Why do some JPEG files show an error or won’t open?

I’ve got several .jpg files that won’t open in any image viewer — I get an error saying the file is corrupt or unsupported. They have the correct .jpg extension, and the file sizes seem normal. Any idea what might cause this, or how to fix/recover them?

Tagged: JPEG Error

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Kai Vortex

Participant

September 30, 2025 at 5:37 am

That usually means the file is either corrupted or not actually a JPEG, even though it has a .jpg extension. A few things you can try: Open the file with a tool like IrfanView, GIMP, or an online tool — they may handle broken images better. Try checking the file type with a tool like ExifTool or file (if you’re on Mac/Linux). It’ll tell you what the file actually is. If you still have access to the source, try re-downloading or copying the image again. There are repair tools out there (like Stellar Photo Repair).

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