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Lightroom as Default Photo Viewer

Explorer ,
Jan 20, 2017 Jan 20, 2017

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Can Lightroom be set at the default photo viewer in Windows 10 Settings, or is this not possible? If it cannot be, what are people here using as their default photo viewer on Windows 10?

Thanks!

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correct answers 1 Correct answer

Community Expert , Jan 20, 2017 Jan 20, 2017

No, it cannot be set as a default viewer, not possible.

Lightroom is a database program. The default file type it uses is a database catalog with the file suffix  .LRCAT.  This is the only file type that Lightroom will open, so you cannot make it "open" jpgs tiffs, etc. Image files need to be added to the database catalog by the Import process.

When I want to search or browse my images Lightroom is the 'go to' program because of the catalog features of keywords, collections, smart collections, fil

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Community Expert ,
Jan 20, 2017 Jan 20, 2017

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No, it cannot be set as a default viewer, not possible.

Lightroom is a database program. The default file type it uses is a database catalog with the file suffix  .LRCAT.  This is the only file type that Lightroom will open, so you cannot make it "open" jpgs tiffs, etc. Image files need to be added to the database catalog by the Import process.

When I want to search or browse my images Lightroom is the 'go to' program because of the catalog features of keywords, collections, smart collections, filters, etc.

OTOH-Very occasionally I might use Adobe Bridge (Included in the CC Photography package with Lr & Ps) but must take care not to rename or move any files (that would upset the Lr database links to the images)

Regards. My System: Lightroom-Classic 13.2 Photoshop 25.5, ACR 16.2, Lightroom 7.2, Lr-iOS 9.0.1, Bridge 14.0.2, Windows-11.

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Explorer ,
Jan 20, 2017 Jan 20, 2017

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Thanks for the info. What should I set my "default" photo viewer in Windows 10 to? Can it be set to Bridge?

It does make sense what you said about Lightroom as well as working between Lightroom and Bridge and the caution one needs to exercise.

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Community Expert ,
Jan 21, 2017 Jan 21, 2017

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Can it be set to Bridge?

Yes.  But you may have difficulty!

1.  If you open Windows-10 "Settings"   (The cog wheel icon)  Choose "System" that includes "Apps"-  you may not be able to find Adobe Bridge as a default app for photo files (eg. JPG).  For some reason I cannot see Adobe Bridge in this list in any way. Windows does not consider Bridge an "App". There will appear the Windows "Photo" App but do not select that!

Instead-

2. If you open File Explorer and Right-click on a photo file  eg. a JPG,  select from the menu  "Open with... "  again Bridge may not appear in this brief list.

If Bridge does not appear in this menu- click on "choose another app".

If Bridge is not in this list- scroll to the bottom and click on "more apps..", search for "Adobe Bridge 2015" and click to select.

Finally place a tick in the box [Always use this app to open JPG files.]  and click [ OK ]

You now have set Bridge as default for JPG files. Double-click a JPG file and Bridge will open.

Do the same for other pixel formats only- TIFF, PNG, BMP, GIF.  Leave Lr to be your raw file editor (for NEF, CR2, ARW, etc).

Edit:  And there are other complications that could arise for Lightroom if you do any kind of metadata changes in Bridge. But there are answers to these situations.

Regards. My System: Lightroom-Classic 13.2 Photoshop 25.5, ACR 16.2, Lightroom 7.2, Lr-iOS 9.0.1, Bridge 14.0.2, Windows-11.

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Explorer ,
Jan 21, 2017 Jan 21, 2017

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Great! Thanks for the info! Very much appreciated!

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New Here ,
Nov 04, 2023 Nov 04, 2023

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Even old photos I've never opened in Lightroom are now defaulting to Lightroom. It's wreaking havoc.

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LEGEND ,
Nov 04, 2023 Nov 04, 2023

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quote

Even old photos I've never opened in Lightroom are now defaulting to Lightroom. It's wreaking havoc.


By @KeyLimePie

 

 

Describe this in detail. Include screen captures (using the "Insert Photos" icon). Also, please tell us if you are using Lightroom or Lightroom Classic. Please tell us your operating system.

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New Here ,
Nov 04, 2023 Nov 04, 2023

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Lightroom absolutely opens all my jpegs as default. How to make it stop??

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Community Expert ,
Nov 04, 2023 Nov 04, 2023

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That's not possible. Lightroom cannot open image files, it can only open catalog files (databases).

 

You need to describe in detail exactly what happens when you do what.

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Community Expert ,
Nov 04, 2023 Nov 04, 2023

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LATEST

It is possible that there is an association set up of one or another image file type, with Lightroom. In that case, double-clicking a file of that type will cause (or try to cause) Lightroom to start if it is not running and then will try to invoke the "opening" of that file. This association exists entirely on the operating system side and has nothing to do with whether what then might follow would be desirable, or even workable.

 

I don't know which OS you are using. In Windows 10 you can view and change all file associations centrally but perhaps the easier way is to right-click on a JPG and select "Open With" / "choose another app". This command will open an options dialog before doing anything. In this dialog the currently associated default application for JPG will be seen at the top, as well as some other options below. Further applications can be browsed to if the desired one does not appear here.

richardplondon_0-1699122765293.png

 

The "always use this app" checkbox adopts whichever you've chosen as the new default application for JPG files, when you click OK. File associations will also exist for JPEG, PNG, TIF, TIFF, PSD, GIF, all kinds of other image type.

 

It is up to you what different application you may associate for each file type (file extension).

 

One way that this can get scrambled is that one might install a graphics utility of some kind which grabs a lot of file associations for itself. Then this is uninstalled and what then happens to all these orphaned file type associations is a bit of a lottery. Usually when you install an application it then asks your pemission before reassociating e.g. JPG to itself. I suppose (though I'd be surprised) Lightroom itself may have grabbed file associations in this way. 

 

OR something completely different may be happening: when a new device or external drive or whatever is attached to the computer, this can make an action happen as defined in the OS, which may include 'do nothing', 'view files' or pass to one or another application.

 

But also there is a setting within LrC that begins a Catalog import session whenever some newly connected device is detected that may contain importable photos. Might that be it? If so, that is controlled here:

richardplondon_0-1699122497423.png

 

 

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New Here ,
Nov 04, 2023 Nov 04, 2023

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My PC defaults to Lightroom as photo viewer and I hate it! Too slow to open and I don't want to edit.

How can I get rid of Lightroom as default? Sadly I may have to cancel Lightroom due to this issue and many others.

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