{"id":309,"date":"2008-05-29T19:11:07","date_gmt":"2008-05-29T13:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.58.113.91\/blog\/?p=309"},"modified":"2023-05-05T16:30:12","modified_gmt":"2023-05-05T11:00:12","slug":"enable-or-disable-thumbnail-preview-for-pdf-files","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/enable-or-disable-thumbnail-preview-for-pdf-files\/","title":{"rendered":"[Fix] PDF Thumbnail and Preview Not Showing Up in File Explorer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In your Windows computer, File Explorer may not display PDF thumbnails, and instead, show only the default icon assigned for PDF files. This might happen even if you have the option <strong>Always show icons, never thumbnails<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/fix-thumbnail-preview-for-pictures-w7-vista\/\">unchecked<\/a> in the View tab of the Folder Options dialog.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_25588\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25588\" style=\"width: 732px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-25588 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/pdf-thumbnail-preview-pane-1.png\" alt=\"pdf thumbnail and preview using microsoft powertoys\" width=\"742\" height=\"466\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-25588\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">::BEFORE:: &#8212; No thumbnail and preview for PDF files<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Also, in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/outlook-cant-preview-pdf-attachments\/\">Microsoft Outlook<\/a> you&#8217;ll see the error when viewing emails that contain PDF file attachments:<\/p>\n<pre class=\"err\">The file cannot be previewed because there is no previewer installed for it<\/pre>\n<p>This article tells you how to enable PDF thumbnails as well as the PDF preview capability (for the Preview pane) in File Explorer and Microsoft Outlook. The first method (PowerToys) works whether or not you&#8217;re using a third-party PDF viewer (e.g., Adobe PDF Reader or Foxit Reader).<\/p>\n<div class=\"rp\"><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/outlook-cant-preview-pdf-attachments\/\">[Fix] Microsoft Outlook Cannot Preview PDF Attachments<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<div id=\"toc\">\n<p><strong>Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#preliminary\">Preliminary Steps<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#powertoys\">Fix PDF previews using Microsoft PowerToys<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#outlook32bit\">Outlook 32-bit Registry Fix (for PowerToys users)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#adobe\">Fix PDF previews using Adobe Reader DC<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#foxit\">Fix PDF previews using Foxit Reader<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#sumatra\">Fix PDF previews using SumatraPDF<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#edge\">Fix PDF previews using Microsoft Edge Chromium<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#edge_pdf_thumbs\">Fix: No PDF Thumbnails with Edge as the default viewer<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>[Fix] PDF Thumbnail and Preview Not Showing in Explorer<\/h2>\n<h3><a id=\"preliminary\"><\/a>Preliminary step &#8211; Enable thumbnails and preview handlers in Explorer<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Open Folder Options<\/li>\n<li>Enable &#8220;Show preview handlers in preview pane&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Uncheck &#8220;Always show icons, never thumbnails&#8221;<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-25589\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/folder-options-preview-thumbnail-enable.png\" alt=\"folder options - enable thumbnails and preview handlers\" width=\"382\" height=\"475\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Click OK and close Folder Options.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>If thumbnail and preview functionality is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/disable-preview-pane-file-types-explorer\/\">still missing<\/a> for PDF file types, proceed to the next step.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"powertoys\"><\/a>Using Microsoft PowerToys<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/image-resizer-powertoy-context-menu\/\">Microsoft PowerToys<\/a> is a set of utilities for power users to tune and streamline their Windows 10 experience for greater productivity. PowerToys requires Windows 11 or Windows 10 v1903 (18362) or newer to work.<\/p>\n<p>You can use <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/microsoft\/PowerToys\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Microsoft PowerToys<\/a> to enable PDF thumbnails and preview generation (for the preview pane) even if you <strong>don&#8217;t have<\/strong> a proprietary PDF viewer software installed. There is no 32-bit version of Microsoft PowerToys; only the 64-bit version has been released.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6338 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/icotip.gif\" alt=\"tips bulb icon\" width=\"34\" height=\"34\" \/>PowerToys includes a PDF thumbnail generator as well as the preview handler module (DLL). Thus, it works even if you&#8217;re using the Windows default PDF viewer (Microsoft Edge browser) for opening PDF files.<\/p>\n<p>To enable thumbnail generation and preview capabilities for PDF files:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Download <strong>Microsoft PowerToys<\/strong> via the Microsoft Store.<\/li>\n<li>Launch Microsoft PowerToys as administrator (Run as administrator)<\/li>\n<li>In PowerToys Settings, select &#8220;File Explorer add-ons&#8221; in the left pane.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-25586\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/pdf-thumbnail-preview-pane-2.png\" alt=\"pdf thumbnail and preview using microsoft powertoys\" width=\"648\" height=\"730\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Turn on the &#8220;<strong>Enable PDF (.pdf) preview<\/strong>&#8221; setting.<\/li>\n<li>Turn on the &#8220;<strong>Enable PDF (.pdf) thumbnails<\/strong>&#8221; setting.<\/li>\n<li>Close or minimize Microsoft PowerToys.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> PowerToys need not be running in the background for the PDF preview and thumbnail feature to work. You can exit PowerToys if you want.<\/p>\n<p>Here you go! The thumbnails and preview pane capability for PDF files are now restored.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_25587\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25587\" style=\"width: 732px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-25587 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/pdf-thumbnail-preview-pane-3.png\" alt=\"pdf thumbnail and preview using microsoft powertoys\" width=\"742\" height=\"562\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-25587\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">::AFTER:: &#8212; Thumbnail and preview generation enabled for PDF files<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"rp\"><strong>2022 update:<\/strong> Microsoft PowerToys also can enable thumbnails for .gcode, .md, and .svg file types. It can also enable preview pane functionality for .gcode, and .svg file types.<\/div>\n<div class=\"qt\">\n<h4>Additional Info: Microsoft PowerToys&#8217;s PDF modules<\/h4>\n<pre>Preview handler for PDF files\r\nGUID: {A5A41CC7-02CB-41D4-8C9B-9087040D6098}\r\nFilename: C:\\Program Files\\PowerToys\\modules\\FileExplorerPreview\\PowerToys.PdfPreviewHandlerCpp.dll\r\n\r\nThumbnail generator for PDF files\r\nGUID: {D8BB9942-93BD-412D-87E4-33FAB214DC1A}\r\nFilename: C:\\Program Files\\PowerToys\\modules\\FileExplorerPreview\\PowerToys.PdfThumbnailProviderCpp.dll<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Important:<\/strong> The PDF preview handler GUID in older versions of PowerToys was <code>{07665729-6243-4746-95b7-79579308d1b2}<\/code>. In the latest PowerToys, the GUID has been changed to <code><strong>{A5A41CC7-02CB-41D4-8C9B-9087040D6098}<\/strong><\/code>.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, the PDF Thumbnail handler GUID in older versions of PowerToys was <code>{BCC13D15-9720-4CC4-8371-EA74A274741E}<\/code>. In the recent PowerToys release, the GUID has been changed to <code><strong>{D8BB9942-93BD-412D-87E4-33FAB214DC1A}<\/strong><\/code>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h4>Fix For Outlook Users<\/h4>\n<p>An additional step is needed to enable the PowerToys preview handler in Outlook.<\/p>\n<p>Open an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/open-elevated-command-prompt-windows\/\">admin Command Prompt<\/a> window and run this command:<\/p>\n<pre>reg add \"HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\PreviewHandlers\" \/v \"{A5A41CC7-02CB-41D4-8C9B-9087040D6098}\" \/d \"Pdf Preview Handler\" \/t REG_SZ<\/pre>\n<h4><a id=\"outlook32bit\"><\/a>Outlook 32-bit Registry Fix (for Microsoft PowerToys users)<\/h4>\n<p>Microsoft PowerToys is a 64-bit program. So, its PDF preview handler above won&#8217;t be listed in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/outlook-cant-preview-pdf-attachments\/\">Outlook 32-bit Trust Center<\/a> settings as the <code>WOW6432Node<\/code> registration would be missing by default and also causes the following error in Microsoft Outlook 32-bit:<\/p>\n<pre class=\"err\">This file cannot be previewed because there is no previewer installed for it.<\/pre>\n<p>To make the PowerToys&#8217;s PDF preview handler work in Outlook 32-bit, you need to apply the following registry fix. Once done, it gets listed in the Trust Center settings and you should be able to preview PDF attachments in your email.<\/p>\n<pre>Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00\r\n\r\n;Microsoft PowerToys PDF Preview Handler Fix for Outlook 32-bit\r\n\r\n[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\PreviewHandlers]\r\n\"{A5A41CC7-02CB-41D4-8C9B-9087040D6098}\"=\"Pdf Preview Handler\"\r\n\r\n[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\Software\\Classes\\WOW6432Node\\CLSID\\{A5A41CC7-02CB-41D4-8C9B-9087040D6098}]\r\n\"DisplayName\"=\"Pdf Preview Handler\"\r\n@=\"PdfPreviewHandler\"\r\n\"AppID\"=\"{6d2b5079-2f0b-48dd-ab7f-97cec514d30b}\"\r\n\r\n[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\Software\\Classes\\WOW6432Node\\CLSID\\{A5A41CC7-02CB-41D4-8C9B-9087040D6098}\\InprocServer32]\r\n@=\"C:\\\\Program Files\\\\PowerToys\\\\modules\\\\FileExplorerPreview\\\\PowerToys.PdfPreviewHandlerCpp.dll\"\r\n\"Assembly\"=\"PowerToys.PdfPreviewHandler, Version=v0.67.1.0, Culture=neutral\"\r\n\"Class\"=\"PdfPreviewHandler\"\r\n\"ThreadingModel\"=\"Apartment\"\r\n<\/pre>\n<p>To apply the above registry fix:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Copy the above lines to Notepad.<\/li>\n<li>Save the file as <code>PreviewFix.reg<\/code>.<\/li>\n<li>Double-click the file to run it.<\/li>\n<li>Click Yes (when prompted) to apply the settings.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The above registry fix resolves the error &#8220;<em>This file cannot be previewed because there is no previewer installed for it<\/em>&#8221; in Microsoft Outlook when Microsoft PowerToys&#8217;s PDF preview handler is enabled.<\/p>\n<p><em>(For more information about registry files, check out the article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/how-to-use-reg-files-registration-entries-windows\/\">How to use .REG files (Registration Entries) in Windows<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"rp\"><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/enable-ps1-preview-pane-ps1-powershell-file-explorer\/\">How to Enable PowerShell (.PS1) Script Text Previews in Explorer Preview Pane?<\/a><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"adobe\"><\/a>Using Adobe Acrobat Reader<\/h3>\n<p>Adobe Acrobat Reader includes the thumbnail extractor as well as a preview handler shell extension that generates PDF thumbnails AND file previewS in the Preview pane in File Explorer. PDF thumbnails can be enabled or disabled via Adobe Reader&#8217;s Preferences dialog.<\/p>\n<h4>Enable or Disable PDF &#8220;Thumbnails&#8221; in File Explorer via Adobe Preferences<\/h4>\n<p>Open Adobe Reader, click Edit, Preferences. Under &#8220;General&#8221;, enable the option <code>Enable PDF thumbnail previews in Windows Explorer<\/code>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4187\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/64-bit-thumbnail-preview.png\" alt=\"adobe pdf thumbnail preview\" width=\"677\" height=\"461\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Note:<\/b> If you&#8217;ve chosen to disable PDF thumbnails, existing PDF files may still show thumbnail preview from the cache. The <strong>thumbnail cache<\/strong> needs to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/clear-thumbnail-cache-windows\/\">cleared using Disk Cleanup<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4188\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4188\" style=\"width: 641px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4188 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/pdf-thumb-preview.png\" alt=\"pdf thumbnail and previews in file explorer\" width=\"651\" height=\"455\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4188\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">PDF Thumbnails and Previews after installing Adobe Reader DC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>Enable or Disable PDF &#8220;Preview&#8221; in Explorer Preview pane<\/h4>\n<p>When you install (or reinstall) Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, the thumbnail extractor, as well as the Preview handler, are registered automatically.<\/p>\n<p>To <strong>disable<\/strong> PDF file preview in the File Explorer preview pane, use these steps:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Launch <strong>Regedit.exe<\/strong> and navigate to the following branch:\n<pre>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\PreviewHandlers<\/pre>\n<\/li>\n<li>From the File menu, choose Export&#8230; and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/how-to-use-reg-files-registration-entries-windows\/\">backup<\/a> the branch to a REG file.<\/li>\n<li>Right-click the GUID for Adobe PDF Preview Handler which is usually <code>{DC6EFB56-9CFA-464D-8880-44885D7DC193}<\/code> and choose Delete.<\/li>\n<li>Click <b>Yes<\/b> when asked for confirmation.<\/li>\n<li>Exit the Registry Editor.<\/li>\n<li>Log off and login back for the change to take effect.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>To <strong>enable<\/strong> PDF Preview handler, add the value\u00a0<code>{DC6EFB56-9CFA-464D-8880-44885D7DC193}<\/code> back or merge the REG file you backed up in <code>Step 4<\/code> above.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Automate Using REG Files<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To automate enabling or disabling PDF previews as well as PDF thumbnails in File Explorer, you can use these .REG files.\u00a0Download <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/pdf-thumb-preview.zip\">pdf-thumb-preview.zip<\/a>, unzip, and extract the files to desktop. Run the appropriate REG file to enable or disable PDF thumbnails, enable or disable PDF preview in File Explorer Preview pane.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4190\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/pdf-thumb-preview-2.png\" alt=\"pdf thumbnail and previews in file explorer\" width=\"472\" height=\"130\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6338 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/icotip.gif\" alt=\"tips bulb icon\" width=\"34\" height=\"34\" \/>As an alternative to manual registry editing, you can use the Preview Handler Association Editor to enable or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/disable-preview-pane-file-types-explorer\/\">disable preview for certain file types<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"foxit\"><\/a>Using Foxit Reader<\/h3>\n<p>If you&#8217;re using <strong>Foxit PDF Reader<\/strong>, re-run the Foxit installer, choose Custom setup and then and enable &#8220;Shell extensions&#8221; during setup.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-25593\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/foxit-shell-extensions.png\" alt=\"foxit setup shell extensions\" width=\"600\" height=\"420\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Enabling &#8220;Shell Extensions&#8221; ensures that the Foxit preview\/thumbnail extractor module (DLLs) are installed.<\/p>\n<pre><strong>Foxit PDF Thumbnail Handler<\/strong>\r\nGUID: {21F5E992-636E-48DC-9C47-5B05DEF82372}\r\nFilenames:\r\nC:\\Program Files (x86)\\Foxit Software\\Foxit PDF Reader\\Shell Extensions\\FoxitThumnailsHndir.dll\"  [32-bit]\r\n(or)\r\nC:\\Program Files (x86)\\Foxit Software\\Foxit PDF Reader\\Shell Extensions\\FoxitThumbnailHndlr_x64.dll  [64-bit]<\/pre>\n<pre><strong>Foxit PDF Preview Handler<\/strong>\r\nGUID: {1B96FAD8-1C10-416E-8027-6EFF94045F6F}\r\nFilenames:\r\n\"C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Foxit Software\\Foxit PDF Reader\\Shell Extensions\\FoxitPreviewhost.exe\"\r\n\"C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Foxit Software\\Foxit PDF Reader\\Shell Extensions\\FoxitPrevHndlr.dll\"<\/pre>\n<p>For more information, check out Foxit&#8217;s official documentation <a href=\"https:\/\/kb.foxitsoftware.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/360040241632-PDF-previews-are-not-shown-as-thumbnails-in-File-Explorer-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PDF previews are shown as icons instead of thumbnails in Explorer<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/kb.foxitsoftware.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/360040241632-PDF-previews-are-not-shown-as-thumbnails-in-File-Explorer-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PDF previews are not shown as thumbnails in File Explorer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>The official documentation tells you how to register the Foxit thumbnail handler shell extension <code>FoxitThumnailsHndlr.dll<\/code> or <code>FoxitThumbnailHndlr_x64.dll<\/code> (which Foxit setup does it automatically, anyway). Please note that you&#8217;ll always need to use the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/open-elevated-command-prompt-windows\/\">administrator Command Prompt<\/a> to register DLL files.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"rp\"><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/fix-preview-not-available-thumbnail-media-files\/\">Fix \u201cNo Preview Available\u201d and No Thumbnails for Media Files<\/a><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"sumatra\"><\/a>Using SumatraPDF<\/h3>\n<p>SumatraPDF, a freeware PDF viewer, ships with a module that can generate thumbnails as well as previews for PDF files. You need to enable the following option when installing the software:<\/p>\n<pre><strong>Let Windows show previews of PDF documents<\/strong><\/pre>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-25592\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/sumatra-pdf-preview-thumbnail.png\" alt=\"sumatrapdf thumbnail preview\" width=\"406\" height=\"333\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Enabling the option would register the following SumatraPDF thumbnail &amp; preview generator DLL automatically:<\/p>\n<pre>SumatraPDF Preview (*.pdf)\r\nGUID: {3D3B1846-CC43-42AE-BFF9-D914083C2BA3}\r\nFilename: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\SumatraPDF\\PdfPreview.dll<\/pre>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"edge\"><\/a>Using Microsoft Edge Chromium<\/h3>\n<p>Microsoft Edge now (probably since the February\/March 2022 release) includes a built-in preview handler module named &#8220;<code>PdfPreviewHandler.dll<\/code>&#8221; (&#8220;Microsoft PDF Previewer&#8221;) located in the following directory:<\/p>\n<pre>C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Microsoft\\Edge\\Application\\nn.n.nnnn.nn\\PdfPreview\\PdfPreviewHandler.dll<\/pre>\n<p>Microsoft Edge (Chromium) reinstall\/update process should set the above PDF preview handler as the default. If not, you can set it manually by running the following command from an admin Command Prompt window:<\/p>\n<pre>reg add HKCR\\.pdf\\shellex\\{8895b1c6-b41f-4c1c-a562-0d564250836f} \/ve \/d \"{3A84F9C2-6164-485C-A7D9-4B27F8AC009E}\" \/f<\/pre>\n<p>Here you go! The PDF preview generated by Microsoft Edge&#8217;s preview handler.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-26616\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/edge-preview-handler.png\" alt=\"Edge PDF Preview Handler - Microsoft PDF Previewer\" width=\"751\" height=\"464\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Note:<\/strong> Microsoft Edge PDF previewer has a crazy bug where it throws the &#8220;File not found&#8221; error if the file or folder name contains the # symbol. Microsoft Edge&#8217;s current version is <code>101.0.1210.32<\/code> as of this post, and the issue is still unresolved. This problem is covered in the article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/pdf-preview-directory-index-file-not-found\/\">PDF Preview Shows Directory Index or ERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"qt\">\n<h4><a id=\"edge_pdf_thumbs\"><\/a>Thumbnails missing with Edge as the default PDF Viewer?<\/h4>\n<p>The above module (<code>PdfPreviewHandler.dll<\/code>) provides PDF preview functionality in File Explorer. However, it doesn&#8217;t include a thumbnail generation feature. As a workaround, you can borrow Adobe Acrobat DC&#8217;s thumbnail handler (if it&#8217;s installed) even though you set Edge as the default viewer. To do so, download and run the following registry fix:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/pdf_thumbnail_adobe.reg_.zip\">pdf_thumbnail_adobe.reg<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Contents of the REG file<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00\r\n\r\n[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\SOFTWARE\\Classes\\.pdf\\shellex\\{BB2E617C-0920-11d1-9A0B-00C04FC2D6C1}]\r\n@=\"{F9DB5320-233E-11D1-9F84-707F02C10627}\"\r\n<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<p>Hopefully, one of the above tips or programs should fix the File Explorer PDF thumbnail and preview pane issues in Windows and Microsoft Outlook\/Outlook 365.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In your Windows computer, File Explorer may not display PDF thumbnails, and instead, show only the default icon assigned for PDF files. This might happen even if you have the option Always show icons, never thumbnails unchecked in the View tab of the Folder Options dialog. Also, in Microsoft Outlook you&#8217;ll see the error when &#8230; <a title=\"[Fix] PDF Thumbnail and Preview Not Showing Up in File Explorer\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/enable-or-disable-thumbnail-preview-for-pdf-files\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about [Fix] PDF Thumbnail and Preview Not Showing Up in File Explorer\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[782,6,7],"tags":[751,871,441],"class_list":["post-309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-edge","category-utilities","category-windows","tag-edge-chromium","tag-powertoys","tag-registry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":182,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/fix-thumbnail-preview-for-pictures-w7-vista\/","url_meta":{"origin":309,"position":0},"title":"Fix: Thumbnails Not Showing up in File Explorer","author":"Ramesh","date":"April 14, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Are your image files showing up with a generic mountain and lake scene instead of the miniature or thumbnail display in File Explorer? And video files may show up with a generic icon\/thumbnail. This article tells you how to enable thumbnails in File Explorer on Windows 10\/11 and earlier. RELATED:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Windows&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"thumbnails blank -- fix the IconServiceLib registry setting","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/iconservicelib-registry-thumbnail-fix.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/iconservicelib-registry-thumbnail-fix.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/iconservicelib-registry-thumbnail-fix.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/iconservicelib-registry-thumbnail-fix.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9730,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/disable-folder-thumbnails-without-disabling-thumbnail-preview-for-files\/","url_meta":{"origin":309,"position":1},"title":"Disable Folder Thumbnails without Disabling Thumbnail Preview for Files","author":"Ramesh","date":"June 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"When a folder contains one or more images in it, the contents of the folder are shown as the thumbnail image for that folder. Windows allows you to enable or disable thumbnail previews in File Explorer using the Always show icons, never thumbnails setting in the Folder Options dialog. When\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Windows&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"disable folder content thumbnails","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/folder-content-previews-disable-before.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/folder-content-previews-disable-before.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/folder-content-previews-disable-before.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/folder-content-previews-disable-before.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1015,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/clear-thumbnail-cache-windows\/","url_meta":{"origin":309,"position":2},"title":"How to Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows 10 or 11","author":"Ramesh","date":"August 11, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Windows keeps a copy of all of your picture, video, and document thumbnails in a cache database so they can be displayed quickly when you open a folder. Sometimes due to thumbnail cache corruption, thumbnail previews may not work for some files, for a particular icon size or for all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Windows&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/corrupt-thumbnail.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/corrupt-thumbnail.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/corrupt-thumbnail.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/corrupt-thumbnail.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25600,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/outlook-cant-preview-pdf-attachments\/","url_meta":{"origin":309,"position":3},"title":"[Fix] Microsoft Outlook Cannot Preview PDF Attachments","author":"Ramesh","date":"January 8, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Microsoft Outlook has attachment preview support wherein you can preview the file attachments without having to open the respective program. For this, Outlook utilizes the existing preview handler modules added by individual programs. This article describes the various type of PDF attachment preview issues that users face in Microsoft Outlook\/Outlook\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Office&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Office","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/office\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"outlook pdf preview not working - preview handlers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/outlook-pdf-preview-error-2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/outlook-pdf-preview-error-2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/outlook-pdf-preview-error-2.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/outlook-pdf-preview-error-2.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3401,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/fix-preview-not-available-thumbnail-media-files\/","url_meta":{"origin":309,"position":4},"title":"Fix: No Video Thumbnails and No Preview Available for Video Files","author":"Ramesh","date":"July 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"When you open a folder containing video files, no thumbnails may be displayed for your videos. Also, when you click a video file in File Explorer, the Preview pane may neither show the image preview nor the mini-player control for the chosen file. In some cases, No preview available message\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Windows 10&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"reset video thumbnails and preview registry keys","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/codec-tweak-reset-thumbnail-previews-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/codec-tweak-reset-thumbnail-previews-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/codec-tweak-reset-thumbnail-previews-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26634,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/pdf-preview-directory-index-file-not-found\/","url_meta":{"origin":309,"position":5},"title":"[Fix] PDF Preview Shows Directory Index or ERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND","author":"Ramesh","date":"April 29, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"When you preview PDF files in File Explorer or Microsoft Outlook on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer, the preview pane may show the directory index of the current folder instead of previewing the PDF file's contents. In some cases, it shows the following error: File not found It\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Microsoft Edge&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft Edge","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/edge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"enablepreviewhandler - edge pdf preview registry value","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/pdf-enablepreviewhandler-registry.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/pdf-enablepreviewhandler-registry.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/pdf-enablepreviewhandler-registry.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/pdf-enablepreviewhandler-registry.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}