The "Uninvited Guest": How to Stop WPS Office from Hijacking Your Windows 11 Photos
As a long-term user of WPS Office, I have appreciated the suite as a practical tool for my personal projects and documentation. However, I have encountered a frustrating behavior where a bundled "WPS Photo" component takes over my image files (.png and .jpg) without my consent. Every time I manually reset my preference to the standard Windows "Photos" app, WPS would "repair" the association back to itself the moment I restarted my computer. It felt like my own choices were being ignored by the software, and it became a significant daily headache. After looking into why this was happening, I discovered that WPS uses a background "watchdog" process and a hidden bridge file to monitor and revert user settings. Because this file is tucked away in a versioned folder within the User AppData directory, it is very difficult to find using a standard search. If you are facing this issue, you do not need to uninstall the entire office suite. You simply need to break the redirect chain by neutralizing the specific file that intercepts your image requests. Here is the fix: LOCATE THE FILE: Navigate to your local AppData folder. The path will look like this (replace [User] with your Windows username): C:\Users[User]\AppData\Local\Kingsoft\WPS Office[VersionNumber]\office6\ IDENTIFY THE FILE: Look for a file named: photolaunch.exe NEUTRALIZE IT: Rename that file to: photolaunch.exe.bak (Note: If it says the file is in use, close any open WPS windows first). RESET YOUR DEFAULTS: Right-click any image > Open with > Choose another app > Select "Photos" and check the box "Always use this app to open .png files." By renaming the file to a .bak extension, you pull the plug on the "watchdog." When WPS tries to force itself back as the default, it finds a dead end, and Windows is finally able to honor your choice. WPS Office is a capable suite, but forcing these associations is a breach of user trust. Software should serve the user, not override their preferences. If you want your computer to stay organized your way, this simple bit of maintenance is the way to go. _________________________________________________ UPDATE (May 2026): Please be aware that whenever WPS Office updates to a new version (e.g., jumping from version 12.1.0.25862 to 12.1.0.26372), it will create a new folder and reinstall a fresh photolaunch.exe. When this happens, the "hijacking" behavior will return because the software ignores the .bak file in the old version folder. To fix this after an update: Navigate back to your AppData\Local\Kingsoft\WPS Office\ folder. Look for the newest version number folder. Repeat the rename process (rename the new photolaunch.exe to .bak). I’ve found that using PowerShell is the fastest way to find the new "hiding spot" for this file after an update. It’s a bit of extra digital maintenance, but it’s the only way to keep your desktop truly yours.