RecursiView

RecursiView is a tool you can use to preview images in its main window. It features support for JPG, EMF, GIF, ICO, PNG, TIF, BMP, and other file types. The app has a built-in file explorer and several view modes that can be figured out with ease even by users with limited experience in photo viewers.

It's not wrapped in a setup kit, so you can copy the downloaded files to a custom location on the hard drive or to a removable storage unit, and simply double-click the .exe to launch the program. Unlike many installers, it doesn't make any modifications to the Windows registry. However, it updates its configuration file with your settings.

As far as the interface is concerned, RecursiView adopts a large window with a neatly organized structure, where you can select any directory to browse all its supported graphic files. These can be previewed in an embedded frame, as well as examined for the file name, format, date of last modification, and full path.

It's possible to visit an image's location on the HDD in your default file explorer, remove a file from the disk, copy pics or file paths to the Clipboard, set desktop wallpapers, change the view mode and thumbnail size, as well as integrate entries into the "Send To.." sub menu of the Explorer context menu.

The application has options for opening and editing images. However, it doesn't have built-in tools for this purpose. Instead, it uses your default graphic viewer and editor. The editor can be swapped with another one by specifying its full path.

It worked smoothly in our tests, without causing the operating system to hang, crash or prompt error messages. CPU and RAM consumption was minimal. On the other hand, RecursiView has limited options. For instance, it doesn't have filters for showing only files with particular extensions. Nevertheless, it offers a simple solution for previewing photos.