Setting a Modern Default Photo Viewer on Windows RDS Server
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TechGuru2025
I'm in the process of configuring a Windows Remote Desktop Services (RDS) server for 2025, and I'm having a hard time setting ImageGlass as the default photo viewer for file types like PNG and JPEG, especially for all users. Although I can select ImageGlass in individual settings, I need a system-wide solution. I understand that this setting should be defined in a Default App Associations XML, and while my XML works for other file types and applications, ImageGlass isn't appearing in my DISM export. I can't find documentation on its ProgIDs or file associations either. I'm hoping other administrators have figured out how to set a modern default viewer instead of defaulting to the legacy Windows Photo Viewer.
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I had similar struggles with ImageGlass; it just wouldn't work right in my setup. I ended up switching to nomacs. It's not as slick, but it handles modern formats well and is more reliable for RDS.
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You can actually define this through Group Policy. Just go to User Configuration -> Preferences -> Control Panel Settings -> Folder Options. From there, create a new 'Open with...' entry for your desired file extensions and specify the path to the ImageGlass executable.
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Dealing with ImageGlass can be tricky because it sometimes doesn't register classic ProgIDs like older Win32 apps do. If it didn’t write certain registry entries properly, Windows won’t recognize it for system-wide defaults. After installing ImageGlass, try checking the registry for anything related to it in specific paths. If you don’t find the necessary entries, I suggest using the MSIX/Store version, as it usually registers associations better, or consider a viewer with clean ProgID registration like IrfanView or XnView MP.
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Honestly, just stick with IrfanView. It registers easily and always works without any hassle!
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Have you checked if the traditional photo viewer can be restored in the 2025 version? Sometimes it's tucked away in settings!
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