Although the operating system Windows has an integrated image viewer in its different versions, the truth is that many times as users, we feel that it lacks certain features to make it more complete. For this reason, sometimes you have to look at some of the most famous alternatives, and in this case, in particular, we wanted to stop at XnView, one of the best in its segment.

XnView is nothing more than an image viewer that stands out for qualities such as speed of use and simplicity, a perfect program for displaying absolutely any photo or similar content, with all kinds of added tools. We are talking about a proposal for which you will not have to pay because it is free and available in many languages, so there will be no problems with adaptation.

Operation

Unlike the system built into Microsoft's operating systems, XnView has a huge amount of added elements, to the point that it can get to dispute the prominence of the segment with other famous services such as ACDSee. They are similar, for example, in the huge amount of image formats with which they are compatible, an essential virtue when we think of this type of application.

In fact, XnView developers themselves say that it is software-compatible with over 400 different file formats, especially images, and can even work with the information of type EXIF, something that is not so common. Another exciting feature of this app is the incorporation of many keyboard shortcuts, with which we can save time when launching different actions.

In addition, XnView has some small tools that allow you to perform minimal edits of the images we have open. Although it can not replace an advanced editing program, it will allow you to do without other lighter ones. We are talking about almost basic issues, such as the rotation of images, some small added text, marks, or simple drawings, etc.

It is impossible not to mention, in the same terms, that XnView can supplant any image conversion platform, as it has a specially generated section for you to convert the formats of your photos and others. In this sense, we can say that you won't need to have another converter installed on your PC because the compatibility with most of the usual formats is extraordinary.

Finally, if you are looking for images on your PC to open in XnView, and you can't find them, you should know that this app has a Finder integrated, very efficient, that will allow you to find them in just seconds.

From the design interface of XnView, we can say that it is a nice one, both for the incorporation of different icons and visual elements and for the perfect organization of all the contents through a tab system, like the one we know from many famous browsers. For the rest, we are talking about a completely intuitive application, so even if you are a beginner, you can move between its menus without difficulties.

Keep in mind

We said earlier that XnView is a free program, and indeed it is, although its creators explain that this is only true when we make personal use of the service, while if we want to make a professional use, we will have to pay for it. Of course, this is a question left in the hands of the users themselves, although we recommend a conscious use of this utility.

The best

XnView has many positive features, among which we could mention, for example, the incredible agility of use of this software, which undoubtedly places it as one of the fastest in its segment. To that, you have to add the possibility of accessing the EXIF data of your photos, or why not some very interesting additions such as the format converter, which had no reason to be included.

The worst

Although XnView has no major shortcomings, we have noticed one that hardly affects the experience of using this service but that we think you should still take into account to avoid surprises. Its translation into other languages contains some small errors, either mistranslated words or not translated at all, so if you come across any of them, you should know that there is nothing new in it.

Rating

If you are looking for a free program as an image viewer that improves the original Windows features, adding all kinds of features and tools, you probably will not find it much better than XnView. We are talking about software that will allow you to forget about other applications installed on your computer, such as basic image editors or photo format converters.