Restore Photos App Option for SD Card Autoplay

draft · os-and-system autoplayregistry

Generated by docuprocessor (prompt article/v3) · 2026-04-22 12:09

Source thread

thread_id: spaces/AAAA05BdS6s/threads/fqv25kPsNfY · 6 msgs · first 2024-11-01 · participants: Tech ATech BTech C

Tech A 2024-11-01 18:21

Hey, Does anyone knows how to return back the photos option for the autoplay? Maybe any hack to enable it from the registry? I need an sd card to open automatically with Photos app.

image/png image.png

The screenshot shows a Windows camera storage settings panel with a dropdown menu expanded for **Memory Card** under **Camera storage**. The dropdown options visible include: "Import pictures and videos (Windows)," "Play (Windows Media Player)," "Take no action," "Open folder to view files (File Explorer)," and **"Ask me every time"** (currently highlighted in blue as the selected/active option). A **DVDs** section is also partially visible below, listing "DVD movie" and a partially visible "Enhanced DVD movie" entry.

Tech B 2024-11-01 18:24

Doesn't the import pictures and videos option open photos app? o.o

Tech A 2024-11-01 18:30

No that option shows me this thing:

Tech A 2024-11-01 18:30

(no text)

image/png image.png

**Windows "Import Pictures and Videos" dialog box** is displayed, reporting **2112 new pictures and videos were found**. The selected option is **"Review, organize, and group items to import"**; the alternative option **"Import all new items now"** is unselected. The preview thumbnail area shows **two dental/clinical intraoral photographs** (teeth images); no error codes or diagnostic indicators are present.

Tech A 2024-11-01 19:21

@all any ideas here?

Tech C 2024-11-04 13:32

Doing this from registry is creating macro for this process, I wouldn't recommend it, Usually you do this by: win+ r > control Hardware and sound > autoplay > find sd card> set action "open folder to view file" or "import photos and video"

---
title: "Restore Photos App Option for SD Card Autoplay"
category: os-and-system
tags: ["autoplay", "registry"]
source_thread_id: "spaces/AAAA05BdS6s/threads/fqv25kPsNfY"
source_space: "spaces/AAAA05BdS6s"
generated_at: "2026-04-22T12:09:11"
participants: ["Tech A", "Tech B", "Tech C"]
---

# Restore Photos App Option for SD Card Autoplay

## Problem
Windows autoplay settings for SD cards no longer show a direct Photos app option. The available "Import pictures and videos (Windows)" option opens the Windows import dialog instead of launching the Photos app directly. This affects workflows where users need SD cards to automatically open in the Photos app for immediate viewing of dental images.

## Resolution
Access autoplay settings through Control Panel rather than attempting registry modifications:

1. Press `Win + R` to open Run dialog
2. Type `control` and press Enter
3. Navigate to **Hardware and Sound** > **AutoPlay**
4. Locate the SD card entry in the device list
5. Set the action to either:
   - "Open folder to view files" (opens File Explorer)
   - "Import pictures and videos" (opens Windows import dialog)

Note: Registry modifications to create custom autoplay actions are not recommended as they function more like macros and can cause system instability.

## References
- Source discussion: `spaces/AAAA05BdS6s/threads/fqv25kPsNfY`
- Attachments:
  - ![image.png](../attachments/fqv25kPsNfY.fqv25kPsNfY/image.png) — The screenshot shows a Windows camera storage settings panel with a dropdown menu expanded for **Memory Card** under **Camera storage**. The dropdown options visible include: "Import pictures and videos (Windows)," "Play (Windows Media Player)," "Take no action," "Open folder to view files (File Explorer)," and **"Ask me every time"** (currently highlighted in blue as the selected/active option). A **DVDs** section is also partially visible below, listing "DVD movie" and a partially visible "Enhanced DVD movie" entry.
  - ![image.png](../attachments/fqv25kPsNfY.igl8l_PApHg/image.png) — **Windows "Import Pictures and Videos" dialog box** is displayed, reporting **2112 new pictures and videos were found**. The selected option is **"Review, organize, and group items to import"**; the alternative option **"Import all new items now"** is unselected. The preview thumbnail area shows **two dental/clinical intraoral photographs** (teeth images); no error codes or diagnostic indicators are present.

Generated article

draft