How to Fix ‘Invalid Image File Header’ in Images? [5 Ways]

"Invalid Image File Header" is a common issue with JPG/JPEG images. So, what does it mean when an image has an invalid image file header? How can you open an invalid image without the error? Follow this page to get 5 reliable methods to fix the invalid image and restore it to normal.

Error: Invalid image file header

Thus, the file header is an area of data at the beginning of a file that usually contains information about the bitmap data.

Well, the image header just describes the size of the image, how many colors it has, and other information needed to display it.

What happens if the image file header is invalid? As you may have noticed, an image with an invalid image file header appears as:

• Unopenable
• Damaged
• Partially grayed out
• Wrong image size
• Color loss
• And so on

So, how to fix broken images and make them visible again? Read on, and you'll find the solutions in the next section.

How to Fix an Invalid Image File Header: Solutions Explained

So how do you fix an invalid JPEG image file? What should you do when an image becomes invalid? Let's find out:

First, close all image viewers and image editors.

• Close any images that are not responding. • Copy and save the image to a safe location. • Quit any image editing programs.

Next, pick an approach to make invalid images usable – five ways to do it

• #Solution 1. Open the image in a new image editor
• #Solution 2. Change the image format
• #Solution 3. Show image file extensions
• #Solution 4. Open the image in a web browser
• #Solution 5. Use an image repair tool

Editor's recommendation:

• For the simplest and most effective solution, you should try fixes 1, 2, and 3 first.
• If none of these work, your best bet is fix 5, which involves using an image repair tool to fix the picture.

Fix 1: Open Invalid Images in the New Image Editor

Time: 1 minute; Difficulty level: Easy.

Most of the time, Windows computers default to opening images with the “Photos” app. However, sometimes when an image contains a rare file format, it might not open. Instead, you'll see a warning that says “Invalid image file header.”

One way to fix this error is to try opening the corrupted image in a new image editor.

Step 1: Quit the default image editor or Photos app.

Step 2: Open a new image editor, such as Photoshop or Picasa.

Step 3: Check if the image can be opened.

# Fix 2: Change image format

Time: 2 minutes; Difficulty level: Easy.

Sometimes, when a computer doesn't support the image file format, the file becomes invalid. Converting the file format is one solution to this.

There are two options:

1. Change image format manually

Step 1: Make a copy of the image and paste it onto your computer.

Step 2: Right-click the image and select "Rename."

Step 3: Change the image format to a common extension like JPG, JPEG, or PNG.

Step 4: Confirm the changes.

Step 5: Open the image again with its new file extension.

**2. Use an Image File Converter**

If you have the time, you can also try finding an image converter to change the format of your picture file to one that your computer supports.

Fix 3: Show image file extensions

Time: 2 minutes; Difficulty level: Moderate.

Another simple way to fix an invalid image file header is to unhide the image file extension. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Press Windows+E to open File Explorer.

Step 2. Go to the View tab and check the box next to File name extensions.

Step 3: Uncheck the "Hidden items" checkbox.

After that, restart your computer and try opening the picture on your PC again.

4. Open the image in a web browser

Time: 1 minute; Difficulty level: Easy.

Sometimes, when an image editor or picture viewer can't open your pictures, you can try opening them in a web browser.

Here are the steps:

Step 1: Open a web browser, such as IE/Edge, Chrome, Opera, Safari, or others.

Step 2: Find and drag the corrupted image file into your browser.

Step 3: Check if the image can be opened.

Open an invalid image in the browser

Fix 5: Use Image Repair Tools

Time: 3-5 minutes; Difficulty level: Moderate;

If you've tried everything and still can't open the image, it's possible that the image itself is corrupted, or that its file header is missing.

Lastly, but effectively, you can resort to a reliable image repair tool. Here, you can seek assistance from the Fixo Photo Repair tool equipped with photo recovery features.

Before you begin: Copy and save a copy of the corrupted image > Delete the copied version.

Now, follow the steps below to fix corrupt images with invalid image file headers immediately:

Step 1. Launch Fixo on your computer. You can choose "Photo Repair" to fix photos that won't open or are partially missing. Click "Add Photos" to select the damaged photo.

Step 2: You can click on the “Repair All” button to fix multiple photos at once. If you want to repair a single photo, hover your pointer over it and select “Repair.”

Select the photo you want to repair

Step 3: Preview the photo by clicking on the eye icon and then tap “Save” to save the selected picture. Tap “Save All” to save all repaired images. Click on “View Repaired” to locate the folder with the fixed files.

Further reading: How to protect and prevent images from breaking

Now that you've learned how to fix invalid image headers, you might also be interested in learning how to protect your images properly, right?

Here are some tips for safeguarding your images:

• Back up important images and photos regularly.
• Choose a widely supported image format.
• Run virus scans regularly.

"Invalid image error can be fixed. Follow these steps to restore your image to normal:"

On this page, we explain what an invalid image file header is and how to fix it using five methods to make your image openable again.

Which approach works best? Here are the editor's picks.

1. Try Fix 1, Fix 2, and Fix 3 first.
2. If those don't work, get some help from the Fixo repair tools.

Lastly, to protect your image from invalid changes, don't forget to back up your file and assign it a common file extension.