Install IrfanView: Fast, Free Image Viewer for Windows

IrfanView has been around for decades for one simple reason: it opens images instantly. It is a quick way to flip through a folder of photos and to resize or convert many files at once.

Key features

• Fast viewing: Opens images almost instantly and moves through a folder with the arrow keys.
• Batch conversion: Rename, resize or convert hundreds of files in one go.
• Basic editing: Crop, rotate, resize, adjust colours and add text.
• Plugins: An optional plugin pack adds support for more formats and features.

Setting it up

1. irfanview.com has the official downloads, including the plugin pack.
2. Choose the 64-bit or 32-bit version (see below), and install the matching plugin pack from the same page if you want extra format support.
3. During setup, choose which file types should open in IrfanView.

32-bit or 64-bit?

The choice matters more than with most programs. The 64-bit build only runs on 64-bit Windows, but it can open very large images that need more than about 1.3 GB of memory, and the developer says it is faster with photos of 25 megapixels and up. The 32-bit build runs on any supported Windows version and is the one where every plugin works: some plugins have not been ported to 64-bit yet, and scanning options on the command line only work in 32-bit. If you need both, install them in separate folders. The rule to remember is never to mix bit versions, so the 64-bit program needs the 64-bit plugins.

Licensing and languages

IrfanView is free for private, non-commercial use; businesses need to register it. Language packs let you switch the interface to many languages.