A gigantic bad Windows 10 thumbnail

In Windows 10, sometimes thumbnail icons take a white or black border behind them, appear blank, or just display improperly. You lot can often quickly fix the issue past deleting the Windows thumbnail cache. Here's how.

What Are Thumbnails Anyway?

By default, instead of using generic icons for documents, Windows x creates small pictures of image or document contents chosen thumbnails. These tiny images are stored in a special database file chosen the thumbnail enshroud. Thanks to this file, Windows does non have to recreate thumbnail images every fourth dimension you open a binder.

If you lot are seeing garbled or wrong thumbnails, it'due south probable that the thumbnails stored in the cache for those item files have been corrupted or are missing. This could exist due to a issues in Windows or mayhap an intermittent hardware trouble.

In that case, the best immediate course of action is to delete your thumbnail cache—which does not harm your personal data—and allow Windows to recreate the faulty thumbnails from scratch the next fourth dimension you restart your machine. Here'due south how to do information technology.

How to Articulate the Thumbnail Cache in Windows 10

Commencement, open the "Start" carte and type "Deejay Cleanup." Click on the "Deejay Cleanup" app that appears.

Launch Start and type Disk Cleanup

In the Deejay Cleanup window, locate the "Files To Delete" list. This list includes dissimilar types of stored data that Windows can safely delete to clean upwardly space.

If you don't want to delete annihilation just thumbnails, uncheck any items (such equally "Downloaded Program Files" and "Temporary Internet Files" at the top of the list).

Ringlet down the "Files To Delete" list and check the box beside "Thumbnails." (Information technology may already exist checked by default. In that instance, go out it how it is.) Click "OK" to remove all the selected data from your system.

Deleting Thumbnails in Windows 10 Using Disk Cleanup

A popular-up dialog box volition ask, "Are y'all sure you want to permanently delete these files?" Click "Delete Files."

Are you sure you want to permanently delete these files dialog in Windows 10 Disk Cleanup

Another popular-upwardly volition announced, this time showing you the progress of deleting your Windows thumbnails.

The Disk Cleanup process in Windows 10

Later on the thumbnail cache files have been deleted, restart your estimator.

Now, open File Explorer or await at the Desktop to run into if this has fixed your problem. Hopefully, the thumbnails have been recreated and are now correct. If not, there may be a problem with the file itself. Open the file in the associated program and see if it actually matches the apparently faulty thumbnail Windows created. If they friction match, and so y'all've found your problem.

How to Disable Thumbnails Completely

Alternately, if you find that Windows ten thumbnails never piece of work properly or have get a nuisance, you can plough them off completely. Here'due south how.

Open the "Start" menu and blazon "File Explorer Options." Click on the beginning consequence. (You lot can also launch these options in File Explorer by clicking on View > Options in the menu bar.)

Open Start and type File Explorer Options

In the File Explorer Options window, click on the "View" tab. In the "Avant-garde Settings" list, put a checkmark abreast "Always show icons, never thumbnails." Then, click "OK."

After that, Windows will only display standard icons for documents instead of thumbnails. Sit back and enjoy your streamlined computing experience.