Is Windows thumbnails slowing down file browsing? How to disable thumbnails in Windows 10? This guide will guide you step by step to remove thumbnails of image files, video files, etc. on MiniTool.

Windows thumbnail overview

Windows thumbnails are miniature representations of images or videos. They are used to quickly identify and preview files without opening each file one by one. This feature is especially useful when file locations contain a large number of media files.

However, Windows thumbnails also have some disadvantages. For example, Windows thumbnails can take up system resources and cause system performance to degrade. Or, sometimes thumbnails load slowly.

With these factors in mind, many users want to know how to disable thumbnails in Windows 10. So, in the next section, we will walk you through the detailed steps of disabling thumbnail previews step by step.

How to Disable Thumbnails in Windows 10

Method 1: Use File Explorer to disable thumbnail preview

The easiest way to turn off thumbnail preview is to use File Explorer. With just a few clicks, the thumbnail will no longer be displayed.

Step 1. Press Windows E key combination to access File Explorer.

Step 2. In File Explorer, go to the View tab and click the Options icon.

Step 3. In the new window, go to the View tab and select the Always Show icon, Never Show the check box next to the thumbnail .

Step 4. Click the Apply and OK buttons in turn to make the above changes take effect.

Method 2: Use Windows settings to disable thumbnail preview

If File Explorer is unresponsive or crashes, you can delete thumbnails of image files from Windows settings.

Step 1. Press the Windows I key combination to open Windows settings.

Step 2. Click System .

Step 3. Go to the About tab in the left panel and click Advanced System Settings under Related Settings .

Step 4. Under Performance , click Settings .

Step 5. Uncheck the Show thumbnail instead of icon option and click Apply and OK .

Step 6. Restart your computer and check if the thumbnails have been deleted.

Method 3: Use the Registry Editor to disable thumbnail preview

If you are a skilled registry user, you can disable thumbnail preview by editing the Windows registry.

Step 1. In the Windows Search box, type regedit and click Registry Editor in the Best Match Results.

Step 2. In the pop-up UAC window, select Yes .

Step 3. In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following location:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

In the right panel, locate and double-click the IconsOnly option. Then set its value data to 1 and click OK .

Step 4. Restart the computer and check if the thumbnail is turned off.

Method 4: Use the local group policy editor to disable thumbnail preview

Alternatively, you can disable thumbnails in Windows 10 through the local Group Policy Editor.

Step 1. Press the Windows R key combination, type gpedit.msc in the text box, and then click OK .

Step 2. Navigate to: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer .

Step 3. In the pop-up window, double-click to close the thumbnail display and display only the icon options. When a new window pops up, select the Enabled option.

Step 4. Click Apply > OK .

Summarize

This article explains how to use File Explorer, Windows Settings, Registry Editor, and Local Group Policy Editor to gradually disable thumbnails in Windows 10.

Additionally, if you want to recover deleted files from your computer or other file storage device, try MiniTool Power Data Recovery.

If you have any questions about Windows thumbnail removal or MiniTool software, please feel free to contact us via [Contact Information].

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