Fix Image and Video Thumbnails Not Displaying in Windows 11

The file manager thumbnails give the user a preview of its contents. Many Windows 11 users are complaining about the lack of image and video thumbnails not showing up in File Explorer. There are many reasons why Windows has problems displaying preview images and video thumbnails. Let’s investigate this issue and solve the problem with missing thumbnails in Windows 11.

Why doesn’t Windows 11 display images and video thumbnails?

The missing thumbnail problem can range from a bug to a crash, or it can be anything. I have mentioned good reasons why your computer does not display image and video thumbnails.

Software bugs and crashes

From the history of previous versions, it can be seen that the Windows operating system has already encountered a similar situation. We can fix the missing thumbnail issue with a temporary fix. We can hope that Microsoft takes note of this and releases a fix.

Pirated or modified Windows

I have looked at many forum threads and guides on the subject. No one fixes the shortcomings of a modified or pirated Windows OS. I installed a pirated version of Windows 10 on a PC for testing purposes. The package had malware pre-installed, and who knows what else is inside the system.

I implore readers to switch to the official Windows software. Microsoft doesn’t charge users a dime, so why take the risk?

Signs of a malware attack

Malware is a threat to Windows that is present on almost every machine. We may classify “malware”as a common threat, but it is a terrible threat to the system. Malicious software is designed to destroy operating system files, folders, and saved data. Below I have shown you how to deal with viruses, malware, adware, etc.

Thumbnail preview disabled

You may have disabled the thumbnail previewer in File Explorer. I have changed many settings in the past to improve the performance of my old laptop. In the past, I have accidentally changed unnecessary Windows settings. I showed you how to turn on the thumbnail preview feature.

Performance Tuning

Windows has advanced features that soften the visually appealing system settings. Most low productivity Windows users turn on performance tuning and make navigation faster. Let’s find the settings and try to find the golden mean.

Corrupted system files

I have reinstalled the operating system several times in 12 months due to system file corruption. Unfortunately, Microsoft was unable to fix the problem and the latest version of Windows 11 suffers from system file corruption. The Cupertino company has added tools and we can use the built-in tool to repair broken parts.

Damaged miniatures

Temporary files create thumbnails, and junk builds up over time. The sketch pack might have been corrupted and could not distinguish the correct ones. You don’t need to install and run additional tools and remove corrupted sketches with the built-in tool.

Third Party Video and Image Viewer

Many Windows users install third-party video players and image viewers due to lack of features in standard programs. Don’t blame yourself for using third party viewers and players, because almost everyone does. Microsoft should be optimizing standard programs, and I showed you how to solve this problem.

Fix Image and Video Thumbnails Not Displaying in Windows 11

I came across several guides suggesting readers to install third party tools to fix the issue. You don’t need third-party tools to fix missing thumbnail issues. I would say that you need to reinstall the Windows operating system in order to get rid of the unsolvable problem.

Select Windows Supported Viewers and Players

You have selected it, or the program has set itself as the default image viewer or video player. We must set the default image viewer and select an open source video player. There’s no doubt that Microsoft’s built-in video player doesn’t even come close to VLC Media Player. We select VLC Media Player as the default video player.

1. Select an image or video file and right-click.

2. Select “Properties”from the advanced options.

3. A new window will appear on the screen.

4. Click on the “Change”button.

5. Select “Photos”and press the “OK”button.

6. Set the default video player.

VLC is an open source project and they have been around for two decades. A community-led project has formed an audio and video player for Windows software.

Delete corrupted thumbnails

The existing taskbar and folder thumbnails can be the source of the problem. You can delete corrupted thumbnails and allow the Windows software to create new preview images.

1. Press the Windows key + I, and the settings window will appear on the screen.

2. Select the “Storage”option from the “System”menu.

3. Let the temporary files load.

4. Select “Temporary files”after the scan is completed, and the statistics will appear on the screen.

5. Select “Thumbnails”from the list, and then click “Delete Files”from the system.

6. A confirmation pop-up window will appear on the screen, and click Continue.

The thumbnails are deleted by the computer and you can force Windows to recreate the new images. Turn off the computer, and after two minutes turn on the Windows computer.

Set default explorer settings

You must have messed up File Explorer settings and disabled the thumbnail preview feature. Let’s go into the file manager settings and look for any violations.

1. Click the Start button.

2. Find and open “Explorer Options”in the search results.

3. A new one will appear on the screen, then click “View”.

4. Select the settings that I showed in the picture.

A. Show file icon on thumbnails

5. Click Apply, then click the OK button.

Most users should have the default settings, but this is useful for those who lack knowledge of the advanced options.

Check the functionality of the operating system files

This is an appropriate opportunity for readers to test the functionality of operating system files. We will find out if the operating system requires reinstallation or if we need to move on to the rest of the solutions. You don’t have to waste time fixing a problem when corrupted software is the culprit.

1. Open a command prompt as an administrator.

2. Type the command “sfc /scannow”and press the Enter key.

3. The scanning process will begin.

Do not interrupt the scanning process and stay away from the keyboard.

4. Scanning completed.

#1 Result: Windows Resource Protection found no integrity violations.

Operating system files are in good condition.

#2 Result: Windows Resource Protection found corrupted files but was unable to fix some of them.

Consider reinstalling your Windows operating system if the built-in tool is unable to repair corrupted files. The scan takes less than ten minutes on Windows installed on an SSD. You can expect the scan to complete within twenty minutes if Windows is installed on a hard disk drive (HDD).

Set performance defaults

You may have tweaked your performance settings and it turned off thumbnail previews for faster performance. You don’t have to give up individual settings and go for the “better look”option. You should choose two thumbnail options in the best performance plan. Let me show you how you can do this on Windows 11 and it works on Windows 10.

1. Press the “Start”key and open “View advanced system settings”in the search bar.

2. Select “Advanced”from the top menu and click “Settings”under “Performance”.

3. You may have chosen the “Tune for best performance”plan. You can stick with the Efficiency Plan and we’ll make two changes.

4. Choose the two options I mentioned below.

A. Saving thumbnails on the taskbar

b. Show thumbnails instead of icons

5. Click Apply, then OK to save your changes.

Close all background programs and save your documents. Restart your Windows PC and start a new session. From now on, the thumbnails should show up in the folder.

The presence of malware in the system

Many reports have shown that in 2020 alone, the study found over 200 million Windows malware. I’m not surprised because Windows is the #1 desktop program on the planet. Malware may have entered your computer through loopholes and we need to identify them. Of course, we will remove the virus or malware from the system and programs. You can use any of the premium solutions and I’ll show you how to use Microsoft security and anti-malware to eliminate threats.

Method 1: We must remove viruses and malware from installed programs.

1. Open “MRT”in the search bar.

2. Click “Next”to continue.

3. Select “Full Scan”because we don’t know where the virus or malware is hiding.

4. Allow scanning on the system. Leave the computer aside and let MRT remove all viruses from the program.

5. Click the “Finish”button.

Method 2: I encourage users to choose a premium antivirus system because Windows security is inconsistent.

1. Launch Windows Security from the Start search bar.

2. Click the Scan Now button in the Virus & Threat Protection menu.

3. Click the Scan Options button.

4. Select “Full Scan”from the options.

5. Let Windows Security complete the scan.

You can check the protection history to know the scan results. There are no threats on my computer and therefore the history is empty.

Software bugs and crashes

The Windows development team works every day to improve the operating system. We frequently receive software updates and driver updates from the Windows Update channel. However, in the past, the Microsoft team screwed up and instead released updates that ruined the experience.

1. Open the “Task Manager”by pressing the Windows key + X at the same time.

2. Select “Explorer”, then click the “Restart”button located in the lower right corner.

The taskbar and explorer will disappear and wait for them to reopen shortly. Restarting the file manager is a temporary solution.

I encourage readers to use Windows 10 (latest build) until the end of 2022. Microsoft will take 12 months to stabilize the software on a wide range of processors. I want to enable third party programs and driver updates. The latest graphics driver (with control panel) didn’t work. I have been using the GPU driver without control panel for one month. It took the manufacturer 30-40 days to release a fix to fix the issue.

My gaming PC is running Windows 10 (22H2). Windows 10 is stable and all programs, drivers, and later compatible packages.

Try Windows 10 on your computer if you don’t have any work responsibilities.

In the meantime, I have two laptops (Ryzen 5 and 11th gen Core i3) and have updated the software to Windows 11. My work requires the latest software and hardware components. I would have Windows 10 if it wasn’t for the demand for work.

Conclusion

I have shown you effective ways to fix image and video thumbnails not showing issues in Windows 11. Reinstall your Windows operating system if you find malware, corrupted system files, and junk. The thumbnails will reappear in File Explorer in the next session, so be sure to restart your computer.