You double-click an .avif image, the Windows Photos app opens, and you get an error, a black screen, or "It looks like we don't support this file format." The file is usually fine; Windows simply cannot decode AVIF on its own. Here is why, and three fixes that work.

Why Photos can't open AVIF

The Photos app can only display AVIF when the AV1 Video Extension is installed, because AVIF images are built on the AV1 video codec. On a fresh Windows install that extension is missing, so Photos has nothing to decode the file with. Even when it is installed, some AVIF files (for example certain HDR or 10-bit images) can still fail.

Fix 1: Install the AV1 Video Extension

  1. Open the Microsoft Store.
  2. Search for AV1 Video Extension by Microsoft and install it (free).
  3. Restart the Photos app and open the file again.

This is the official route and fixes most cases. If a specific file still will not open, move on to Fix 2.

Fix 2: Use a viewer that decodes AVIF itself (the permanent fix)

The most reliable solution is to stop relying on a Windows codec. HawkView decodes AVIF on its own, so it opens every .avif file the same way, whether or not any Store extension is installed. Set it as your default for .avif and double-clicking just works from then on. It opens HEIC, JPEG XL, WebP and RAW too. For the full walkthrough, see how to open AVIF files on Windows.

Fix 3: Convert the AVIF file

If you only need this one image elsewhere, convert a copy to JPG or PNG (in HawkView, open the file and save a copy). You keep the small AVIF original and get a universally compatible version to share.

Still not working?

  • Update Windows and the Photos app, then retry.
  • Reinstall the AV1 Video Extension if it was installed but failing.
  • Confirm the file really is AVIF (not a mislabeled file) by opening it in HawkView, which will display it correctly if it is valid.

The bottom line

Photos fails on AVIF because Windows has no built-in AVIF decoder. Install the AV1 Video Extension for a quick fix, or, to never chase a codec again, open AVIF in a viewer with native support like HawkView.