How to Restore JPG/JPEG/PDF with "Invalid Value for Registry" Error

Summary

The ‘Invalid Value for Registry’ JPG/JPEG error is common with Windows operating system. When you are unable to open and view JPG/JPEG/PDF images in photo app and get error 'invalid value for registry', follow the 7 ways to fix invalid value for registry in Windows 10/8/7 and restore the image files. EaseUS data recovery software can get back lost photos, videos, and other files easily.

What Does Invalid Value of Registry Mean

Windows registry is a collection of databases that store the information and settings for software programs, hardware devices, user preferences and more. If "invalid value for registry" error happens, there is something wrong with the registry entries. This error is common with Windows operating system. Usually, the registry error appears after upgrading Windows to a new version. When you upgrade PC or update your apps in Windows, the registry entries of the previous version may remain intact. These older entries conflict with the system process and hence you are unable to view Photos. Here's a real case from the website:

"I've recently upgraded my computer from Windows 7 to Windows 10. When I try to open one of the JPEG photos in a photo app, I got an error message 'Invalid Value for Registry'. Now I'm prevented from opening and viewing any of the image files because of the invalid value for a registry. What should I do?"

The good news is that the 'invalid value for registry' error can be fixed and your images can be restored. There are 7 ways to do this.

Method 1. Restore JPG/JPEG with 'Invalid Value for Registry' Error

The first thing to do is open the images with another similar application. This simple method is very efficient, as your old software for viewing images may simply not work correctly after a Windows upgrade. If this simple method still fails, you should restore JPG/JPEG/PDF files and export them to another location. The 'invalid value for registry' error can easily lead to damage and loss of photos. Therefore restore and export images in advance in case of any kind of photo loss situation occurring due to troubleshooting. 

The best way to restore images is with the help of special, professional software. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is the best data recovery software to easily and quickly recover deleted, formatted, or lost data from your PC, laptop, or removable devices. The following is how to recover photos, videos, PDF with EaseUS disk data recovery software.

Step 1. Choose the location and start scanning.

Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, hover on the hard drive partition from which you want to recover photos, then click "Scan".

Step 2. Select the photos you want to recover.

Wait until the scanning completes, then select the photos you want to recover. To locate the pictures faster, click "Filter" > "Pictures".

Step 3. Recover photos.

Click "Recover" and choose a location on another hard drive to save the recovered photos.

Also read: Recover deleted, unsaved, and corrupted PDF file

Method 2. Reset the Photo App Without Touching the Registry

Resetting will delete settings and cached data from the Photos App on your system. You can fix the "invalid value for registry" error in this way. This is for Windows 10 users:

Step 1. Go to Start > Settings > System > Apps & Features.

Click "Microsoft Photos". A box appears, select "Advanced Options".

Step 2. Click the "Reset" button.

This would take some time and when it’s finished, restart your PC. Check if you have fixed the invalid value error.

Method 3. Fix "Invalid Value for Registry" Error in Windows 10/8/7 by Changing the Registry Settings 

Now you can feel free to fix the registry problem in Windows 10 with the solution here, which is also applicable in Windows 7 and 8. 

Step 1. Press Windows + R and type regedit to the Run dialog box to open Registry Editor. 

Step 2. Click "Yes" to run Registry Editor. 

Step 3. In the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\Repository\Families\Microsoft.Windows.Photos_8wekyb3d8bbwe

Step 4. At this registry location, you first need to take ownership of Microsoft.Windows:

• Select "Administrator (Desktop Name \ Administrator)" and click "Advanced".

• Click "Change" next to SYSTEM.

• Enter your User Name and click "Check Names" to get the right form and click "OK" to confirm.

• Check to "Replace owner on the sub-containers and objects" and select "Apply". Then click "OK" to keep all the changes.

• Finally, choose the User Name (Your Desktop Name \ Administrator) option and check to Allow boxes for "Full Control" and "Read", click Apply. And select "OK " to keep all the changes.

Step 5. Once you spotted all outdated version keys, right-click on them one by one and select "Delete". This step will remove some of your keys in Registry and cause some file loss or program failure issues. Be very careful and select the right keys to delete.

After deleting lower version number entries, you can close Registry Editor and restart your machine, the "Invalid Value for Registry" problem should be fixed by that.

Also read: The directory name is invalid in Windows 10

Method 4. Update Windows Photo Drivers

If your graphic drivers are out-of-date, you might encounter an "invalid value for registry" error as well. Therefore, you need to update your drivers.

Step 1. At the Start, type Device Manager. Select "Device Manager" from the list displayed.

Step 2. Expand "Display Adapters" and right-click on "graphics driver" and select "Update Driver".

Step 3. Select "Search automatically for updated driver software...."

After the process, restart the computer. The error "invalid value for registry" should disappear.

Method 5. Run Windows Troubleshooter

If you still fail to view your photos, you can run Windows troubleshooter to troubleshoot problems that may prevent Windows Store Apps from working properly

Step 1. Go to "Start> Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot".

Step 1. Select "Windows Store Apps > Run the troubleshooter". 

The troubleshooter would analyze and detect problems automatically. After the process, you may be able to fix invalid value for registry error while viewing JPG/JPEG/PDF.

Method 6. Clear the Windows Store Caches

Windows Store Cache is one of the reasons causing the error. It is a nice choice to clear the Windows Store Cache. This process will reset Windows StoreCaches. Once this process finishes, try to restart the Windows Store and see whether the problem is solved or not.

Step 1. Press "Win + R" to open the Run box.

Step 2. Type WSReset.exe and then tap "Enter". 

Then, Windows Store will open, and there is a message showing that: The cache for the Store was cleared.

Method 7. Run System File Checker (SFC)

If you have file system errors, you may encounter this error. SFC, also called System File Checker, is a utility in Windows that allows users to scan for corruptions in Windows system files and restore corrupted files.

Follow the steps below:

Step 1. Type Command Prompt in the search bar, right-click it and choose "Run as administrator".

Step 2. Type the following cmd and hit "Enter".

Also read: SFC fails to fix errors

If you have solved the "invalid value for registry" error through one of the methods above, do share the same with us. If you still have questions, feel free to ask us for help.