JPEG Viewer — Open .jpg Files with XnView

JPEG (.jpg / .jpeg) is the most widely used lossy image format, standardized as ISO/IEC 10918-1 in 1992. XnView MP and XnView Classic open, view, edit and batch convert JPEG files on Windows, macOS and Linux. XnConvert handles bulk JPEG conversion to and from any of 500+ supported formats, with optional resize, watermark and metadata steps.

XnView JPEG support at a glance

About the JPEG format

JPEG was developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group and standardized as ISO/IEC 10918-1 in 1992. It uses lossy compression based on the discrete cosine transform (DCT) to reduce file size by up to 95% compared to uncompressed images. JPEG is universally supported across browsers, operating systems and cameras, which made it the default photographic format for over 30 years.

Key characteristics of JPEG

How to view and edit JPEG files with XnView

Open a .jpg file

Launch XnView MP, then File > Open and select the JPEG, or drag the file onto the XnView MP window. The image displays immediately with pan, zoom, fullscreen and slideshow controls.

Resize, rotate or crop a JPEG

For lossless rotation or cropping, use Image > JPEG lossless transformations. For regular editing (resize, color adjust, filters), use Image > Resize (Shift+S), Image > Adjust or Image > Filter. Save with File > Save as to preserve the original and control the output quality.

Batch convert or compress JPEG files

Open XnConvert, drag your JPEG files in, choose the output format and optionally add Resize, Watermark or Metadata steps in the Actions tab, then click Convert. XnConvert processes thousands of files in one pass.

Frequently asked questions

Is XnView a free JPEG viewer?

Yes. XnView MP and XnView Classic are free for private, educational and non-profit use, including JPEG viewing, editing and conversion. A paid license is required for commercial use in a company.

How do I rotate a JPEG without losing quality?

In XnView MP, open the file and use Image > JPEG lossless transformations > Rotate. The rotation is applied without re-encoding the JPEG, so no quality is lost. The same works for flipping and for cropping when the crop aligns with the 8x16 pixel block grid.

How do I batch convert JPEG to PNG, TIFF or WebP?

Open XnConvert, drag your JPEG files in, choose the output format in the Output tab and click Convert. XnConvert applies the same transformation to every file at once, with optional resize, watermark, metadata or filter steps.

Can XnView edit JPEG metadata (EXIF, IPTC, XMP)?

Yes. In XnView MP: Metadata > Edit IPTC or Metadata > Edit XMP opens the dedicated editor for captions, keywords, copyright, ratings and other fields. Metadata > Clean Metadata removes EXIF, IPTC, XMP or thumbnails on demand.

Does XnView support progressive JPEG and quality settings on export?

Yes. When saving as JPEG, XnView MP exposes the quality slider (0-100), progressive encoding, chroma subsampling, optimised Huffman tables and metadata preservation options.

Related XnView tools