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Opening Images

ImageGlass provides multiple ways to open and view images:

From File Explorer

  • Double-click any image file
  • Right-click → Open with → ImageGlass
  • Drag and drop image(s) onto ImageGlass window
  • Set ImageGlass as default photo viewer

Within ImageGlass

  • Press Ctrl+O to open file dialog
  • Press Ctrl+V to paste from clipboard
  • Drag and drop files into the window
  • Use command line: ImageGlass.exe "path\to\image.jpg"
Navigate through images using keyboard shortcuts:

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Zoom Controls

ImageGlass offers multiple zoom modes to suit different viewing needs.

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Zoom Modes

Press 1 or NumPad 1Automatically fits images to the window size. Large images are scaled down, small images remain at their original size.Best for: General viewing, mixed-size images
Press 2 or NumPad 2Maintains a fixed zoom level across all images. Useful when comparing images or maintaining consistent viewing scale.Best for: Comparing multiple images, pixel-level inspection
Press 3 or NumPad 3Scales images to match window width, may require vertical scrolling for tall images.Best for: Wide images, panoramas, web page screenshots
Press 4 or NumPad 4Scales images to match window height, may require horizontal scrolling for wide images.Best for: Tall images, portraits, mobile screenshots
Press 5 or NumPad 5Scales images to fit entirely within the window, never requiring scrolling.Best for: Viewing complete images, presentations
Press 6 or NumPad 6Scales images to fill the window completely, may crop parts of the image.Best for: Wallpapers, immersive viewing
Press 0 or NumPad 0Displays images at their original pixel dimensions (1:1 pixel ratio).Best for: Pixel-perfect viewing, quality checking, detailed work

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Manual Zoom

Zoom In/Out

  • Press + or = to zoom in
  • Press - to zoom out
  • Scroll mouse wheel to zoom at cursor position
  • Pinch gesture on touch screens

Custom Zoom

Press Z to enter a specific zoom percentage:
  • Type any value (e.g., 50%, 150%, 200%)
  • Press Enter to apply
  • Use for precise zoom levels

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Panning Large Images

When an image is zoomed in beyond the window size:
1

Mouse Drag

Click and drag anywhere on the image to pan
2

Keyboard Pan

  • Alt+Arrows - Pan in small increments
  • Ctrl+Alt+Arrows - Pan to edges instantly
3

Scroll Wheel

  • Ctrl+Wheel - Pan vertically
  • Shift+Wheel - Pan horizontally
4

Touch Gesture

Drag with one finger to pan on touch screens

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Viewing Multi-Frame Images

ImageGlass supports animated and multi-frame formats like GIF, WEBP, TIFF, AVIF, and HEIC.
  • Auto-play - Animations play automatically by default
  • Pause/Resume - Press Ctrl+Space to toggle animation
  • Frame info - Displays current frame number and total frames

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Window Modes

ImageGlass offers various window modes for different viewing scenarios:

Full Screen

Shortcut: F11Hides all UI elements for distraction-free viewing. Press F11 or Escape to exit.
  • Entire screen used for image
  • UI appears on mouse movement
  • Perfect for presentations

Frameless

Shortcut: F10Removes window border while staying in windowed mode. Useful for screenshots and cleaner appearance.
  • No title bar or borders
  • Still resizable and movable
  • Can be combined with other modes

Window Fit

Shortcut: F9Automatically resizes window to match current image dimensions.
  • Window matches image size
  • Useful for pixel-perfect viewing
  • Respects screen boundaries

Always on Top

Menu: Layout → Always on TopKeeps ImageGlass window above all others, useful for reference images while working.

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Slideshow Mode

View images automatically with slideshow mode:
1

Start Slideshow

Press F12 or click Slideshow in menu
2

Configure Settings

  • Set interval (seconds between images)
  • Choose full screen or windowed
  • Enable/disable countdown timer
  • Select zoom mode
3

Control Playback

  • Space - Pause/resume
  • → / ← - Manual navigation
  • C - Toggle countdown display
  • Escape - Exit slideshow
Slideshow settings are preserved between sessions. Configure once and reuse anytime.

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Layout Customization

Toggle: T
  • Position: Top, Bottom, Left, or Right
  • Customizable buttons
  • Center or left alignment
  • Icon size adjustment
Change: M
  • Solid colors
  • Checkerboard pattern (press B)
  • Custom colors via theme
  • System accent color support

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Image Information

View detailed information about the current image:

Toolbar Info

The toolbar displays:
  • Current image index (e.g., “5 / 23”)
  • Filename
  • Dimensions (width × height)
  • File size
  • Zoom percentage

Full Properties

Press Alt+Enter for Windows Properties dialog:
  • Complete file information
  • EXIF data (if available)
  • File dates and attributes
  • Location and permissions

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Loading Order

Customize how images are sorted in the folder: Press Shift+O to access loading order options:
  • Name (default)
  • Date Created
  • Date Modified
  • File Size
  • Random
  • Extension

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Tips for Better Viewing

  • Enable gallery cache for faster thumbnail loading
  • Adjust thumbnail cache size in Settings
  • Use hardware acceleration when available
  • Disable frame animation for better performance on large GIFs
  • Use “Actual Size” (0) for pixel-perfect viewing
  • Configure interpolation settings for zooming
  • Enable high-quality scaling in Settings
  • View individual color channels with Shift+C
  • Set up custom keyboard shortcuts for frequent actions
  • Create toolbar layouts for different tasks
  • Use Lock Zoom mode for consistent comparison
  • Enable Always on Top for reference images

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