If you’ve ever come across an avif file on your Windows 11 computer, you may have noticed that it won’t open or display properly. This is because Windows 11 doesn’t recognize the file type extension and doesn’t have a default app associated with it. But fear not, there is a way to open these files and display them properly using the Windows 11 Photo app.
First, right-click on the avif file and select “Show more options” and then “Properties”. In the “General” tab, you should see that the file type is an avif file and that it currently opens with an unknown application. To associate the file with the Windows 11 Photo app, click on the “Change” button next to “Opens with”. In the window that appears, locate the Photos app and select it. Then click “Set default”, “Apply”, and “OK”.
Now when you double-click on the avif file, it should open in the Photos app. However, you may see a message at the bottom of the app that says “The av1 video extension is required to display this file. Download and install it now.” Click on the hyperlink text to download and install the extension. If the Photos app doesn’t open, you can also search for the “av1 video extension” in the Microsoft Store and install it from there.
Once the extension is installed, you can close out of the Microsoft Store and the Photos app and double-click on the avif file again. This time, the file should display properly in the Photos app. If you want to see a thumbnail preview for your avif image file instead of the default icon, simply restart your computer and the preview should appear.
In conclusion, opening and displaying avif files on Windows 11 is easy once you have the av1 video extension installed and associated with the Photos app. No need to worry about not being able to access your avif files anymore!