Features

Everything you need to view images

A fast, modern image viewer for Windows that opens the formats others can't - with the tools to edit, convert and present.

Speed & engine

Built to feel instant

A GPU-accelerated engine that opens, zooms and pans without making you wait.

GPU-accelerated

Rendering and transitions run on your graphics card for a smooth, fluid display.

Opens 64-megapixel images

Smart 512px tiling streams only the visible part, so giant photos open without filling your RAM.

Instant navigation

The next and previous images load in the background, so browsing a folder feels immediate.

Precise zoom

From 1% to 5000%, zoom stays centered on your cursor with no jump.

Sharp at every scale

Pixel-perfect at 1:1, with a high-quality two-pass downscale that keeps detail when zoomed out.

Formats

Opens almost everything

Around 40 formats out of the box. No codec packs, no plugins.

Modern formats

HEIC, AVIF, JPEG XL, JPEG 2000 and WebP, alongside PNG, JPEG, GIF, BMP and TIFF.

Camera RAW

23 RAW formats from Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Panasonic, Olympus, Pentax, DNG and more.

Pro & legacy

Photoshop PSD, OpenEXR HDR, multi-page TIFF, SVG and ICO, plus TGA, PCX, DDS and QOI.

Convert with control

Export to JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, JPEG XL, GIF, TIFF or QOI, with a quality slider per format.

Multi-size icons

Export a real Windows .ico containing every size from 16 to 256 pixels in one file.

Animated images

Play and export animated GIF, APNG, WebP and AVIF, with frame timing preserved.

Editing

Edit without leaving the viewer

Quick, reversible edits that never touch your original until you say so.

Smart crop

Free-form or fixed ratios (1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, custom) with a rule-of-thirds grid.

Lossless rotation

Rotate JPEGs by 90 degrees with zero re-compression, thanks to TurboJPEG.

Straighten

Level a crooked horizon with a fine plus/minus 45 degree slider and live preview.

Flip & convert

Flip horizontally or vertically, and convert between formats in a click.

Safe by default

Edits stay in memory with a clear unsaved marker: save, discard, or save a copy. Metadata is preserved, and edits apply to every frame of an animation.

Slideshow & video

Slideshows worth watching

Turn a folder into a show, then export it to share anywhere.

36 transitions

From classic fades to 6 GPU shader effects: Swirl, Ripple, Tunnel, Warp Zoom, Glitch and Chroma Split.

Ken Burns motion

A gentle zoom and pan brings still photos to life.

Add your music

Play background tracks (MP3, OGG, WAV, FLAC, AAC, M4A, WMA) across the whole show.

Export to MP4

Render the slideshow to video in 720p, 1080p or 4K at 30 or 60 fps, transitions and audio included.

Metadata & GPS

Know your photos

See and edit the story behind every shot.

EXIF / IPTC / XMP editor

Read and edit 40+ fields: camera, lens, exposure, dates, keywords, copyright and more.

GPS map

Geotagged photos show an interactive OpenStreetMap with a pin and the place name.

Open in Google Maps

One click on the map opens the exact location in your browser.

Rename & copy

Rename a file straight from the info panel, or copy its full path in a click.

Make it yours

Yours to shape

Tune the look, the toolbar, and how HawkView fits into your system.

Dark & light themes

A clean dark theme by default, with a light theme one click away.

Customizable toolbar

Drag the 19 actions to reorder them, add separators, or reset to defaults.

Set as wallpaper

Make any image your desktop background or lock screen, right from the viewer.

Default image viewer

Choose exactly which file types open with HawkView in Settings.

Portable mode

Put a settings.ini next to the .exe and HawkView runs from a USB stick, leaving no trace.

Keyboard, print & more

Handy shortcuts, drag and drop, copy to clipboard and printing are all built in.

Privacy

Private and offline

HawkView is a local app. Your images never leave your computer, there is no account and no telemetry. The only network request is an optional version check you can switch off.

Download for Windows