How to View JPEG XL (.jxl) Files on Windows - 4 Ways That Work

Windows shows a blank icon where your .jxl photo should be, and the fix depends on one number you can look up in ten seconds.

Blank .jxl tiles in a Windows folder on the left, a JPEG XL extension tile in the middle, and the same folder showing photos on the right

JPEG XL is the format your iPhone 16 saves in and your photo editor exports to, and Windows still does not read it without help.

Recent Windows 11 builds can get it from a free Microsoft extension.

Everything older needs a viewer that decodes the format on its own, which is just as free and takes about as long.

Check Your Windows Build First

Press the Windows key and R together, type winver, then press Enter. A small box appears with a line like "Version 24H2 (OS Build 26100.4351)".

The number that matters is the one starting 26100. That is Windows 11 24H2, and it is the floor for the Microsoft extension.

The short version. Build 26100 or higher, use Fix 1. Anything below that, including every version of Windows 10, skip straight to Fix 2 - the Microsoft Store will not let you install the extension and will not tell you why.

Fix 1: The JPEG XL Image Extension (Windows 11 24H2 and Newer)

The JPEG XL Image Extension is Microsoft's own decoder, built on the open-source libjxl reference code and shipped through the Store.

It is not an app you open. Install it once and Windows itself learns the format, which means:

Thumbnails appear for .jxl files in File Explorer.
Double-clicking one opens it in the Windows Photos app.
Paint, the preview pane and any other app that reads images through Windows can open them too.
You can set a .jxl file as your desktop wallpaper.

Installation is silent and there is nothing to configure afterwards. Open a folder with a .jxl file in it and the thumbnail should appear within a second or two.

Test it yourself. Save this sample .jxl file to your desktop and double-click it. If it opens, you are done; if it does not, the section further down on things that go wrong will tell you why.

Fix 2: A Viewer That Opens JPEG XL on Its Own

This is the route for Windows 10, for Windows 11 23H2 and older, and for anyone who would rather not install a system-level codec.

These viewers carry their own JPEG XL decoder, so they work on any Windows version and do not touch the rest of your system.

Four Windows image viewers that open JPEG XL without a system extension: ImageGlass, XnView MP, IrfanView and PicView

Viewer	What it is	Use this when
ImageGlass	Open-source viewer that reads JPEG XL, HEIC, RAW and WebP with nothing extra installed	You want one viewer that opens everything and you are done thinking about it
XnView MP	Viewer and browser covering 700-plus formats, with batch conversion built in	You have a folder of them and you will want to convert some later
IrfanView	The classic lightweight viewer - JPEG XL arrives with the separate plugins pack	You already use IrfanView and just need to add the plugins
PicView	Fast open-source viewer for Windows and macOS, modern formats included	You want something small that opens instantly on a double-click
JarkViewer	Newer viewer aimed squarely at AVIF, HEIC, JPEG XL and Live Photos	Your files came off a recent iPhone and include Live Photos

If you install IrfanView, get the plugins pack from the same page and restart the program afterwards. Without it, JPEG XL files will still refuse to open.

JPEGView is worth a mention too, at under a megabyte and portable. There are more in the rest of the image viewers if none of these suit.

Fix 3: Thumbnails in File Explorer Without the Store

A viewer fixes opening files, but File Explorer will still show blank icons. That is a separate problem with a separate answer.

JXL WinThumb is a small plug-in that teaches Explorer to render JPEG XL thumbnails, and it works back to Windows 7 rather than demanding build 26100.

The same page offers a version called JPEG XL WIC with a normal installer, which is the easier of the two if you would rather not register a DLL by hand.

Viewing JPEG XL in a Browser

Browser support has moved recently, and it is worth knowing where it stands before you email yourself a file to look at it.

Safari 17 and later decode .jxl with nothing switched on, so a Mac, iPhone or iPad opens them already.

Chrome 145 brought the format back in February 2026, but behind a switch. Paste chrome://flags/#enable-jxl-image-format into the address bar, set it to Enabled and restart the browser.

Firefox 152 added it the same way in June 2026, also off by default. Neither is on for ordinary visitors yet, which is why a .jxl file you upload to a website will still look broken to most people.

Converting JPEG XL to Something Everyone Can Open

Viewing is one problem and sharing is another, because most upload forms, email clients and social networks still reject .jxl.

For a single file with nothing to install, JXL to JPG online handles it in the browser, and JPG to JXL online goes the other way if you are shrinking an old photo library.

For a folder of them, XL Converter is built for exactly this and also handles AVIF, WebP and HEIF.

XnConvert does the same job with a wider net. Add your files on the Input tab, then on the Output tab open the Format dropdown and choose JPG or PNG - the same six steps as the XnConvert walkthrough covers for HEIC.

Watch the dropdown. That Format list holds input formats as well as output ones, and JXL sits in it. Picking JXL there converts your photos into the format you are trying to get away from.

Converseen is the option if you are migrating a mixed library rather than one folder, covering more than 100 formats with resize and rename in the same pass.

The Extension Installed but Nothing Changed

Three things account for almost every case of this, and none of them mean you did it wrong.

Three reasons a .jxl file still will not open after installing the extension: wrong Windows build, an old Photos app, and a stale thumbnail cache

The build is too old. The Store blocks the install below 26100 rather than explaining itself - use Fix 2 instead.
The Photos app is out of date. Open the Microsoft Store, check for updates and let Photos update itself.
Explorer cached the blank icons. Run Disk Cleanup, tick Thumbnails, then press F5 in the folder.

If it still will not open, the file itself may not be what its extension claims. Our Codec Finder will tell you what you are actually holding.

Who Should Look Elsewhere

The tell is the file extension itself, and it is worth checking before you install anything.

If your files end in .avif or .webp rather than .jxl, none of this applies - see view AVIF files on Windows or view WebP files on Windows instead.

If you are collecting the modern formats one by one, Windows needs a separate extension for each of them:

libavif for AVIF, the AV1-based format behind a lot of web images and Android screenshots.
WebP Codec for WebP, which older Windows apps still cannot open.
Raw Image Extension for camera RAW files from Canon, Nikon, Sony and the rest.

Quick questions

Is the JPEG XL Image Extension free?

Yes. It is a free Microsoft Store package with no account, no registration and no paid tier.

Why will the Microsoft Store not let me install it?

Because your Windows build is below 26100. The listing is locked to Windows 11 24H2 and newer, and Windows 10 is never getting it.

Can I view JPEG XL files on Windows 10?

Yes, with a viewer that carries its own decoder, such as ImageGlass or XnView MP. Add JXL WinThumb if you also want thumbnails in File Explorer.

Does Chrome open .jxl files yet?

Only if you turn it on. Chrome 145 and later include a decoder behind the chrome://flags/#enable-jxl-image-format switch, and Safari 17 and later need nothing at all.

Where did my .jxl files come from?

Usually an iPhone, since Apple adopted the format for capture, or a photo editor exporting it. There is more on that in why Apple put JPEG XL in the iPhone 16.

Is JPEG XL better than AVIF or WebP?

It compresses better than both at high quality and does true lossless, but far fewer programs read it. Our AVIF vs JPEG vs WebP comparison covers the trade-offs.