A catalogue-grade viewer with batch conversion on board
XnView MP is the modern, multi-platform branch of the long-running XnView family. It is a viewer, a thumbnail browser, an image organiser and a batch converter in one process, and it ships builds for Windows, macOS and Linux from the same code base and the same download page. Format coverage is the headline feature: several hundred raster, vector and camera RAW formats are read, roughly seventy are written, and metadata handling covers EXIF, IPTC, XMP and embedded ICC profiles. The interface follows the familiar three-pane layout - folder tree, thumbnail grid, preview or file information - and every pane is dockable, so a laptop screen and a two-monitor desk can each get a sensible arrangement.
What it does
The browser builds a catalogue view of any folder, filters by rating, colour label, format or metadata, and can search by EXIF fields such as camera, lens, ISO or capture date. Batch processing applies resize, rotate, crop, format conversion, watermark, metadata rewrite and a rename template to an arbitrary selection, and the same engine is exposed as XnConvert for one-off jobs. Utilities include lossless JPEG rotation, duplicate file finding, a slideshow, contact sheet creation, panorama stitching and a simple paint module for arrows, text and redaction. A separate category rating and colour label system makes culling practical without touching the files themselves.
The workflow
Point the browser at an import folder, let thumbnails build, then cull with rating and label keys. Use the filter bar to show only the keepers, open the batch dialog, and chain the operations you need in the order they should run: resize first, then sharpen, then add a watermark, then rename and export. Because the batch engine reads metadata, you can split one large import into per-camera or per-date output folders with a single metadata-based rename template. The catalogue search then replaces manual folder digging when you need every shot taken with a particular lens at a particular aperture.
Practical settings and limits
Enable the thumbnail cache and set an index folder on a fast disk, otherwise very large libraries rebuild thumbnails on each visit. Decide early whether the database should store ratings inside the image files or only in its own catalogue, because the two choices behave differently when files move. The editor is deliberately light: brushes, layers, masks and 16-bit workflows are absent, and colour management applies profiles for display but does not offer soft proofing or gamut warnings. The commercial licence requirement applies to business use, so check the vendor terms before rolling it out in a company.
Who should choose something else
Professional retouchers need layer-based editing with full colour management, and studios that already own a digital asset manager will not want a second catalogue. Users who only open single images occasionally can stay with the operating system viewer. XnView MP earns its place in mixed Windows, macOS and Linux households that want one consistent browser, one metadata model and one batch pipeline across every machine.
- Best for
- Mixed Windows, macOS and Linux users who want one viewer with metadata search and a strong batch converter.
- Good to know
- Freeware for private and educational use only. Commercial use requires a paid licence from the vendor.
How to get started
- Download XnViewMP-win-x64.exe from the official download host and run it once to install the viewer and its shell extension.
- Run the setup and choose the standard or portable installation and your language, then let it index the first folder.
- Open the browser, select a photo folder and let the thumbnails and cache build.
- Rate and colour-label a selection, then use the filter bar to show only the keepers before you start processing them.
- Open Tools, then Batch Convert, chain resize and rename, and export to a new folder.
- Save the batch preset and the catalogue index together so the next import starts from the same rules.
Questions & answers
Is XnView MP free for company use?
No. The vendor licenses it as freeware for private and educational use; commercial deployment requires a paid licence per seat.
Does it convert RAW files in batch?
It reads many RAW formats and can batch convert them, but the output is a standard 8-bit rendering rather than a full RAW development pipeline with highlight recovery or lens correction.
Where are ratings stored?
You choose in the settings: ratings can be written into the image metadata or kept only in the XnView catalogue database, and the two behave differently when files move.
