PicView v5.1.1

Dustyn

PicView is a fast, free and fully customizable image viewer for Windows 10 and 11. It supports a vast range of image file types, including WEBP, GIF, SVG, PNG, JXL, HEIC, PSD and many others. Additional features includes viewing EXIF metadata, image compression, batch resizing, viewing images within archives and comic books, image effects, image galleries, and more. Available in portable and installable versions.

LATEST VERSION: 5.1.1 ( September 17, 2026 )

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DOWNLOAD + RELEASE NOTES

takeahike

Dustyn

Not a bad app (like we don’t have enough of these type, already? /s), with the only thing being a little annoying is an icon missing for it in the context menu entry. Again, I suppose that beggars can’t be choosers!

takeahike

Dustyn

I tried a couple of registry hacks to try and get an icon there but none worked. C’est la vie!

Guy54435

Dustyn Checking this out. the portable version for me.

Guy54435

takeahike Cant you just point it to the .EXE and the imbedded Icon?

takeahike

Guy54435

This is a missing icon in the right-click context menu, not in the Start Menu or other shortcut. If you can figure out a way, great, but I tried to drag the icon from the Program Files to the context menu but the context menu disappears as soon as I try to drag it. If you can get an icon in the context menu, you’d be my hero!

Guy54435

takeahike I realized that right before you replied, I will put on my thinking cap.

takeahike

Guy54435

See if you can get started on the project! 🙃 Do you have the same icon issue in the context menu?

Guy54435

takeahike Maybe this will help in that endeavor.
Link to memstechtips removed by Moderator due to Malwarebytes complaint.

Guy54435

takeahike I just have the portable version, nothing installed.

Dustyn

takeahike Just for my reference, it appears according to your screenshot you are using the old “classic” right click contextual menus, correct? If so, I may have a solution, but I need to test it on one of my other machines first.

takeahike

Dustyn

If I recall the original one with Windows 11 was a two-step process but I immediately got StartAllBack that changed it to one step that I’m pretty sure is very similar, if not identical, to the way it worked in 10, and that is what I’ve had all along and have now. Let me know what you might come up with. Thanks!

Dustyn

takeahike Okay got it. The one step change was the same for me with StartAllBack.
Okay, will let you know if I have any success with my testing.

Dustyn

takeahike Got your context menu fix. I found out that the reason for a blank icon is because the file path to display the correct icon is not correct.

Apply registry fix to display the correct icons for, “Open with PicView” and for, “Browse folder with PicView”.

Restart Explorer.exe or restart Windows and boom… fixed!

EDIT: I’m an idiot. I should have just posted the .reg files as code. Way easier than sharing links to the files I made. The code below incorporates BOTH fixes into just one simple registry fix. No need to download anything. But if you did, it’s the same fixes now split into one .reg file below.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\PicView]
@="Open with PicView"
"Icon"="C:\\Program Files\\PicView\\PicView.exe"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\PicView\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\PicView\\PicView.exe\" \"%V\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\PicView]
@="Browse folder with PicView"
"Icon"="C:\\Program Files\\PicView\\PicView.exe"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\PicView\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\PicView\\PicView.exe\" \"%V\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\PicView]
@="Browse folder with PicView"
"Icon"="C:\\Program Files\\PicView\\PicView.exe"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\PicView\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\PicView\\PicView.exe\" \"%V\""

Copy the code text above into a text file and save it as example.reg
Double click the .reg file and the missing context icons will be fixed.
Again, you need to restart explorer.exe or reboot Windows to see the fix take effect.

takeahike

Dustyn

Thanks, but was the DOWNLOAD that you posted supposed to be a link to .reg files (two of them?) because there isn’t any link? Is the “Browse folder with PicView” also supposed to be in the context menu (if not where?) because all I have in the menu is the one entry, “Open with PicView,” as shown in my OP. Thanks again!

Dustyn

takeahike I made it just one combined file that fixes another contextual icon that’s missing when right clicking on folders.

takeahike

Dustyn

Yes, I got them and the first one, Open with PicView, now works but not the second, Browse folder with PicView. I wonder why? Probably best to delete those direct links to your account now that I’ve download them.

Open with PicView

Browse folder with PicView

Dustyn

takeahike You restarted explorer.exe after applying both files?

takeahike

Dustyn

Yeah, I ran both of the two original ones and then also ran the file posted with the code after saving the lines to a .reg file. I also restarted explorer.exe and also rebooted after all that and still have only the Open with PicView working but not the Browse with PicView as shown in my pics. Anyway, if you can figure out why the second one doesn’t work, fine, but if not not to worry because in any event a big improvement. I really appreciated the help!!! You are my hero once again!

Dustyn

takeahike Okay… 🤔 I went back to my test rig and looked over the registry files for PicView again. It turns out I forgot to fix an invalid .icon path entry for one of the folder views when right clicking a folder. So, to make it easier, I edited the above code in my previous registry fix which only adds the missing registry information to make that missing icon above display. Reapply the whole code now and it should display after explorer.exe is restarted.