Desainarena.com - Thumbnails are small images in Windows that play a crucial role in facilitating file navigation, especially when dealing with photo files in Windows Explorer.
When there are numerous photos in Windows Explorer, thumbnails allow us to preview them without opening each file individually. This feature proves to be highly beneficial, saving us from the hassle of opening each photo when searching for a specific image.
Causes of Missing Windows Thumbnails
Several factors can lead to the absence of thumbnails in Windows, including Windows Explorer settings configured to hide thumbnails and System Advanced settings set to conceal thumbnails for performance optimization.
System Advanced settings are typically intended to enhance Windows performance. For those unfamiliar, certain components of System Advanced can contribute to sluggish laptop performance, prompting users to disable some of its features.
How to Display Windows Thumbnails
To display thumbnails on Windows, I will provide two methods. The first method utilizes Windows Explorer, and the second involves using System Advanced.
Windows Explorer
Windows Explorer is the built-in file manager in Windows, serving the purpose of displaying all files, including system files (operating system, applications, etc.) and personal files (photos, music, videos, etc.).
In Windows Explorer, there is a section dedicated to configuring (showing/hiding) thumbnails. Users are given the option to display or hide them. Here's how:
Open Windows Explorer on your laptop.
Click on "File" and select "Change folder and search options" (if not visible, it might be labeled as "Options").
Move to the "View" tab. Uncheck "Always show icons, never thumbnails" and check "Display file icon on thumbnails."
Finally, click "Apply" and "Ok."
By following these steps, thumbnails should now appear in your Windows Explorer. If they still do not appear, it is likely that thumbnails are not being displayed through System Advanced. Proceed to the next method.
System Advanced
System Advanced is a Windows component responsible for visual settings. Users can enable or disable visual effects on Windows as needed, including hiding thumbnails.
If you've previously searched Google for ways to speed up Windows performance, you might have come across tutorials advising you to adjust performance settings by disabling certain effects.
If all visual effects are disabled, thumbnails will not appear in Windows Explorer. To make them visible, manual adjustments are necessary. Here's how:
Go to Windows Explorer.
Right-click on "This PC" and select "Properties."
Click on "Advanced system settings." In the new window, click "Advanced" and then select "Settings."
Ensure that "Show thumbnails instead of icons" is checked. Once confirmed, click "Apply" and then "Ok."
By following both of these methods, thumbnails should now be visible in your Windows. These two components are interconnected, and if either fails to display thumbnails, they won't appear in Windows Explorer.
This concludes the article for now. Hopefully, this brief guide proves helpful in resolving issues with missing Windows thumbnails.
