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Windows 'Photos' App Support for .webp Files

Anonymous
2023-04-05T17:13:06+00:00

I'm trying to understand why the 'Photos' app (the Windows 10/11 default for most common image formats) will not open files with the ".webp" extension even though it actually *can* display those images. It seems like 'Photos' simply will not recognize any file with that extension as an image file, but it seems entirely capable of reading (both recognizing and interpreting) the format itself, such as when a file's extension is altered to "lie" about its contents.

Changing the extension (but NOT the actual underlying file) to something that *is* opened by 'Photos' allows the images to be opened. That's not an acceptable workaround, because I don't want to rename these and then have to deal in the future with file extensions that deliberately mis-represent their actual contents. I also know it is possible to work around the issue by actually converting the files (e.g. with the command-line utilities that Google distributes) but that also seems like overkill when I have no real need to convert these files.

I just want the convenience factor of 'Photos' opening them by default rather than another heavier-weight slower-to-open application. Given the fact that Photos obviously can actually handle the underlying file type (just not the extension) I'm having trouble understanding the obstacle here.

Can you confirm that I'm not missing some way to have 'Photos' open these files without changing the extension?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. John Jefferson Doyon 43,305 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2023-04-05T17:49:36+00:00

    Hi calarrick, I'm John D, and I am happy to help you with this.

    I understand your frustration with the Windows 'Photos' app not opening ".webp" files, even though it can display them. From what you've described, it seems that 'Photos' can read and interpret the format of the ".webp" file, but it won't recognize it as an image file. Changing the extension to a different format works as a workaround, but that's not an ideal solution for you.

    I would recommend checking for updates for the 'Photos' app, as it's possible that there may be a new version that resolves this issue. You could also try resetting the app to its default settings or reinstalling it to see if that helps. If these solutions don't work, using a different application that can open ".webp" files could be an alternative.

    Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

    Best regards,

    John D.

    Independent Advisor

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  2. John Jefferson Doyon 43,305 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2023-04-05T18:39:46+00:00

    Hi Calarrick,

    I like to give you an update. I received a suggestion from another expert that the Windows 'Photos' app cannot open ".webp" images, which are owned by Google, and no update will fix that. Instead, only the Paint app can open this file format natively.

    I appreciate the expert/independent advisor who bring this to my attention, and I apologize for any confusion my previous message may have caused. I always strive to provide accurate and helpful information to those seeking assistance like you.

    Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

    Best regards,

    John D.

    Independent Advisor

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-04-22T16:00:17+00:00

    Hi John D.,

    I'm sorry, but this reply doesn't make any sense to me, because as the original poster explained, Photos clearly *does* support the webp file format. This can be demonstrated by renaming the file extension to a supported extension and loading the file in Photos.

    It's true that the webp format was developed by Google but it has been released as open source so there shouldn't be any legal restrictions on Microsoft using it. Note that Microsoft does support webp natively in Paint so it makes no sense to me that there would be restrictions that apply to Photos but not to Paint.

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  4. Les Ferch 10,086 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2023-04-22T16:17:26+00:00

    Hi John D.,

    I'm sorry, but this reply doesn't make any sense to me, because as the original poster explained, Photos clearly *does* support the webp file format. This can be demonstrated by renaming the file extension to a supported extension and loading the file in Photos.

    It's true that the webp format was developed by Google but it has been released as open source so there shouldn't be any legal restrictions on Microsoft using it. Note that Microsoft does support webp natively in Paint so it makes no sense to me that there would be restrictions that apply to Photos but not to Paint.

    Agreed.

    Photos doesn't have full webp support. For example this webp image is animated, but it's static in Photos. Maybe that's why it doesn't yet recognize the webp extension.

    Any browser will display that image with animation, as will some third-party viewers, such as ImageEye.

    The issue with Photos is just something to report via Feedback Hub (press ⊞-F in Windows) and hope someday Microsoft adds full webp support.

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-04-22T16:24:08+00:00

    FWIW, I just change the file extension to .jpg.

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