How to Fix ‘Missing Thumbnails in Windows 10’ Issue

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How to Fix ‘Missing Thumbnails in Windows 10’ Issue – Guide

Windows 10 manages a cache database of thumbnail images for every folder, document, video, and image on your computer. This database is used to quickly preview a file or give you an idea of ​​the contents of a folder or file before opening it.

The problem with the “thumbnail cache” is that it grows over time as you create new folders and files, and sometimes the database gets damaged. You will notice this because File Explorer will falsely display thumbnails, some files may not show a thumbnail preview, or sometimes thumbnails may not be applicable.

Fortunately, Windows 10 adds a few ways to reset and rebuild the hidden thumbnail.db files containing the data to show file previews.

1. Clean up your disk

Your disk may be full of unnecessary files. Using Disk Cleanup feature will help you rebuild your thumbnail cache:

1. Open your File Explorer. Click This PC.
2. Right click on the drive where Windows is installed.
3. Select Properties. Then select Disk Cleanup.
4. Check the box next to Thumbnails. Make sure all other options are unchecked.
5. Click OK and then Delete files.

Wait for the process to complete. Then check if your issue is resolved. And if you prefer to also accelerate up your PC, you can run Auslogics BoostSpeed. It is safe and very effective software.

2. Rebuild thumbnail cache with command prompt

To get rid of unnecessary thumbnail cache and make your system show thumbnails again, you need to run the following commands using Command Prompt. Here’s How to do this:

1. Click the Windows logo icon on the taskbar. The home menu will open.
2. Now locate the search area. Type ‘cmd’ (without quotes) into Search and press Enter.
3. Locate Command Prompt in the list of available options.
4. Right click on it and select Run as administrator. This will open a raised command prompt window.
5. To start, you must stop File Explorer. To do this, type the following command in the Command Prompt window and press the Enter key: taskkill / f / im explorer.exe
6. Now let’s delete thumbnails from your database using the following command: del / f / s / q / a% LocalAppData% Microsoft Windows Explorer thumbcache _ *. Db Then press Enter.
7. It’s time to start File Explorer: start explorer.exe

Finally, exit the command prompt window and restart your PC. Check that your thumbnails are present and displayed correctly.

3. Use Run to clean up your disk

If all of the above fixes didn’t help you, you can try using Run to clean your disk up. This will delete the thumbnail cache and allow you to have the thumbnail feature up and running again. Here’s what you should do:

1. Navigate to your taskbar. Right click on the Windows logo icon.
2. Select Run from the menu. Type cleanmgr.exe into Run.
3. Press Enter. In the window that opened, go to Thumbnails and check the box next to this option.
4. Click OK to provide your confirmation.

Be patient until the cleanup process is complete. Restart your PC and check if the thumbnails appear up again.

No luck so far? Anyway, there is no need to despair. One of the following methods will certainly solve your problem.

4. Configure your folder settings

If your thumbnails are gone, it’s likely that your folder settings have been interfered with. This is How to fix them:

1. Open your File Explorer and navigate to the View tab.
2. Click Options. Folder options will open. Click View.
3. Uncheck Always show icons, never thumbnails.
4. Click Apply and OK.

Now check your thumbnails. Fortunately, they are available now.

5. Configure your visual effects using the Control Panel

Another solution that can help you is to deal with your visual settings. This is what you need to do:

1. Click on the Windows icon to open the Start menu.
2. Locate and click Control Panel.
3. Select System and open advanced system settings.
4. Navigate to the Advanced tab. Open the performance settings.
5. Go to the Visual Effects tab.
6. Be sure to check Show thumbnails instead of icons.
7. Click Apply. Restart your File Explorer.

All in vain? Then we recommend applying the following fix.

6. Adjust your display properties and rebuild the thumbnail cache

If you’ve made it this far, your thumbnails are still missing. It appears that to restore them you might need to set the display properties and then rebuild the thumbnail cache. To do this, follow the instructions below:

1. Go to your desktop. Right click on an empty space there.
2. Select Customize. Click Display Properties.
3. Navigate to Colors. Select Medium (16 bit). If you already selected Medium, switch to Maximum (32-bit).
4. Click Yes to confirm your settings.
5. Restart your PC.
6. Launch your File Explorer. Go to the View tab.
7. Click Options and go to Folder Options.
8. Select Show hidden files and folders.
9. Now go to C: Users (Username) ImageAppDataLocal.
10. Delete ImageIconCache.db.
11. Close the window and empty the trash.
12. You may need to restart your PC several times for this trick work.

Final note

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