PDF thumbnails are very useful and highly customizable. They help you differentiate between files and open the one you need. But what if Windows stops displaying PDF thumbnails? 🤔

Many Windows 10/11 users have recently reported issues with PDF files. They've mentioned that PDF thumbnails aren't displaying. When Windows stops displaying PDF thumbnails, the file name becomes the only differentiating factor. 📄

If you're facing the same or similar issue, keep reading this guide. Below, we share the best ways to fix the issue of PDF thumbnails not appearing in Windows.

1. Restart the Windows Explorer Process

If PDF previews aren't appearing on your PC, the first thing you should do is restart Windows Explorer.

For those who don't know, Windows Explorer is a program manager process that provides you with a graphical interface for interacting with most Windows applications.

If Windows Explorer is experiencing any issues, you may experience problems such as missing PDF thumbnails. You can resolve such issues by restarting the Windows Explorer process from the Administrator. of Tasks.

1. Type “Task Manager” in the Windows Search. Open the Task Manager application from the list of most relevant results.

2. When Task Manager opens, switch to Processes.

3. Search and do right click on Windows Explorer and select Reboot.

This will instantly restart the Windows Explorer process. Your computer screen will go black for a few seconds, then return to normal.

2. Restart your Windows PC

Restarting is the best option, especially if you don't know what to do. It's entirely possible that PDF thumbnails aren't appearing due to errors or glitches. 🚫

Restarting your device is the best way to get rid of these errors and glitches. So, before trying the following methods, restart your Windows computer once.

If the problem persists even after the reboot, then the problem may be something else and you will need to follow the next methods.

3. Make sure thumbnails are enabled

If PDF thumbnails are disabled, no matter what you try, Windows will never display PDF thumbnails. However, there is a feature in Windows that allows you to enable or disable thumbnails. Here's how to enable thumbnails in Windows.

1. First, open the File Explorer on your Windows device.

2. In the top bar, click on the three points shown in the screenshot below.

3. Select Options from the list of options that appears.

4. This will open the Folder Options. Then, switch to the See, as shown in the screenshot below.

5. In the Advanced Settings, uncheck the option Always show icons, never thumbnails and click on the ' buttonAccept'.

4. Reset the thumbnail cache

If the cache files If the thumbnail cache is corrupted, the PDF thumbnails will not appear. Therefore, you can reset the thumbnail cache on your Windows device to fix the problemHere's how to fix the problem of PDF thumbnails not appearing.

1. Click the Windows Start button and select Configuration.

2. In Settings, click the tab System to the left.

3. On the right side, click on Storage.

4. Then, under Storage, click Temporary files.

5. On the next screen, mark only Thumbnails and click on the option Delete files.

5. Enable PDF Thumbnails by Editing the Registry

If PDF thumbnails still aren't appearing in Windows, you'll need to make some changes to the Windows Registry. Here's how to enable PDF thumbnails by editing the Windows Registry.

1. First, click on Windows search and type Registry Editor. Then, open the Registry Editor from the list of options.

2. When the Registry Editor opens, navigate to this path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Classes\CLSID\

3. In that folder, you should find {DC6EFB56-9CFA-464D-8880-44885D7DC193}. If the folder is not available, right-click on CLSID and select New > Key. Then, name the new key {DC6EFB56-9CFA-464D-8880-44885D7DC193}.

4. Select the {DC6EFB56-9CFA-464D-8880-44885D7DC193} key and double-click 'AppID' in the right pane. If the AppID is not available, right-click {DC6EFB56-9CFA-464D-8880-44885D7DC193} and select New > String Value. Name the new String Value as AppID.

5. Double click on 'AppID' and then enter {534A1E02-D58F-44f0-B58B-36CBED287C7C} in the Value Data field. Once done, click the ' buttonAccept'.

6. Enable PDF Thumbnails in Windows Using PowerToys

PowerToys is an application of open source for Windows that brings many new features, and some of those features can boost your productivity, like PDF thumbnails. For example, it has a feature that enables PDF thumbnails in File Explorer. Here's how to use it.

1. First, download and install PowerToys on your Windows PC.

2. Once installed, open it and switch to the tab File Explorer Add-ons on the left side.

3. Enable the switch for Portable Document Format on the right side.

After making the changes, restart your Windows computer. This will override all existing thumbnail settings and enable PDF thumbnails.

7. View PDF Thumbnails in Windows Using Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat is a tool that lets you view, create, edit, and print Portable Document Format (PDF) files. If you use Adobe Acrobat on your Windows PC to manage your PDF files, you can enable a feature to turn on PDF thumbnails.

• Right click on the PDF file and select Open with > Adobe Acrobat.
• When the file opens, click on Edit > Preferences.
• Then in the Preferences, switch to the tab General.
• Check the option Enable PDF thumbnail previews in Windows Explorer on the right side.
• After making changes, click the button Accept to apply the changes.

Now restart your Windows computer and navigate to the folder that stores PDF files. The PDF thumbnails should now appear. 🎉

PDF thumbnails are useful because they allow us to differentiate files without opening them. So, you can follow the methods we've shared to fix the PDF thumbnails not showing issue. If you need more help resolving the PDF thumbnails not showing issue in Windows, let us know in the comments. Also, if the article helped you, be sure to share it with your friends. 👍