How to disable thumbnails on Windows 10
If you have no use for files thumbnails or got them disabled by mistake, use these steps to disable or enable the feature on Windows 10.
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On Windows 10, File Explorer has the ability to display various sizes of thumbnail images for files, folders, documents, pictures, and videos to give you a quick preview of the content without having to open them.
Although it’s a useful feature that adds a visual queue to find files faster without even looking at their names, it can take some system resources to render and cache all the previews, especially in locations with many images.
If your device is taking a long time to load the previews, you’re troubleshooting a problem, or you’re not interested in using this feature,Windows 10includes at least three ways to disable thumbnails to show file icons instead of using File Explorer, Settings, and Group Policy.
In this Windows 10 guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to disable (and enable) thumbnails for files in File Explorer.
How to enable or disable thumbnails using File Explorer
On Windows 10, the easiest way to disable or enable thumbnail previews for files is to use the File Explorer settings.
Disable file thumbnails
To disable thumbnails, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, files will appear as icons without previews.
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Enable file thumbnails
If you ended up in this guide because thumbnails are not showing in File Explorer, it’s possible that for some reason or system update, the feature got disabled by mistake.
To enable thumbnails for files on Windows 10, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, previews will now appear for files in File Explorer. If, after adjusting the settings, you don’t see the thumbnails, then restart File Explorer and repeat the instructions one more time.
How to enable or disable thumbnails using Settings
You can also use the Settings app to access the visual effects settings that allow you to enable or disable thumbnail previews, among other appearance and performance effects.
Disable file thumbnails
To disable the thumbnails for files using the visual effects settings, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, File Explorer will no longer show thumbnails for files.
Enable file thumbnails
To use the visual effects settings to re-enable thumbnails, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, files should appear with the respective previews in File Explorer.
How to enable or disable thumbnails using Group Policy
Alternatively, you can even manage the display of thumbnail previews using Group Policy.
Disable file thumbnails
To disable thumbnails with Group Policy, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, users will no longer see thumbnails for files while the policy remains enabled.
Enable file thumbnails
To show previews for files with Group Policy, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, thumbnails previews will be available for files in File Explorer. If you can’t see the previews, you may need to restart the device to apply the changes.
Whatever method you choose to disable thumbnails, remember to use the same method to re-enable the feature. If you still have problems displaying previews, you may be able toresolve the issue with these steps.
Mauro Huculak has been a Windows How-To Expert contributor for WindowsCentral.com for nearly a decade and has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides. He also has an IT background and has achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and CompTIA. He has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years.
