Windows 11 Now Supports JPEG XL (JXL) Image Format But There is a Caveat

While Apple adopted the JPEG-XL image format with the launch of the iPhone 16 series last year, other companies have been slow to support the new royalty-free image format. Now, Microsoft has taken the initiative to support JPEG XL (JXL) images on Windows 11, starting with version 24H2 through an extension.

That said, you can’t view JPEG XL images on Windows 11 yet. I tried opening JXL images using the official Photos app, but it doesn’t recognize the image format at all. Similarly, Microsoft Paint can’t open JPEG XL images as of now. Note that I am running Windows 11 version 24H2 in the Release Preview channel.

Even after installing the extension, you can’t view JPEG XL images on Windows 11 using first-party apps. It’s because many of the system apps are not updated to recognize this image format. In the description of the extension listing on the Microsoft Store, it’s clearly mentioned that “You can set JPEG XL images as a desktop background and open JPEG XL images in Windows Media Player Legacy. Support for JPEG XL is coming to additional apps.“

Basically, with the extension, you can preview the thumbnail of JXL images in File Explorer, set a JXL image as a desktop background, and open JPEG XL images using the Windows Media Player Legacy program. However, major Windows apps such as Photos and Paint can’t open JXL images yet. The good news is that Microsoft is bringing support for JPEG XL images to more apps soon.

I tried opening a JXL image using the Windows Media Player Legacy program, and thankfully, it worked. So there is at least one way you can view JXL images on Windows 11. That said, I would suggest using IrfanView with a JPEG XL plugin to view the images. It’s one of the best image viewers on Windows and loads JXL images pretty fast. Here are the steps to follow.

View JXL Images on Windows 11 Using IrfanView

• Go ahead and install IrfanView on your PC from the Microsoft Store.
• Next, download the JPEG XL plugin for IrfanView from here.

• Now, unzip it and copy the “Jpeg_XL.dll” file.

• After that, navigate to the below folder and paste the DLL file.

C:\Program Files\IrfanView\Plugins

• Now, you can easily open and view JPEG XL (JXL) images on Windows 11 using IrfanView.

Additionally, I would recommend installing the JPEG XL Viewer extension (Free) in the Chrome browser to render and view JXL images on the web.

And that is how you can view JXL images on Windows 11. I am hoping Microsoft quickly updates its Photos and Paint apps with the ability to edit and save JPEG XL images to drive adoption of the JXL image format. That said, go ahead and try out the new extension. If you face any issues, let us know in the comments below.