Fly Photos is one of the fastest photo viewers for Windows, designed as a modern replacement for the now-discontinued Google Picasa Photo Viewer.
Built with WinUI 3, WinRT, and Win2D, it delivers smooth animations, instant startup, and an efficient viewing experience.
Watch Fly Photos in action:
- Purchasing Fly Photos from the Microsoft Store is the best way to support the ongoing development of the project.
- You can also support via a donation at ♥ GitHub Sponsors. After donating, please email ryftools@outlook.com, and I will send you a Store promo code
- The Store version offers fast, easy installation across all your Windows devices and includes fully automatic, behind-the-scenes updates for the latest features and fixes.
| Microsoft Store | GitHub MSI | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 🪙 Paid | 🆓 Free |
| Updates | ✅ Seamless auto-updates | ❌ User-managed |
| Bug Fixes | ✅ Can be available faster | ❌ Available in official releases only |
| Security | ✅ Signed and certified by Microsoft | ❌ Not signed |
- Option 1 : Install from Microsoft Store
- Option 2 : Download and install MSI from Github Releases Page
Once installed, these are the ways to use Fly to view photos
- MSI / GitHub Version: Right-click an image and select "Open with Fly" (located in the classic context menu).
- Store Version: Right-click an image, select "Open with", and choose Fly Photos from the list.
Launch Fly Photos directly from the Start menu. You can then use the file picker to browse and select a folder or image to view.
To open images with Fly Photos automatically when you double-click them:
- Right-click an image file (e.g., a
.jpg). - Select "Open With" and "Choose Another App" and Select FlyPhotos from List and click Always.
- Repeat this for other file types (PNG, WEBP, etc.) as needed.
-
Fast and lightweight
- Instant startup with Native AOT build.
- In-memory and disk caching for smooth navigation even in folders with thousands of photos.
- Press and hold
←/→after opening a folder with thousands of photos to get a feel of Fly's performance. - Tight Explorer integration. Follows Explorer sort order and filtering (Recent, Search, etc.).
-
Image format support
- All formats supported by Windows Imaging Component (JPEG, PNG, TIFF, RAW, etc.).
- Extended support for PSD (with transparency), HEIC/HEIF, SVG, GIF, and APNG (Animated PNG).
-
Viewing experience
- Transparent background like in Picasa Photo Viewer.
- Modern Windows themes like Mica, Acrylic, and Frozen Glass.
- Smooth pan and zoom animations.
- Thumbnail strip with adjustable size and click-to-jump navigation.
- Multi-monitor support (remembers last used monitor).
-
Controls
- Versatile Inputs: Zoom, pan, and rotate using Touchpad gestures, Mouse, or Keyboard.
- Customizable: Configurable mouse wheel behavior (Zoom vs. Navigate).
- Touch Friendly: Native support for pinch-to-zoom and two-finger swipe navigation.
| Category | Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| 🖐 Touchpad | Navigate photos | Two-finger Swipe Left / Right |
| Zoom or Navigate | Two-finger Swipe Up / Down (based on setting) | |
| Zoom In / Out | Pinch Open / Close | |
| 🖱 Mouse | Zoom / Navigate | Wheel Scroll (based on setting) |
| Always Zoom | Ctrl + Wheel | |
| Always Navigate | Alt + Wheel | |
| Navigate Photos | Tilt Wheel Left / Right | |
| Pan Photo | Click + Drag | |
| Navigate Photos | Mouse Back / Forward Buttons | |
| Navigate Photos | Wheel on Thumbnail Strip | |
| Navigate / Rotate | Wheel on On-screen Buttons | |
| ⌨️ Keyboard | Next / Previous Photo | ← / → |
| Fly-through Mode | Hold ← / → | |
| Zoom In / Out | ↑ / ↓ OR Ctrl + (+ / −) | |
| Zoom Presets | Page Up / Page Down | |
| Pan Photo | Ctrl + Arrow Keys | |
| Multi-page TIFF Nav | Alt + Left / Right | |
| Jump First / Last | Home / End | |
| Delete Photo | Del | |
| Show Properties | D | |
| Copy to Clipboard | Ctrl + C | |
| Exit App | Esc |
- SVG rendering limited to 2000px on the longest side.
- HDR Support yet to be implemented
- Max Resolution of the images which can be displayed depends on DirectX device capability
- Issues and feature requests: GitHub Issues
- Feedback: ryftools@outlook.com
Older 1.x versions were based on WPF and remain available only for Windows 7/8, but are no longer updated.