Ranking updated
Best image viewers for Mac in 2026
For a borderless window that floats above everything as a reference, with OCR, a pixel color picker and image comparison, FloatViewer. For viewing and editing images, videos and archives in one app, Pixea. For fast, lightweight browsing of images, RAW files and videos, Phiewer (lite). For a simple folder-based photo viewer with gallery, thumbnails and split screen, Lenscape. Full breakdown below.
How we picked: we read each app’s own Mac App Store description for which formats it opens, how you browse, and what it does beyond viewing. We do not quote prices; check them in the store for your country.
A floating viewer for designers and developers
FloatViewer, from a developer in Xi’an, China, opens images in a borderless window that stays on top of all other windows, so a reference sits beside your work without clutter. It renders images of 100MB and more and RAW files smoothly, extracts and copies text from any image with Apple’s Vision framework, and adds a pixel color picker, palette extraction and live histograms. You can compare two images side by side, as an overlay or with a slider, and read more than 24 EXIF fields, including camera, exposure and GPS. It opens WebP, AVIF, PSD, AI, OpenEXR and professional RAW files and follows macOS gestures for zoom, rotation and swipe. It needs macOS 14 or later.
View and edit in one app
Pixea is a media viewer and image editor with a minimal interface that opens images, videos and archives instantly, including HEIC, JPEG XL, AVIF, PSD, RAW, WEBP, MKV and MP4, and lets you search, filter, sort or shuffle a library. Its editing covers exposure, color curves, LUT filters, HSL per channel, perspective and lens corrections, point-and-click masks, removing unwanted objects and 2× or 4× upscaling, and it can edit or convert many images at once.
Fast browsing for photographers
Phiewer (lite) is a lightweight media viewer for photographers and designers: folder-based browsing, smooth viewing of images, RAW files and videos, slideshows with custom intervals, and EXIF data. It lists a very wide set of formats, from HEIC and AVIF to dozens of RAW types; Phiewer PRO adds search, sorting, multi-export and batch compression. Lenscape shows photos and videos in gallery, full screen or thumbnail mode, opens folders and subfolders in one click, moves, copies or trashes a selection, compares photos in split screen and plays slideshows. For picking colors from anywhere on screen, see color picker apps for Mac.
| App | Best for | Formats | Beyond viewing |
|---|---|---|---|
| FloatViewerCensuusApp Store | a floating reference window | WebP, AVIF, PSD, AI, OpenEXR, RAW | OCR, color picker, palettes, histograms, comparison, EXIF |
| PixeaApp Store | viewing and editing in one app | HEIC, JPEG XL, AVIF, PSD, RAW, WEBP, MKV, MP4 | adjustments, masks, object removal, upscaling, batch edits |
| Phiewer (lite)App Store | fast browsing for photographers | a long list of image, RAW and video formats | slideshows, EXIF; search and batch export in PRO |
| LenscapeApp Store | folders of photos and videos | photos and videos | split screen, slideshow, move and copy selections |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best image viewer for Mac?
It depends on the job: FloatViewer for a floating reference window with analysis tools, Pixea to view and edit in one app, Phiewer (lite) for fast browsing of RAW and video, and Lenscape for simple folder browsing.
Which Mac image viewer opens RAW files?
FloatViewer, Pixea and Phiewer (lite) all open RAW files; Phiewer lists dozens of RAW formats, from CR3 and NEF to ARW and DNG.
Is there an image viewer that keeps a picture on top of other windows?
FloatViewer shows images in a borderless floating window that stays above all other windows, made for keeping a reference in view while you work.
Can a Mac image viewer copy text from an image?
FloatViewer has OCR built in: it extracts text from any image with Apple’s Vision framework so you can copy it.