How to Enable or Disable Thumbnail Previews in File Explorer in Windows 10
File Explorer can display thumbnail images or icons for files and folders in Windows 10.
This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable thumbnail previews in File Explorer for your account, all users, or specific users in Windows 10.
Thumbnail previews will only show when turned on and you have a medium icons, large icons, or extra large icons folder view layout selected.
If thumbnail previews is turned off or disabled, it will also disable previews of files in the preview pane.
If you choose a file to show as a folder picture, this folder will no longer show a thumbnail preview of its content until you restore the default folder pictures.
If you change the icon of a folder, this folder will no longer show a folder picture or thumbnail preview.
Contents
- Option One: To Turn On or Off Thumbnail Previews in File Explorer Options
- Option Two: To Turn On or Off Thumbnail Previews in Visual Effects Settings
- Option Three: To Turn On or Off Thumbnail Previews using a BAT file
- Option Four: To Enable or Disable Thumbnail Previews in Group Policy
- Option Five: To Enable or Disable Thumbnail Previews using a REG file
EXAMPLE: Thumbnail Previews Enabled and Disabled in File Explorer
This option will only affect your user account, and does the same as Option Two and Option Three.
Option Four and Option Five will override this option.
1 Open File Explorer Options.
2 Do step 3 (on) or step 4 (off) below for what you would like to do. (see screenshot below)
This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the View tab, uncheck Always show icons, never thumbnails, check Display file icon on thumbnails, and click/tap on OK.
A) Click/tap on the View tab, check Always show icons, never thumbnails, and click/tap on OK.
This option will only affect your user account, and does the same as Option One and Option Three.
Option Four and Option Five will override this option.
1 Open Visual Effects settings.
2 Do step 3 (on) or step 4 (off) below for what you would like to do. (see screenshot below)
This is the default setting.
A) Check Show thumbnails instead of icons, and click/tap on OK.
A) Uncheck Show thumbnails instead of icons, and click/tap on OK.
This option will only affect your user account, and does the same as Option One and Option Two.
Option Four and Option Five will override this option.
The downloadable .bat files below will modify the DWORD value in the registry key below.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
IconsOnly DWORD
0 = Off - show icons
1 = On - show thumbnails
1 Do step 2 (on) or step 3 (off) below for what you would like to do.
This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the BAT file below, and go to step 4 below.
Turn_on_thumbnail_previews_in_explorer.bat
Download
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the BAT file below, and go to step 4 below.
Turn_off_thumbnail_previews_in_explorer.bat
Download
4 Save the .bat file to your desktop.
5 Unblock the .bat file.
6 Run the .bat file.
7 You will now notice your screen flicker and a command prompt quickly opens and closes as explorer is restarted to apply the registry changes.
8 When finished, you can delete the downloaded .bat file if you like.
You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do this option.
This option will affect all users or specified users, and does the same as Option Five below.
This option will override what users have set in Option One, Option Two, or Option Three above.
This option is not available in the Windows 10 Home edition since the Local Group Policy Editor is only available in Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. All editions can use Option Four below.
1 Open the all users, specific users or groups, or all users except administrators Local Group Policy Editor for how you want this policy applied.
2 In the left pane of Local Group Policy Editor, click/tap on the arrow to expand User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, and open File Explorer. (see screenshot below)
3 In the right pane of the File Explorer policy, double click/tap on Turn off the display of thumbnails and only display icons to edit it. (see screenshot above)
4 Do step 5 (enable) or step 6 (disable) below for what you would like to do. (see screenshot below)
A) Select (dot) Not Configured or Disabled, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)
Not Configured is the default setting.
B) Users will now be able to turn on/off thumbnail previews using Option One, Option Two, or Option Three above.
A) Select (dot) Enabled, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)
You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do this option.
This option does the same as Option Four above, but only is applied to the current user.
This option will override what you have set in Option One, Option Two, or Option Three above.
The downloadable .reg files below will add and modify the DWORD values in the registry keys below.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
DisableThumbnails DWORD
0 or delete = enable
1 = disable
1 Do step 2 (enable) or step 3 (disable) below for what you would like to do.
This is the default setting
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
Enable_Thumbnails_for_All_Users.reg
Download
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
Disable_Thumbnails_for_All_Users.reg
Download
4 Save the .reg file to your desktop.
5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.
6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.
7 Sign out and sign in, or restart the computer to apply.
8 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
9 If enabled, users will now be able to turn on/off thumbnail previews using Option One, Option Two, or Option Three above.
That's it,
Shawn
Related Tutorials
- Disable Folder Thumbnail Previews without Disabling File Thumbnail Previews
- How to Hide or Show Preview Handlers in Preview Pane of File Explorer in Windows 10
- How to Clear and Reset the Thumbnail Cache in Windows 10
- How to Change a Folder Picture in Windows 10
- How to Show or Hide Preview Pane in File Explorer in Windows 10
- How to Change Border of Thumbnail Previews in Windows 10
Enable or Disable Thumbnail Previews in File Explorer in Windows 10
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New #1
I'm not sure whether to post here or someplace else, because I'm not sure whether the issue is with W10 and this tutorial, or with my specific installation of W10. In Option Four, Step 1, I followed the link to the W7 tutorial, but I got stymied at Step 1. My Run dialog can't find gpedit.msc, and in File Explorer, I found that it's not in the specified folder. A search found identical copies of it in two other folders:
C:\Windows\WinSxS\x86_microsoft-windows-g..it-snapin.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.10586.0_en-us_db46a97ac24ebffb
C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_microsoft-windows-g..it-snapin.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.10586.0_en-us_376544fe7aac3131
Anyway, I'm just wondering what the next step to deal with the situation would be.
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New #2
Hello Greg, :)
If you have Windows 10 Home edition installed, then you will not have the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) available. It's only available in Pro and Enterprise editions.
If you like, you can use OPTION FIVE instead to apply the group policy.
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New #3
Thanks. Since I have the Home edition, I guess everything's normal; at least regarding this issue.:)
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New #7
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New #8
Hello Gelashvili, :)
I'm sorry to hear that. If you like, download and merge the .reg files of your affected file types (ex: mpeg and avi) listed in the table of OPTION TWO in the tutorial below to see if it may help. It'll restore the default associations of these file types.
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/8...dows-10-a.html
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New #9
Goodday, I want to ask if any of you knows how to just shows the thumbnail of files e.g. photos and videos but not the folders. I mean folders, generally, stay as icon only, no preview of whats in it. Thank you guys in advance!
Enable or Disable Thumbnail Previews in File Explorer in Windows 10
How to Enable or Disable Thumbnail Previews in File Explorer in Windows 10Published by Shawn BrinkCategory: Customization
03 Oct 2022
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