First look: Microsoft has unveiled an updated Photos app for Windows 11 featuring a new native editor and image viewer, and an all-new gallery. The update is part of the company's ongoing effort to make Windows 11 faster and more user-friendly by fixing long-standing bugs and trimming resource usage. It is rolling out to Windows Insiders first, with a wider release to all Windows 11 users expected later this year.
The new editor includes several useful tools. Crop helps adjust framing, composition, and aspect ratio, while Enhance fine-tunes light, color, and the overall look of a photo. Repair lets users fix flaws and imperfections, and Stylize changes the look and feel of an image.
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The editor also introduces Relight, which can correct the lighting and exposure of a photograph during post-processing. It supports editing HDR, HEIC, and WebP images as well, along with AI-powered removal of unwanted objects from the background.
Microsoft says the next-generation AI model behind the object removal tool delivers "higher-quality results and faster processing than ever before." To use it, select Repair from the edit options in the right pane, then circle or paint over the object with the brush.
Speed, or the lack of it, has been one of the biggest complaints about Windows 11 and its built-in apps. Microsoft says the rebuilt Editor launches 25% faster than the existing version, and it reportedly offers smoother navigation and scrolling as part of the company's push to make Photos the default editor for most Windows 11 users.
The redesigned viewer, meanwhile, opens photos 15% faster on average and HEIC images up to 30% faster, according to Microsoft. The company also points to a cleaner "photo-first design," smoother navigation with the arrow keys, improved HDR viewing, and support for new file types, including SVG.
The gallery retains its OneDrive and iCloud integration, letting users open and edit local photos and videos alongside files stored in the cloud. Users can also download photos and videos from their OneDrive and iCloud accounts to local storage through File Explorer for offline access.
Unlike the revamped editor and viewer, however, the new gallery is a web wrapper, and that hasn't gone down well with power users. Commenters on Reddit and X have criticized Microsoft for removing the existing native WinUI 3 gallery app and replacing it with a WebView2 application based on the new OneDrive Photos app, which they describe as noticeably slower and less user-friendly.