How to Fix Thumbnails not showing on Windows 11? 

Thanks! I can see all of my files as thumbnails now, when previously only some were visible. Here are some details that helped me: After checking that the "Always show icons, never thumbnails" option was deselected in the "View" tab of the File Explorer "Folder Options", I had to perform one of the steps on each file type in my folder (PNG and JPG): hover over file to see "Item type" -> r-click on file (Doesn't matter if thumbnail is visible or not) -> hover over "Open with" -> select "Choose another app" -> highlight "Photos" -> select "Always".

If anyone is still not able to fix this, try my method. Simply create a new folder and COPY the file into the new folder. Do not cut and paste, it will not work. The problem looks like it's to do with the folders and not the files. Hope this help. Edit: The problem is Windows!!! Copying and pasting somehow resets the thumbnail back to normal, this is a temporary fix.

Thank you so much, in the third try that you said delete all cache except thumbnails worked like a charm. Bless You!

Your video is fine, clear, well put-together. Alas, Windows 11 is still being [extremely gross description avoided]. Thanks for a great presentation of "the usual suspects," and I look forward to your video that will show us all how to make Windows 11 actually work! 😄

I tried all of them and Still Problem is Unresolved

thanks dude, that small detail helps a lot :)) also thanks for simple and clear explanation!!

None of these worked for me. However, I figured out what did. Click on the photo once, then in the top of the explorer click "Rotate Left" and then "Rotate Right" to get it back to upright. This created the thumbnail data.

Question. I have my camera set to take RAW + JPEG photos. In windows 7, it always had an icon for the RAW file, and a thumbnail for the JPEG. Is it possible to have it that way in Windows 11? I tried changing the default program to open the RAW files, but it makes no difference. Thank you.

Close to what I want but no cigar. I need the the preview images that used to show up when you would view folders in Explorer. Helps me narrow down the folder I want when images are in it.

I was on my DELL LAP-TOP for three days, about 3 to 4 hours each day, trying to fix my files folders with win 11 PRO. using Microsoft Edge Copilot and asking questions in many ways, then they show me videos of someone who sounds (I can not hear in my left ear) like he has a mouth full of FOOD completely unprofessional. Watched your video and fixed my problem within 30-mins Thanks and I told MICROSOFT they need your videos and not th guy with what to me sounded like someone with a mouth full of food. Very bad AMERICAN ENGLISH my option an I sent to them your video. Thanks for your help I am now able to view all my pictures in all folders. Thank You very much. I'm NOW following and SUBSCRIBED.

Removing the thumbnail cache worked for me, thank you!

So my one drive had full storage and wasnt backing up my new photos which made it so the thumbnails wouldnt show up, if nothing else works and your one drive is full, just unlink it from your pc by going into the one drive settings.

Thank you. Video was helpful :)

Excellent solutions. Thank you, sir!

Help! My new laptop w/Windows 11 is showing my photo file thumbnail icons with a giant blue box with double east pointing arrows (>) on them. I can hardly see what the file is without opening it. Can I change that? 😬

Thank you! I'm pretty sure it was the last step that worked for me!

Thank you for the suggestions. I have a new OnePlus phone and, I connected it to my laptop, selected the file transfer option on the OnePlus phone and I can see thumbnails of pictures (on Win 11 Explorer) that were imported onto the OnePlus phone (when setting up the new phone) but not in the new ones that I took recently with the OnePlus phone - "interesting" problem.

Amazing help, thank you so much. Very well explained that even I could understand. Thank you. 🥁

worked like a charm! i had somehow disabled them myself. Thanks dude!

If none of these methods work for you like myself then try and copy all of your images that don't show their corresponding thumbnails and paste all of them into a different drive/memory stick/portable hard drive and then copy and paste them back to the original location. This was the only thing that worked for me, hope it helps!

Thanks for the video. I done all that and even command option too. Still no luck. I have a brand new Dell G15 Ryzen.

I tried everything and I'm still not getting a preview of my photos.... I just bought a brand new Samsung Odyssey with Windows 11. Great video, but did not solve my problem.

Thank you, you fixed my problem

I have tried all of this and I still cant get thumbnails for my DNG and ARW files. I have the raw extension as well

"Always show icons, never thumbnails" in my check box this choice is missing ,it just start at "Always show menus" I don't know why

Thank you the second step worked perfectly.

Part 2- Perfect. You rock yo.🤓😎

I need pdf thumbnails to show with Foxit...no adobe

thank you . THe clear cache worked for me

half the jpgs in my folder have thumbnails, and the other half refuse to show. could be related to dropbox as some others report here. copied the bad ones to a temp folder on my desktop, and then dropped them back into the pictures folder inside of dropbox and the thumbnails were fixed!

thanks, Helpful video solve my problem

It works. Thank you so much for your excellent clear instructions.

why some folders have different size thumbnails? I want them all the same size.

Awsome!! Thank you!!!

clearing Thumbnails cache fixed my problem thanks!

Thanks, this helped!

icons show but not on my taskbar, any reasons why?

Thank you. Always show icons was selected

If i save a picture on my desktop the icon is still showing not the thumnail. I did all of this and it's still the same

Thanxxxx, You have solved my problem

Thank you, the last solution worked for me :)

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

It's worked. Thanks a lot!👍

how to fix it, when the thumbnail is shown in the windows explorer but not in onedrive?

It worked for me.. thanks

i was looking for video thumbnails not showing, doesn't work.

awesome thanks. it was bugging me

I tried all the solutions but it doesn’t work, still show thumbnails not a image.

Specially webm files r not showing thumbnaip preview

My thumbnails was disable, thank you!

Thank you for your assist :)

Nope. Tried yours and everything else. Nothing works. I have frame width 4096 / frame rate 25fps. Is this reason why my thumbnails are icons? thank you.

Thanks more Your explani very clear and Honest thanks more

How about the thumbnails folder on windows 11?

None of it worked...😒

Always show icons, never thumbnails worked thanks!!!!

Thank you.

Thank you! Mine was the second one.

omg thank you so much sir !!!

Thank ya!

it still doesnt work, my files just display as a blank page icon

Thanks Worked

Thanks u very much

thank you so much!

Jesus tryed all of them, no luck, this windows 11 is getting me crazy

THANK YOU!!!

Tried all of the fixes. Still doesn't work. This wasn't a problem until I upgraded to Windows 11. Wish I had stayed with Windows 10.

Thanks!

Thank you

Tnx. Yeeee... I'ts work 👍😎

All of the Fixes wont work, please give me a solution. Thank you!

Wow, deleting the thumbnail cache actually worked. Still sad that I had to do it, never had to to this in windows 10. Oh well, just another thing that sux about windows 11.

For me, thumbnails not showing was related to storing photos in Dropbox. The only way I could solve the problem was to move the photos out of Dropbox (to the native "Pictures" folder, say). However, once I dragged the photos back to Dropbox, the thumbnails showed up there. Go figure.

I tried but unresolved! Does anyone has other ways?

Thank you

That doesn't work. What we all want is thumbnail preview in folders but it doesn't show none.

Went through every process on the Internet. It turned out to be One Drive. uninstalled One Drive and Thumbnails were back. One Drive is still buggy storage!

thank you

Helped, thanks

Thanks.

Thanks

Windows 11 Folder Thumbnails Aren't Showing Up

Thank u

W video, make it faster though I had to skip to reach the point where it fixes mine.

Thnks

im not sure it's stupid or not,but i use icaros for fix those issue

thanks

doesnt work. problem still there. i did all thinks.

Not working at all i tried everything

None of those worked. Some thumbnails are showing an others are not. Yet all are pretty much PNG and JPEG images.

None of these options work. I have missed only the video thumbnails. Thanks anyway.

I did it to preview the 3D files and broke it completely.

yes thank you.

Nope I still can't see my icons.

None worked but my solution was putting all of the folders and images on a big scale. (up on the folder explorer thing)

super like....

solved my problem with lists, and preview pain... er... pane. well, was a pain

None of them worked for me :(

did not fix the issue

GOOD VIDEO