How to view AVIF files on Windows and Mac

Full guide

You double-click an image, expect it to pop open, and instead get an error or a blank window. The file ends in .avif, and your computer is not sure what to do with it. This is happening more and more often as websites switch to AVIF to shrink their images and load faster. The good news is that opening AVIF is simple once you know which lever to pull, and on most current machines it takes seconds rather than a hunt for obscure software.

AVIF, short for AV1 Image File Format, is a modern format built on the open AV1 video codec. It squeezes photographs into noticeably smaller files than older formats while keeping the quality high, and it supports transparency, animation and high dynamic range colour. That efficiency is exactly why so many sites now serve AVIF, and why you are seeing the extension turn up in downloads. Below is every dependable way to view these files on Windows and macOS, ordered from the easiest to the most thorough.

What is the fastest way to open an AVIF file?

Before you install anything, try a web browser. Every current major browser displays AVIF natively, so you can simply drag the file from your folder onto an open browser tab, or right-click the file, choose open with, and pick your browser. The image renders instantly. This works identically on Windows, macOS and Linux, which makes the browser the single most reliable universal viewer when you only need to look at the picture. According to browser support data on Can I use, AVIF is now supported across the overwhelming majority of browsers in active use worldwide, so this trick will almost always work without any setup at all.

How do you open AVIF files on Windows?

Windows can show AVIF thumbnails and open the files in the Photos app, but only once the right decoder is present. The fix is the free AV1 Video Extension, published by Microsoft. Open the Microsoft Store, search for AV1 Video Extension, install it, then reopen your AVIF file. Photos and File Explorer previews should now work as expected. If the option does not appear, run Windows Update first, since the newest builds bundle better support out of the box.

Prefer a dedicated image tool? Two long-standing free viewers handle AVIF cleanly on Windows: IrfanView and XnView. Both open the format, let you flip quickly through a folder of images, and can export to JPG or PNG in a couple of clicks. They are lightweight, ad-free and ideal if you regularly receive images in formats Windows does not natively favour.

How do you open AVIF files on a Mac?

Macs make this easy. Apple added native AVIF support in macOS Ventura, so on any reasonably current Mac you can double-click an AVIF and it opens in Preview, tap the spacebar for a Quick Look preview, or view it in Safari, all with nothing to install. If a file will not open, the usual culprit is an out-of-date system, so check for a macOS update and try again.

On older Macs running a version before Ventura, the built-in tools may not recognise AVIF. In that case reach for a free, cross-platform editor such as GIMP or XnView MP, both of which open AVIF and let you convert it. The Mac App Store also lists several dedicated image viewers that add AVIF handling if you would rather keep things native to the desktop.

How do you convert AVIF to JPG or PNG?

Sometimes viewing is not enough and you need a JPG or PNG to upload somewhere that does not accept AVIF yet. The reliable route is an editor that reads the format. On Windows, IrfanView and XnView export in a couple of steps. On macOS, open the file in Preview, choose File then Export, and pick your format. GIMP does the job on both systems and gives you fuller control over quality and dimensions while you are at it.

Browser-based converters exist too and are convenient for a single one-off file. Treat them with a little caution: avoid uploading anything confidential or personal to a website you do not know, because the image leaves your device to be processed. For anything sensitive, a desktop app that converts locally is the safer choice.

Why are so many websites using AVIF now?

The short answer is speed. AVIF typically delivers the same visual quality as a JPEG at a far smaller file size, which means pages load faster and use less data. Faster pages matter for real business outcomes: Google's guidance on Core Web Vitals treats how quickly the main image loads as a core measure of a good experience, and image weight is one of the biggest factors in that. Smaller, sharper images help a site feel quick, hold visitors' attention and rank better in search.

AVIF also brings features older formats lack: alpha transparency for clean cut-outs, support for high dynamic range and wide colour, and animation as a lighter alternative to GIF. The trade-off is that encoding takes a touch more processing power, and support, while now broad, is still a little younger than JPEG. For most modern sites the benefits clearly win, which is why the format keeps spreading and why knowing how to open these files is genuinely useful.

What if an AVIF file still will not open?

Work through it in order. First, drag the file into a browser to confirm the image itself is intact. If the browser shows it but your apps do not, the issue is a missing or outdated codec, so install the AV1 extension on Windows or update macOS. If the browser also fails, the file may be corrupted or only partly downloaded, so try downloading it again. As a last resort, open it in GIMP, which carries its own decoder and tends to open files that the operating system stumbles on.

Editing rather than just viewing? Photoshop is a separate case with its own version quirks, and we cover it in how to open AVIF files in Photoshop.

Quick reference: how to open AVIF on each platform

Here is the fastest reliable method for every common setup, so you can match your device to the right tool at a glance.