Pictures won't open in Windows 10

[Becki B]

Hi! I am hoping someone will be able to give me some advice. I recently installed Windows 10 and for the first time since I decided to upload some photos from a memory card. I then realized that even though I am able to see the thumbnails of all my pictures ( previously and newly uploaded) I am not able to open them. When I click on the picture, a black box that says Photos appears and then disappears almost immediately.

 

[Regedit32]

Hi Becki,

Welcome to the forum.

Microsoft Photos App is not too bad when its working, but it seems its one of the universal apps that comes with Windows 10 that seems to cause a lot of grief for many users.

If you were to Google or Bing this issue you'd probably find a lot of articles about using PowerShell commands in an elevated PowerShell such as:

• Get-AppxPackage *photos* | Remove-AppxPackage

  
  Or another popular variation:

• Remove-AppxPackage -Package "Microsoft.Windows.Photos_16.722.10060.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe"

  
  Note: The version number 16.722.10060.0_x64 could vary on your computer. To verify what yours is in the PowerShell you can enter:
  
  

  Get-AppxPackage -allUsers

  
  Press Enter key to execute
  
  When the window fills with all the apps, right-click on top frame of window and choose Edit > Find then type photos then click Find next

The latter command specifically targets the version number you have installed in the event you have more than one version installed for a different User Account you may have created.

Whichever of these commands you choose to use, they need to be run in PowerShell.

• Left-click the Search / Cortana on taskbar
• Type in the box Windows PowerShell
• Right-click on Windows PowerShell and select Run as administrator
• Then at the PowerShell prompt enter either of the above commands then press Enter key to execute.
• You can then close PowerShell and go to the Store and search for Microsoft Photos App and download and install it again.

The idea behind these commands is to remove the package so that you can then log in to the Microsoft Store and download a new copy of Microsoft Photos App and install. This may resolve the issue you are experiencing.

The issue here though is whether the Photos app is the only app corrupted. If that is not working, you may find your Store app too is not functioning properly and thus if you uninstall the Photos app then try downloading it from the Store, you may see an error message like 0x8E5E0408 pop up which means the new download will not install.

If you really want to use the Microsoft Photos App it may be better to do an in-place upgrade of your Windows 10 operating system. That involves, downloading the Windows 10 ISO image matching your current installed version, then right-clicking the ISO to mount it, and running the Setup file that will appear. During this process you can choose to save files and settings, and allow Windows 10 to install itself again, which ought to also reinstall the Universal apps including Microsoft Photos App.

If you need help with how to get the ISO and use it just ask.

In the meanwhile, if you right-click on one of your image thumbnails then choose Open with you could select for example Paint and check whether the images themselves are actually there and not corrupted themselves.

It would be helpful to report back on that here as there is no point reinstalling apps if the actual issue is a corrupt image file.

Regards,

Regedit32

 

[Becki B]

Hi! Thanks so much for your help! I didn't realize before I posted that actually none of the apps will open including the App Store. We had some work done on our cooking fan and the IT guy asked if we'd like Windows 10 installed as we had 7. This is the first time since we had Windows installed that I tried opening my photos and have now also discovered that none of the Apps work. What can I do in this situation?

 

[Regedit32]

Hi Becki,

If none of the apps are currently working then the simplest thing to do would be to attempt an in-place upgrade which involves using an ISO image of Windows 10 to re-install the operating system.

Before we go there though I'll need some information from you to assist in working out the best way to go about this.

• Left-click on Start
• Left-click on Settings cog icon (This is the icon just above the power icon)
• Left-click on System
• In the left pane click About
  
  This will open a window that displays your operating system details like the same image below.
  
  I need to no the Model number of your computer, plus the Edition, Version and OS build you have installed. I also need to know the System type.
  
  Sample image
  
  
  
  
  
  If you also confirm whether you chose to us US English or International English as your System main language. This is important as the ISO image must match the current installed version to work when doing an in-Place upgrade.
  
  In your Search box you can type Language then press Enter key to confirm which language is in use.

Regards,

Regedit32

 

[Nepturion]

Microsoft Photos App is not too bad when its working, but it seems its one of the universal apps that comes with Windows 10 that seems to cause a lot of grief for many users.

If you were to Google or Bing this issue you'd probably find a lot of articles about using PowerShell commands in an elevated PowerShell such as:

• Get-AppxPackage *photos* | Remove-AppxPackage

  
  Or another popular variation:

• Remove-AppxPackage -Package "Microsoft.Windows.Photos_16.722.10060.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe"

  
  Note: The version number 16.722.10060.0_x64 could vary on your computer. To verify what yours is in the PowerShell you can enter:
  
  

  Get-AppxPackage -allUsers

  
  Press Enter key to execute
  
  When the window fills with all the apps, right-click on top frame of window and choose Edit > Find then type photos then click Find next

The latter command specifically targets the version number you have installed in the event you have more than one version installed for a different User Account you may have created.

Whichever of these commands you choose to use, they need to be run in PowerShell.

• Left-click the Search / Cortana on taskbar
• Type in the box Windows PowerShell
• Right-click on Windows PowerShell and select Run as administrator
• Then at the PowerShell prompt enter either of the above commands then press Enter key to execute.
• You can then close PowerShell and go to the Store and search for Microsoft Photos App and download and install it again.

The idea behind these commands is to remove the package so that you can then log in to the Microsoft Store and download a new copy of Microsoft Photos App and install. This may resolve the issue you are experiencing.

The issue here though is whether the Photos app is the only app corrupted. If that is not working, you may find your Store app too is not functioning properly and thus if you uninstall the Photos app then try downloading it from the Store, you may see an error message like 0x8E5E0408 pop up which means the new download will not install.

If you really want to use the Microsoft Photos App it may be better to do an in-place upgrade of your Windows 10 operating system. That involves, downloading the Windows 10 ISO image matching your current installed version, then right-clicking the ISO to mount it, and running the Setup file that will appear. During this process you can choose to save files and settings, and allow Windows 10 to install itself again, which ought to also reinstall the Universal apps including Microsoft Photos App.

If you need help with how to get the ISO and use it just ask.

In the meanwhile, if you right-click on one of your image thumbnails then choose Open with you could select for example Paint and check whether the images themselves are actually there and not corrupted themselves.

It would be helpful to report back on that here as there is no point reinstalling apps if the actual issue is a corrupt image file.

Regards,

Regedit32

Hi.
I have tried your solution, doesn't work at all.
After the Anniversary Update my Photo app doesn't work as before.
Now I can only start Photos and edit one picture etc.
I can't have multiple Photos up like before and I can't update properly from the Store.
I get the error 0x80070005, and I have now tried to uninstall it and reinstall from the Store.
But as of now I can't install it what so ever, still get the same error code and now I don't have this app!

This was my version before I removed it:
Name : Microsoft.Windows.Photos
Publisher : CN=Microsoft Corporation, O=Microsoft Corporation, L=Redmond, S=Washington, C=US
Architecture : X64
ResourceId :
Version : 16.722.10060.0
PackageFullName : Microsoft.Windows.Photos_16.722.10060.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
InstallLocation : C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.Windows.Photos_16.722.10060.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
IsFramework : False
PackageFamilyName : Microsoft.Windows.Photos_8wekyb3d8bbwe
PublisherId : 8wekyb3d8bbwe
PackageUserInformation : {S-1-5-18 [S-1-5-18]: Staged}
IsResourcePackage : False
IsBundle : False
IsDevelopmentMode : False


Is there a way to force install it via .exe or .msi?

 

[Jay Cotrone]

Try this...
1. Open File Explorer
2. Click the View Tab
3. In the Navigation Pane select Show Libraries
4. Right Click Libraries
5. Restore Default Libraries

 

[Nepturion]

Try this...
1. Open File Explorer
2. Click the View Tab
3. In the Navigation Pane select Show Libraries
4. Right Click Libraries
5. Restore Default Libraries

Problem was solved with the Anniversary Update, was able to run and update the app then.