GIF Viewer

Running a GIF file will usually load an animation on a web browser, but if you want to do it more comfortably, you can use GIF Viewer. The application gives you the possibility of viewing animated GIFs, as the name points out. It works like a video player, it even looks and feels like one, but it is designed specifically for GIF animations.

The application is free and it can be used on all popular Windows versions. It can be installed almost instantly, without making any advanced configurations. Also, the application doesn't ask for any additional codecs or drivers.

GIF Viewer's functionality is straightforward and simple. Just load a GIF file and the application will play it. You can stop the animation at any time and view its frames individually, by clicking or clicking and dragging on a timeline, on the lower edge of the user interface. Right clicking on the animation itself will bring up options for selecting a higher or lower quality and for extracting the current frame.

A few settings can be found on a separate window, which allow you to increase or decrease the amount of memory for the application's buffer, keyframe and reach. You can also set the application to allow multiple instances, if you wish to play several animations in parallel.