear and the viewer behaves as if there are is no next/previous image to jump to. I can't see any pattern regarding whether they will appear for a given folder.

How can I make sure the arrows will be enabled in the Windows 10 photo viewer application, for a particular folder?

T. C.

Posted 2016-11-19T21:57:36.763

Reputation: 392

@Run5k Ah, sorry. No, unfortunately I couldn't find a solution. Only the workaround I mentioned where I select all files and then open the viewer. – T. C. – 2016-11-26T18:25:04.710

Sorry to hear that. As I said before, I have my entire family configured to utilize Windows Photo Viewer as our default application for viewing pictures, and it works perfectly. Just something to consider. – Run5k – 2016-11-26T18:29:29.170

This is ridiculous. How can people put up with this crap? And @Runk5k - you can't associate Windows Photo Viewer with graphical files without fiddling with Windows Registry. – z33k – 2018-06-24T17:12:35.210

Answers

What works for me is to use File Explorer when I double-click to open the images. If I use another file manager (like Total Commander) the arrows are disabled. I hope this helps other people as well.

SmartDev

Posted 2016-11-19T21:57:36.763

Reputation: 211

3This is exactly the case for me. I was hoping for a fix... – Veda – 2017-11-14T22:05:15.343

thank you for the tip. I wasn't able to figure out the pattern. You are right - it is opening it from the Total Commander that makes the viewer show a single photo only. – pawel – 2018-10-06T06:05:10.683

I was getting no arrows after Creators Update was applied.

The fix for me was to open a photo in Photos app and then use the All photos or Back link. On that view I went to folder and adjusted to the paths I was interested in.

Once Refresh completed (spinner stopped) I was able to navigate using arrows again even when "just" opening a photo from Windows Explorer.

Johan Kronberg

Posted 2016-11-19T21:57:36.763

Reputation: 193

I am guessing that you have encountered the same scenario that I have within Windows 10.

When I access a picture by opening the link found in Quick access in the File Explorer interface, the navigation arrows at the bottom will be dimmed-out. The same thing happens if you access that picture from the link found in the Recent Items section. Essentially, those are links to just that photograph, and not the folder that it resides in.

On the other hand, if you specifically navigate to your profile's Pictures folder or the Pictures library and open a photo, the navigation arrows should appear.

Separate and somewhat related, if you are interested there are some good tutorials online that show you how to enable Windows Photo Viewer to be the default application for all of the standard picture formats:

Windows 10 - Restore Windows Photo Viewer

Run5k

Posted 2016-11-19T21:57:36.763

Reputation: 13 092

Unfortunately, I can't reproduce the behavior you're describing. Navigating manually to an image folder shows arrows for most of the folders in my Pictures directory, but for a few of those folders it doesn't. I know about the possibility of reverting to the old photo viewer, but I'd like to thoroughly explore my options before I give up on the new one. – T. C. – 2016-11-19T22:30:46.863

Just to double-check, when you don't see the navigation arrows is there actually more than one picture within that particular folder? Also, can you double-check the problematic folder's properties to ensure that it is optimized for pictures.

– Run5k – 2016-11-19T23:06:21.587

2It is indeed optimized for pictures. Curiously, the arrows appear if I select all images in that folder and then open them. – T. C. – 2016-11-19T23:08:53.190

That being said, are there files within the problematic folder that actually aren't pictures? In the past, the Windows 10 Photos app has been known to be a bit temperamental regarding navigation if there are non-picture files within the same folder. – Run5k – 2016-11-19T23:11:35.360