Microsoft Photos cannot edit _Pro.jpg files on Windows 11 - "format unsupported" error

I can't say for certain what's wrong with those files, but the message usually means the Photos editor can't decode that particular JPEG, even though the viewer can display it. Files from the Pro mode of some cameras use encoding options that the editor is picky about. So the practical fix is to re-encode the image into a plain, standard file and edit that instead.

Paint's Save As PNG works, as the reply above says, if you can open the file there. If Paint refuses too, or you have a lot of these, run them through a converter that decodes with the browser instead of Windows. I built a free tool for this, so take that with a grain of salt: gettoolyard.com/tools/jpg-to-png/ - drop the JPGs in, download PNGs, and edit those in Photos. It runs in the browser, so the photos aren't uploaded. If it fails on the same file, then the file itself is likely damaged, and copying it again from the camera or phone is worth a try.

Hi Nisha Parashar,

Thank you for the clear description and for outlining what you have tried. I understand how frustrating it is when basic editing in the Windows Photos app doesn't work on pictures taken by Camera app. That said, there is currently no documentation confirming what you’re experiencing, and I can edit the Pro photo on my device:

So it would be helpful if you could try a few more checks to determine whether this is an app limitation or if there’s a system corruption, specific for your device. Please try:

1. Editing a different image / another Pro image / an image taken without Pro mode
2. Opening File Explorer > View (top menu) > Show > enable File name extensions

• Go to the image file location > rename the file
  • Change .jpg to .png or .jpeg, then test editing again

1. If it still cannot be edited, open the image in Paint > File > Save as > PNG picture.

Because the same behavior couldn’t be reproduced on my own PC, it isn’t yet confirmed to be an app limitation. I wish I could provide a more definitive answer, but this is a user-to-user support forum, and contributors don’t have access to backend diagnostics to make such confirmations.

If the steps above work, they can serve as a practical workaround for now. Still, you are right that ideally, since both are native Windows apps, Photos should support basic editing for Camera outputs.

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Duplicate post - this was submitted twice by mistake. Please see my other answer on this thread.