IrfanView
Hacker ApprovedImage viewer in Productivity & writing
People recommend it as a fast, long-standing Windows picture viewer and converter that is free to use. Several people want a Linux or other-platform port.
People recommend it as a fast, long-standing Windows picture viewer and converter that is free to use. Several people want a Linux or other-platform port.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 12
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 12 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Fast, simple Windows image viewing
“One small joy in switching back to Windows after almost two decades of Mac OS was getting to have Irfanview again.”
Comment from 27 Mar 2026 in “John Bradley, author of xv, has passed away” “had to install Irfanview to get a usable picture viewer”
Comment from 22 Dec 2025 in “I can't upgrade to Windows 11, now leave me alone”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Wanted on Linux
“Irfanview for Linux would be pretty sweet!”
Comment from 25 Oct 2026 in “Picasa Photo Viewer Rebuilt for Linux, Project Named Licasa” “Frankly I just want IrfanView ported.”
Comment from 25 Oct 2026 in “Picasa Photo Viewer Rebuilt for Linux, Project Named Licasa”
What people said
10 of the 12 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Irfanview for Linux would be pretty sweet!”
“Frankly I just want IrfanView ported.”
“they're usually first in line to introduce some plugin”
“it used to be part of my default set of stuff to install on a new Windows PC”
“One small joy in switching back to Windows after almost two decades of Mac OS was getting to have Irfanview again.”
“Most are free and open source to boot.”
“Same, but additionally Irfanview.”
“had to install Irfanview to get a usable picture viewer”
“IrfanView (as old and dated as it is, it made working with image libraries a breeze)”
“If it comes down to FOSS/freeware stuff I am actually quite fond of Windows ecosystem.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.