Windows 11's New Photos App Opens HEIC Faster - If Your PC Can Open HEIC at All

Windows 11 is getting a rebuilt Photos app that opens faster, edits HEIC and WebP properly, and puts your iCloud photos next to everything else.

Microsoft unveiled the redesign on 15 October. It is rolling out to Windows Insiders first, and Microsoft expects it to reach all Windows 11 users later this year.

The headline promise is speed, especially for HEIC - the photo format iPhones use. There is one catch, though, and it decides whether you see any of that speed at all.

What Microsoft Announced

The app is split into three parts: a gallery for browsing, a quick viewer for opening single photos, and a rebuilt editor.

• One gallery for everything. Photos and videos from your PC, OneDrive and Apple iCloud appear in one place. You can search by describing a photo, like "sunset at the beach", instead of remembering a filename.
• A faster viewer. Double-clicking a photo in File Explorer opens a lightweight viewer that starts 15% faster on average and up to 30% faster for HEIC. It also opens SVG files now, and an info panel shows camera details, a location map and a colour histogram.
• A rebuilt editor. It launches 25% faster, with tools grouped into Crop, Enhance, Repair and Stylize. AI object removal has an improved model.
• Relight for everyone. The tool that adds up to three virtual lights to a photo used to need a Copilot+ PC. It now works on any Windows 11 PC.
• HEIC and WebP saved as they are. You can edit these files and save them in their original format, instead of being pushed to convert them to JPG.

You don't need to sign in to OneDrive to browse local or iCloud photos, and local photos work offline. Only Moments, the automatic memory slideshows, needs OneDrive.

Before You Blame the New App: the HEIC Catch

"30% faster for HEIC" only helps if your PC can open HEIC photos in the first place. Many can't, and the error looks like the app's fault.

An iPhone photo is really two things: an HEIF wrapper and an HEVC-compressed picture inside it. Windows needs a separate piece for each:

• The wrapper: HEIF Image Extensions, which is often already installed.
• The picture inside: an HEVC decoder. Microsoft sells one in the Store, but the free HEVC decoder PC makers bundle does the same job.

Microsoft's announcement doesn't say the new app changes this. If your iPhone photos show a blank thumbnail or a "codec missing" message today, the redesign won't fix that on its own.

Don't Want to Wait? Try a Lighter Viewer

The new app could take months to reach your PC. If you just want photos to open instantly, two free viewers are worth a look today.

ImageGlass is a fast, clean viewer that feels at home on Windows 11. XnView goes further, with batch renaming and converting on top of viewing hundreds of formats.

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