Any solution for showing Android thumbnails in Windows?

Paultx · 03 Feb 2022

Is there a way to make Windows show thumbnails of images and videos (instead of icons) that are on an Android device in File Explorer?

I searched a lot and found a guy here saying Windows not showing them has to do with MTP, which allows file transfers between devices.

I'm quite sure Windows itself doesn't provide a way to solve that. So I ask you if you know a solution not coming from Google/Android.

I'm thinking about something like the old SageThumbs, but it works with thumbnails in Windows only, not with this Windows-Android scenario.

Any ideas? TIA.

Windows 10 Pro 21H2 19044.1503

Paultx · 07 Feb 2022

A guy said here: "It sounds like Windows doesn't know that a folder called 'Facebook' might contain pictures, and so it doesn't scan them and generate the thumbnails, and just shows a list of filenames or icons. Unlike a folder called 'Pictures', where it assumes there are pictures stored."

So I wonder if there is some way to make Windows know folders (other than some default ones) also have images and show their thumbnails. A registry hack, maybe?

As you can see below, it shows thumbnails of all except one of the images I have in my SD card (DCIM/Camera folder).
▼

Any solution for showing Android thumbnails in Windows?-dcim_card_folder.png

rudolph · 11 Oct 2022

I need a solution for this too.. Anyone has any recommendations of android windows file manager?

Try3 · 11 Oct 2022

rudolph said:

I need a solution for this too..

I assume that your default Pictures folder displays files how you want them.

Right-click on the folder that you want to change,

Select Properties,
Customise,
Optimise this folder for - Pictures,
OK.

And, if necessary,

check in the View menu that you have selected the Layout you want: Extra large icons, Large icons, Medium-sized icons, Small icons, List, Details

and

check that

File menu, Change folder and search options,
View tab,
Always show icons, never thumbnails

is not set.

rudolph said:

Anyone has any recommendations of android windows file manager?

I don't know what you are asking.
In Windows, I use File explorer.
In Android, I use Total commander.

Denis

Welcome to TenForums.

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Paultx · 11 Oct 2022

rudolph said:

I need a solution for this too.. Anyone has any recommendations of android windows file manager?

@rudolph, please, report if the Try3's tips solved your problem. Mine was solved in an unexpected way. Due to a stuck power button, I had to stop using my previous smartphone (Asus ASUS_X00RD) and purchased a new one (Samsung A13), which has no such problem: all of its folders with images and videos show thumbnails here, with no need to change any Windows setting.

Any solution for showing Android thumbnails in Windows?-dcim_camera.png

Any solution for showing Android thumbnails in Windows?-wanda_stuff.png

rudolph · 07 Jan 2024

Paultx said:

A guy said here: "It sounds like Windows doesn't know that a folder called 'Facebook' might contain pictures, and so it doesn't scan them and generate the thumbnails, and just shows a list of filenames or icons. Unlike a folder called 'Pictures', where it assumes there are pictures stored."

So I wonder if there is some way to make Windows know folders (other than some default ones) also have images and show their thumbnails. A registry hack, maybe?

As you can see below, it shows thumbnails of all except one of the images I have in my SD card (DCIM/Camera folder).
▼

I just did a clean install of Windows and it still doesn't show thumbnails.. So by default apparently thumbnails are not showing.

Try3 said:

I assume that your default Pictures folder displays files how you want them.

Right-click on the folder that you want to change,

Select Properties,
Customise,
Optimise this folder for - Pictures,
OK.

And, if necessary,

check in the View menu that you have selected the Layout you want: Extra large icons, Large icons, Medium-sized icons, Small icons, List, Details

and

check that

File menu, Change folder and search options,
View tab,
Always show icons, never thumbnails

is not set.

I don't know what you are asking.
In Windows, I use File explorer.
In Android, I use Total commander.

Denis

Welcome to TenForums.

It's really worth making time to browse through the Tutorial index - there's a shortcut to it at the top of every page.

- At the foot of the Tutorial index is a shortcut to download it as a spreadsheet.
- I download a new copy each month.
- By downloading it as a spreadsheet I can benefit from Excel's excellent filtering capabilities when I search for topics of interest.

- Tutorials are also listed by category at Tutorials - there's also a shortcut to that at the top of every page.
- Both tutorial lists are searchable.
- You can also search for TenForumsTutorials in many general search engines, such as Google, by adding site:tenforums.com/tutorials after your search term. For example,
taskbar toolbars site:tenforums.com/tutorials

You can search TenForums using the search box in the top-right corner of all TenForums webpages or using Advanced Search - TenForums
- You can also search TenForums threads in many general search engines, such as Google, by adding site:tenforums.com after your search term. For example,
Search for drivers by HardwareID site:tenforums.com
- [This is what the search box in the top-right corner of TenForums webpages does automatically]

I do not have such option
Attachment 403098

Also changing layout doesn't change a thing. Thumbnails are not generated.

Maybe it's a problem of Android, I use LineageOS and GCAM camera apk from celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/

Try3 · 07 Jan 2024

rudolph said:

I do not have such option

I have no idea which part of my previous post that is a response to.
And your attachment does not open, it is reported as invalid.

I suggest you copy your pictures to a folder on your computer and see how that behaves.
That's what I always do and I have no problems.
Perhaps the thumbnails problem only applies when looking directly at the folder on your phone/camera as illustrated by Paultx.

Denis

Ghot · 08 Jan 2024

Try3 said:

I have no idea which part of my previous post that is a response to.
And your attachment does not open, it is reported as invalid.

I suggest you copy your pictures to a folder on your computer and see how that behaves.
That's what I always do and I have no problems.
Perhaps the thumbnails problem only applies when looking directly at the folder on your phone/camera as illustrated by Paultx.

Denis

Agree.

I can't get thumbnails from my Galaxy A54, even when using XnView.
It seems it's something to do with the Android OS or the way Windows "sees" the phone.

@Paultx

LesFerch · 08 Jan 2024

@rudolph I tested a Samsung Galaxy J3 Prime, a Motorola Moto X4, and a Google Pixel 6. All of them showed thumbnails. The first two phones had just a few photos, but the Pixel had over 400 photos. The only hiccup was that on the Pixel, a few photos didn't initially show thumbnails. Disconnecting and reconnecting just once resolved that.

Have you tried resetting the thumbnail cache?

Clear and Reset Thumbnail Cache in Windows 10