PNG or Portable Network Graphics file format is amongst one of the well-known photo formats. It is mainly used to save digital photos, graphics, and images having transparent background. Moreover, it is a bitmap image format, which uses lossless compression. Sometimes, due to glitch in the application, your photo application may fail to open PNG file or display an error “PNG file not opening in Windows 10.” You may fail to open an image file on the computer due to system malfunction or bugs as well. There are several reasons that restrict the PNG file from opening. We have listed all the common reasons ahead in this blog.
Reasons Why Can’t You Open PNG Files On Windows 10
As mentioned there are various reasons due to which the PNG file may fail to open. Below we have listed some of the major causes:
- You might be using an outdated Photos application.
- The PNG file is not compatible with the photos application that you are using.
- Another reason is issue with the Windows 10 photos app.
- The PNG file might be damaged or corrupted.
Methods To Recover PNG File Not Opening In Windows 10
We understand how annoying it gets when your PNG file fails to open. To help you recover PNG file not opening in Windows 10 error, below we have listed some of the common troubleshooting methods implementing which you will be able to fix this issue:
Method 1: Update Windows 10 Photo Viewer
Many times, due to outdated photos application you may end up with the PNG file not opening error as well. In that case, you must update the photos app i.e., Windows Photo Viewer as per its latest version. The latest version helps you fix all the bugs and enhances the application performance as well. Therefore, make sure to check for the Windows updates. If any, installing the latest Windows updates will updates all its applications automatically. For updating the application, follow the below-given steps:
- Click on the Windows icon and type Settings in the search bar.
- From the Settings window, select the Update & Security option.
- Then, select Windows Update option from the left pane of the window.
- Further, click on Check for updates to see if any updates are available.
- Make sure to mark the checkbox near the Photos app icon and click on Install Updates.
- After you have installed the available updates, reboot your system and open the PNG file.
Method 2: Convert PNG Format to Another Format
You may also resolve the PNG file not opening issue by changing the PNG file to another format. You can do so by using the MS Paint application of Windows.
Note: Before you begin to do so, make sure to create a copy of the PNG file and save it at another location. Then, you can start making changes in the copied file. If due to any reason, the converted file will not open or gets damaged, you still have the original PNG file with you.
For changing the PNG file format, you may follow the below stated steps:
- To begin, open the PNG file with MS Paint.
- Then, go to the File menu and select the Save as option.
- Further, choose any of the file extensions, like JPEG, BMP, GIF, etc. and save your PNG file.
Once you have followed the above steps, check whether the converted PNG file is opening or not. If not, do not panic! You can try implementing the below-given workarounds.
Method 3: Restore to Default Photos App
If you are somebody who uses the third-party photos application for opening the PNG files, then, try switching to the default photos app. To go back to the default photos app, you may follow the below-given steps:
- Click on the Windows icon and type Settings in the Search bar.
- Then, click on Applications and then on Default Apps.
- Moving ahead, scroll down the window and click on Reset. It will reset all the default applications of Windows 10 on your system.
- At last, reboot your computer and try to open the PNG file.
Method 4: Repair Windows Photo App
Follow the below-given steps to repair the Windows photos app:
- To begin, go to the Start menu and type Settings in the Search bar.
- Now, select Applications followed by Applications and Features.
- Further, go to the photos application and click on the photos application option> Advanced Options.
- Then, scroll down the window and click on Repair.
- Lastly, you can try opening the PNG file to ensure if the issue persists or not.
Note: If required, you can reset the application by clicking on Reset. However, you need to know that it will delete the application data on your PC.
Method 5: Run an SFC scan
Sometimes, broken operating system components may not allow Windows 10 to open PNG files. In that situation, you can try running an SFC scan on Windows 10 to recover PNG file not opening in Windows 10 error. Here is how to run the SFC scan:
- Go to the Start menu and type CMD in the text field.
- Right-click on the Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator option.
- Type sfc/scannow in the text field, and press the Enter key.
Method 6: Turn Off Photo Encryption
If required, you may also need to change the file setting to fix the PNG file not opening in Windows 10 error. The below-mentioned steps will help you in doing so:
- Right-click PNG and select the Properties option from the menu.
- It will open up the Properties page. From there, choose the General option followed by Advanced.
- Under the Compress or Encrypt attributes option, unmark the Encrypt contents checkbox to secure data.
Method 7: Use PNG File Repair Software
In several instances, due to one reason or the other, it may happen that the above-mentioned workarounds may not work for you. It signifies that the PNG file is corrupt and thus, you need to look for a better alternative. You can try using a third-party software that can help you recover PNG file not opening in Windows 10 error. As a recommendation, you can try out the Stellar Repair for Photo Software. It is one of the efficient and reliable software that effortlessly repairs corrupt photos and videos of unlimited formats with just a few clicks. It would not be wrong to say that it is an all-in-one software that supports data recovery of any file from any storage media.
To repair the corrupt PNG file using Stellar Repair for Photo Software, you can follow the below-mentioned steps:
- To begin, you need to download, install, and launch Stellar Photo Repair Software.
- It will open the Photo Repair wizard, from there, click on Add File.
- Further, select file from the location where your corrupted PNG file is stored.
- Once selected, click on Repair.
- When the repair process completes, a message prompt will appear on your screen, click OK.
- To see the preview of the repaired PNG file, click on it from the right pane of the window.
- At last, click on Save Repaired Files and check if the PNG file not opening issue is resolved.
Some Key advantages of Stellar Photo Repair Software:
Below we have listed some major advantages that you can avail with the Stellar repair for photo software:
- It repairs unlimited photos in one go in the minimum possible time.
- Offers advance repair for severely corrupt PNG files by using sample PNG image.
- Fixes grains, greying, or blur in photos.
- Repairs RAW image files formats along with PNG.
Note: If required, you can download its trial version and experience its functionality without paying any charges.
End Note
We hope the troubleshooting methods mentioned in this blog would have helped you recover PNG file not opening in Windows 10 error. If due to any reason, the above-listed workarounds do not work for you, it indicated that your PNG file is corrupt and thus, you need to repair it at the earliest. In such a case, you can try using a third-party software, such as Stellar Photo Repair. It is a reliable and efficient software, which allows you repair corrupt PNG file without any hassle. Not just that, it has an easy-to-use interface that makes the repair process smooth and streamlined.
