XnView

XnView Classic
Original authorPierre-Emmanuel Gougelet
DeveloperXnSoft
Release1.0a / 1997; 29 years ago (1997)
Stable release
2.52.7 / 22 September 2026; 32 days ago (2026-09-22)
Written inC, C++
EngineGFL (Graphics File Library)
Operating systemWindows
Platformx86
Size5.4 to 24 MB
Available in46 languages
List of languages
Afrikaans, Arabic, Basque, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Farsi, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Welsh
TypeImage viewer, editor and organizer
LicenseFreeware for private, educational or non-profit use; otherwise commercial software
Websitewww.xnview.com/en/xnview-classic/
XnView MP
Original authorPierre-Emmanuel Gougelet
DeveloperXnSoft
Release0.1 / 17 October 2008; 18 years ago (2008-10-17)
Stable release
1.12.1 / 29 September 2026; 25 days ago (2026-09-29)
Written inC++ (Qt)
Operating systemWindows, macOS, Linux
Platformx64, ARM64
Size63 to 132 MB
Available in28 languages
List of languages
Armenian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian
TypeImage viewer, editor and organizer
LicenseFreeware for private, educational or non-profit use; otherwise commercial software
Websitewww.xnview.com/en/xnview-mp/

XnView is an image viewer, editor, and organizer that also provides file management capabilities. It reads more than 500 image formats, writes more than 70, and supports batch processing, including renaming, conversion, and metadata editing.

XnView is available in two editions: XnView MP, a modern cross-platform version, and XnView Classic, the legacy Windows version, which continues to receive maintenance updates. Both editions are available as standard installers and portable archives.

It is licensed as freeware for private, educational, and non-profit use, and as commercial software for other uses.

History

Development began around 1990 on Atari systems, where Pierre-Emmanuel Gougelet wrote the initial code for an image-processing library that later formed the basis of XnView, XnView Pocket, NConvert, and the GFL SDK. The command-line tools NView and NConvert were subsequently ported to Silicon Graphics workstations. In 1995, NView was given a graphical interface using the Motif toolkit.

XnView (Classic)

Following its initial Windows release in 1997, XnView was ported to multiple platforms, including Linux, macOS, Solaris, FreeBSD, HP-UX, AIX, IRIX, and PocketPC. In parallel, the command-line tools NView and NConvert, based on the same GFL processing engine, were adapted for additional systems such as Atari, OS/2, and BeOS.

During the 2000s, development of non-Windows versions of XnView was gradually discontinued, and the Windows version became the primary maintained platform. Cross-platform support was later reintroduced with XnView MP.

XnView Deluxe

Around 2002, an extended commercial edition named XnView Deluxe was developed for Xzeos Software. The Deluxe edition expanded the freeware XnView package with additional multimedia and image-management capabilities, including PDF and HTML viewing, archive browsing, slideshow export to video and executable formats, audio playback, FTP and email integration, advanced search functions, and enhanced web gallery generation.

Development, distribution, and sales of XnView Deluxe were discontinued on 1 January 2006 due to strong competition from established commercial photo-management software, which prevented the product from gaining a significant market share. Several features introduced in XnView Deluxe were later incorporated into the standard freeware versions of XnView.

XnView MP

In 2008, a new Multi-Platform (MP) version of the software was introduced, while the original application became known as XnView Classic.

XnView MP was rewritten in C++ using the Qt framework and released for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The new architecture introduced Unicode support, native 64-bit support, and more efficient use of multi-core processors. Editing tools and support for many image formats that were previously available only as external plugins were also integrated into the application.

XnView MP is under active development, whereas XnView Classic is in maintenance mode and primarily receives bug fixes.

Features

XnView Classic and XnView MP share a largely similar core feature set, although several advanced capabilities are exclusive to XnView MP (marked with an asterisk).

Format support

Viewing and navigation

Image editing

Cataloging and Metadata support

Batch processing

Creation tools and Utilities

Plugins support

Reception

XnView Classic

The original version was widely praised for its lightweight design, fast startup times, and extensive image format support, often being described as a versatile image-management utility.

Due to its legacy architecture, the Classic version lacks native Unicode support, which can cause issues when handling non-Latin file paths. It also lacks out-of-the-box support for newer image formats like AVIF and JPEG XL, while HEIC support requires an external plugin.

XnView MP

The multi-platform successor expanded the capabilities of the Classic version to macOS and Linux while introducing Unicode support, 64-bit compatibility, and multi-core processing. Reviewers highlighted improvements across nearly all aspects of the application, including UI/UX refinement, metadata handling, batch processing, and additional functionality.

However, the extensive and highly detailed settings can still present a significant learning curve for beginner users.

Usage and development

XnView's development relies closely on community feedback, with the official forum serving as the primary hub for reporting bugs and proposing new features. The application's creator actively participates in these discussions, tracking and documenting resolved issues and implemented features in an official development log and changelog hosted via MantisBT.

The software has also been referenced in academic research involving DICOM image handling and digital watermarking techniques. In 2006, Sveriges Television (SVT) recommended it in their High Definition Multi Format Test Set.

The developer has also released several related applications and tools, including:

SoftwareDescriptionPlatformsDevelopment status
NConvertCLI batch convert toolWindows, Linux, macOSActive
XnConvertGUI batch convert toolWindows, Linux, macOSActive
XnShellFile Explorer shell extensionWindowsActive
XnResizeImage resizerWindows, Linux, macOSActive
XnRetroUsed to assign vintage or instant effects to imagesWindows, Linux, macOSMaintenance
XnSketchTransforms images into cartoon or sketch renderingsWindows, Linux, macOSMaintenance
Xn (Mobile)Mobile apps including Hypocam, ResizeMe!, XnConvert, Coleka, etc.iOS, AndroidActive
GFL-SDKFree developer library used in tools by third partiesWindows, Linux, Mac OS XDiscontinued
NViewCLI predecessor of XnViewDOSDiscontinued

See also

References

  1. 1 2 WhatsNew.txt file included in the XnView application distribution package.
  2. ↑ "XnView Classic 2.52.7". XnView Official Forum. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
  3. ↑ "Programming Language". XnView Official Forum. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  4. 1 2 "GFL SDK Software Development Kit Version 3.40". XnView. 2011. Archived from the original on 2017-07-20. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  5. ↑ "Translators". XnView. 2010-04-27. Archived from the original on 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  6. ↑ "XnView MP 1.12.1". XnView Official Forum. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  7. ↑ "List of supported OS platforms". XnView Official Forum. 2026-09-29. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  8. ↑ "Translations". XnView Official Forum. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  9. 1 2 3 "Supported file formats". XnView. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  10. ↑ "History of XnView?". XnView Official Forum. 2009-03-06. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
  11. ↑ "XnView Classic version archive". XnView. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  12. ↑ "What was XnView DeLuxe?". XnView Official Forum. 2005-01-07. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
  13. ↑ "Deluxe is dead. Hourra for XnView!". XnView Official Forum. 2006-01-19. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
  14. ↑ "XnView MP version archive". XnView. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
  15. ↑ "XnView Features". XnView. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  16. ↑ "Ghostscript". XnView Official Forum. 2025-10-14. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  17. ↑ "Addons/Plugins/..." XnView Official Forum. 2007-01-31. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  18. ↑ "Can XnView play video files (MP4, MOV, AVI)?". XnView. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  19. ↑ Carl Seibert (2017-08-07). "XnView metadata How-To". CarlSeibert.com. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  20. ↑ "How to resize images in batch without losing quality". XnView. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  21. ↑ Alex Muradinn (2005-11-03). "XnView review". Softpedia. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  22. ↑ Codrut Nistor (2006-07-15). "Free Image Viewers Challenge". Softpedia. Retrieved 2026-06-22.
  23. ↑ Sofia Elizabella Wycislik-Wilson (2017-07-27). "XnView review". TechRadar. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  24. ↑ Mike Smith (2018-07-23). "XnView: The Image Viewer That Gets My Vote". Fstoppers. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  25. ↑ "How to open files with cyrillic names?". XnView Official Forum. 2007-01-28. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  26. ↑ "Can't Open Files with Some Special Characters". XnView Official Forum. 2013-06-07. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  27. ↑ "AVIF support in xnview Classic?". XnView Official Forum. 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  28. ↑ "JPEG XL". XnView Official Forum. 2020-06-20. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  29. ↑ "Can't open HEIC". XnView Official Forum. 2021-05-04. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  30. ↑ Giorgiana Arghire (2026-05-01). "XnView review". Softpedia. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  31. ↑ Igor Ljubuncic (2022-06-22). "XnView - Small, feisty and powerful". Dedoimedo. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  32. ↑ Elena Opris (2015-02-19). "XnView Review - Advanced Photo Viewer, Editor and Organizer for Free". Softpedia. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  33. ↑ "XnView MantisBT Changelog". XnView. Retrieved 2026-06-22.
  34. ↑ Escott, Edward J.; Rubinstein, David (September 2003). "Free DICOM Image Viewing and Processing Software for Your Desktop Computer: What's Available and What It Can Do for You". Radiographics. 23 (5). RSNA: 1341–1357. doi:10.1148/rg.235035047. PMID 12975521.
  35. ↑ Ganic, E.; Eskicioglu, A. M. (2004). "Robust DWT-SVD domain image watermarking: embedding data in all frequencies". Proceedings of the 2004 workshop on Multimedia and security. ACM. pp. 166–174. ISBN 978-1-58113-854-2.
  36. ↑ Lars Haglund (2006-02-01). "The SVT High Definition Multi Format Test Set" (PDF). SVT. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2014-02-23. For viewing the original 'sgi16' files we recommend the use of XnView
  37. ↑ "GFL SDK for Mac 64 bit". XnView Official Forum. 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2026-06-22.
  38. ↑ "XnView old Download". 2002-12-03. Archived from the original on 2017-01-01. Retrieved 2017-04-04. Nview/Nconvert & View2 v3.87