Tested Solutions: Can't Open PNG Files on Windows 10/11? (2024)

PNG (Portable network graphics) is one of the most popular image file formats out there. It's probably the format your mobile phone or digital camera uses. This article will highlight some of the basic reasons Windows 10 users cannot open PNG files and also provide possible solutions to avoid similar cases in the future.

Part 1: Know Things Before Repairing Not Opening PNG Files

Here is the deal; what causes you can't open PNG file might be slightly different from what makes another person's PNG file not open. Naturally, we'll have our way of getting things done. However, for most, communication is the root of all their headaches. With a simple instruction given to a computer, one might be surprised at how accurate and consistent the computer can be. You don't need to be some computer savvy to perform basic programming especially, one that you need personally on a day-to-day basis.

i. Why Can't You Open A PNG File?

The damage may be as a result of the following:

These are some of the reasons for having a corrupted or damaged PNG file. Let's have a look at two common scenarios.

This is crazy but, could it be that you just forgot to assign your photos a default program. Most at times, it's as simple as that. The default program is the program your window uses to access a certain kind of file every time you click to have it open, be it an image, a music file, or a link. A computer needs to be programmed beforehand to be able to process these commands.

Another possible reason is if the user is operating an outdated version of Windows 10 hence or the app, the default program might not support the file format. The latest versions of programs cannot open relatively old file formats. A version of Windows 10 has been attributed to why PNG files can't be opened.

Furthermore, some applications have different file format specifications i.e. Their standard for a PNG file differs, what works for one might not work for the other. So bear in mind that not all PNG files can be opened across all platforms.

ii. What App Will Open PNG Files?

There are a lot of apps out there that can be used for the PNG file opening. Some of the commonly used apps on windows 10 for PNG file opening are; Microsoft Office, Paint, Picasa Photo Viewer, Windows Photo Viewer, and Photos. All applications are capable of opening PNG files and have different capabilities. You just pick the one you are most comfortable in and best suits your current need. Just remember that what works for Photos might not work for Photoshop as they've different file format specifications.

iii. How to Open PNG Files Usually?

There are several ways to open a PNG file depending on what you need it for. Usually, when you want a PNG file opened, you just locate the file double-click on it. Your default program will take care of the rest. The apps used in PNG file opening have different functionalities ranging from just viewing the image, printing it, editing the image, or burning it to a disk. Also, you could right-click on the said image and just click on the preview for Windows Photos Viewer to display the image for you.

Part 2. How to Fix "PNG Files Not Opening on Windows 10/11"?

In this part, we will be giving you four solutions you can apply to resolve the problem of not being able to open a PNG file on your Windows 10 system. You should be able to view your PNG file after using these solutions.

Solution 1. Run Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM)

DISM or System update readiness tool is a command-line tool that can service and manage Windows image files. It is used to fix any component corrupt error in Windows. This is done using a set of commands that mount and extract information about Windows image files and virtual hard disks when they are run. DISM is installed by default on Windows 10.

There are two commands you can send in the process of trying to solve the problem of PNG files not opening using DISM. The command for CheckHealth and RestoreHealth.

Let's see how you can do this.

Step 1. Open Command Prompt

To open the menu with Command prompt, press the "Windows + X keys" at the same time. After this, click on the command prompt option.

Step 2. Check Health and RestoreHealth

For CheckHealth, DISM will check whether there is any corrupt file existing in your system. Type the following command and press "Enter".

For RestoreHealth, DISM will automatically repair any corrupt file in your system. Type the following command and press "Enter".

Solution 2. Convert PNG File to Another Format

This is the easiest and best among the solutions you can use. All you need to do is to convert the PNG file to another file format using the Microsoft paint app. This is a built-in app for Windows 10. Follow the steps below.

Step 1. Open MS Paint and Select File

You can open the MS Paint by searching "paint" in the search box on the taskbar. After launching the MS Paint, press "CTRL + O" to select and open the png file you want to change the format.

Step 2. Save the File with the New Format

After opening the file, click on the file menu and then Save As. You can then select the file format you want to convert the png file to. You can choose from the options that will be displayed to you (JPEG, BMP, or GIF) or click "other formats" for more options. Clicking any option will save the file automatically in that format.

Note: Duplicate the png file before converting. This is to ensure that you still have the original copy should in case the new format does not still open. You can then use the duplicated copy for other trials.

Solution 3. Use System File Checker Option in Windows

You may have seen sfc.exe at some point. Or you may have not. It is a simple way of naming the program System file checker. It is an inbuilt utility in Microsoft Windows that you can use to restore corrupted or damaged Windows system files. After running this program, it will scan your system for any broken files and fix them for you.

This is another option you can use to resolve the issue of not being able to open a png file. It takes very simple steps which we'll show below.

Step 1. Login Your Windows

Start your computer and log in to your windows. This will give you access to the Windows menu where you can perform any task you want to.

Step 2. Enter Command Prompt

First of all, search for Run in the search box on the taskbar. This will open the "run Windows" where you will then type cmd and press "OK" or the enter key. This will open the command prompt.

Step 3. Scan System

Once you at in the command prompt window, type sfc/scannow and press the enter key. This will then scan the whole system for any damaged or corrupted files. If it finds any corrupted file, the system will fix it.

Step 4. Restart Your System

After the repair is complete, restart your system and try to open the png file. Your system should be able to open it. If it doesn't, you can try changing the format of the file as we discussed in solution 2.

Solution 4. Repair Damaged PNG File Due to Corrupted Graphic Card Drivers

In this solution, we will be seeing how you can repair a damaged png file due to corrupted graphic card drivers.

This will be done through the following steps.

Step 1. Restart your computer: This is the first thing you need to do to begin the repair process. This is to ensure the computer has no activity it is performing that may alter the repair. After restarting, insert Windows bootable media. The Windows setup box will appear. Click Next to proceed.

Step 2. You will be shown some options. Just click on "Repair your computer" after which you will click on "Troubleshoot" which will display the troubleshoot screen to you.

Step 3. From this troubleshoot screen, click on "advanced options" which will display the available advanced options from which you will click on the "Command Prompt".

Step 4. The Command prompt window will then open. Next, type C: and press Enter. After this, type the command BCDEDIT /SET {DEFAULT} BOOTMENUPOLICY LEGACY. Press Enter when you are done typing the above command.

Step 5. You can now Exit the "Command Prompt Window" by entering the EXIT command.

Step 6. After this, go back to the "Choose an option" screen. Here, you will click on Continue to proceed with restarting your system.

Step 7. Press the F8 key while restarting your system to open the advanced boot options. Select the "Safe Mode" option, then press Enter. After this, log on to the account having administrator privileges on the system.

Step 8. Navigate to the Control panel where you will choose the Device Manager and right-click on the graphics driver.

Step 9. Lastly, Uninstall the selected graphic driver and look for a more trusted graphic driver and install.

Solution 5. Repair Damaged PNG File Caused In Any Scenario

Besides the corrupted graphic card drivers, many other reasons can cause the PNG files to be damaged, such as system crashes, virus attacks, etc. A professional photo repair tool will help you fix this problem quickly within minutes.

Wondershare Repairit - Photo Repair can help you fix all image-related issues with just several clicks, no matter how severely damaged the photos are.

Main Features:

Step 1. Download Repairit on your computer or Mac and upload your corrupted PNG File by clicking the "+Add" button.

Step 2. Start repair the corrupted PNG file.

Once all the files that you want to repair are added to the software, you can choose which file you want to repair by selecting them and click "Repair" to start the repair process.

Step 3. Preview and save the fixed PNG file.

After the PNG file is fixed by Repairit, you can click the "Preview" button to check the quality of the fixed file, then if you're satisfied with the result, please click the "Save" button to save the file locally.

Advanced Repair (for severely damaged photos)

If the file you want to repair is severely damaged and is difficult to restore, then the "Advanced Repair" feature comes into action. Click here to check the detailed steps on how to repair severely damaged photos with Repairit.

By doing the above actions, your png file should open without difficulty if the initial problem was from the graphic card drivers.

You should be able to fix the problem of a png file not opening on your windows 10.

Let's now move on to the last part of this article.

Part 3. How to Prevent PNG Files Nit Opening on Windows 10/11?

After going through all the solutions you can apply to solve the problem of a png file not opening on Windows 10, we want to take this time to tell you some practical ways you can avoid having problems with your png files.

Let's see some things you should know about png files.

1. What You Should Know About PNG Files

PNG means portable network graphics. The image size of the PNG file can be reduced without affecting the quality of the file because of the lossless compression algorithm that it uses. It is the file format used for internet images. Most browsers including Mozilla Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, support this file format. Android, Linux, Windows, iOS, Windows Vista, and Mac OS X all support PNG files.

Some technical features of PNG files include:

These are some of the things noteworthy about PNG files. Let's now end this article by telling you how to prevent damaging any PNG file when handling it.

2. What Should You Prevent When Handling PNG Files

When handling PNG files you should do your best to avoid doing the following, which can result in damaging the file.

Maintaining these precautions will prevent the damaging of your PNG files.

Picture thumbnails not showing on Windows 10? Come here to find out workable tips to fix Windows 10 picture thumbnails not showing.

Conclusion

We hope this article has provided you with the solutions you need to fix any problem of not being able to open a PNG file on Windows 10. If you follow the guidelines in this article, you will protect your PNG files from getting damaged and also easily fix damaged ones.