Microsoft has released a new OneDrive Photos app for Windows 11 that allows users to view, edit, and organize images stored in the cloud or locally.

Microsoft has released a new Windows 11 application called OneDrive Photos, which allows users to access, view, and edit images stored in their OneDrive account. The app was delivered via a OneDrive update rather than a separate installation process. While Microsoft stated the app is a preview for Windows Insiders in the Experimental channel, many users on standard production builds have reported receiving the software.

App Features and Functionality

The OneDrive Photos app organizes images into several categories, including Gallery, Moments, Albums, Favorites, and This PC. Users can perform basic photo editing tasks such as cropping, adjusting brightness, and applying filters. The app also includes a People category that uses facial recognition to group photos of the same individuals.

Privacy and Data Usage

Microsoft stated that face grouping data is visible only to the account owner and is not shared with others. The company confirmed that it does not use these facial scans to train its AI models and that all data is deleted after 30 days. Users have the ability to opt out of the face grouping feature through the settings menu on the OneDrive web page.

Rollout and Removal Concerns

The app's release has drawn questions regarding its distribution, as it appeared on standard Windows 11 PCs despite being described as an Insider preview. Additionally, there is no direct option to uninstall the app without removing the entire OneDrive service, which serves as a primary backup and synchronization tool for many users.