How can I get PowerToys to enable image preview in preview pane?

Question

How can I get PowerToys to enable image preview in preview pane?

john myers 20

Months ago, Adobe Acrobat pdf preview handler stopped working, even after plenty of reinstalling and resetting windows and starting from scratch. Nothing would enable pdf preview despite 30 hours of research an attempts. Other file types that preview are doc, docx, xlsx and now pdf again, thanks to PowerToys, power image files , such as the common jpg, don't preview. I thought PowerToys would have this handler in it considering it was about 350MB to download (and all I needed was a preview handler for pdf and jpg).

The odd thing is, and it's been this way since pdf files stopped previewing, is that when I uncheck the preview handler in advanced settings in explorer, it previews images, but due to the handlers are now switched off, I can't preview pdf, doc, docx and xlsx files. I know shit about software, but it seems the image preview handler jumped over the fence to the other side. When I reset my PC a month ago, it did not rectify this problem. I was hoping PowerToys would had fixed this problem indirectly with a new handler of it's own.

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Answer 1

Hendrix-V 17,945 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi john myers,

I'm Hendrix, here to help with your query on the Microsoft Q&A forums.

Apologies for any inconvenience you are experiencing. I am happy to help you today.

Here’s a PowerToys Image Preview Troubleshooting Checklist you can kindly follow:

1 - Confirm PowerToys Installation

Make sure you have the latest version of PowerToys installed.
Download/update Microsoft PowerToys

2 - Enable File Explorer Add-ons

Open PowerToys Settings → File Explorer add-ons.

Turn On the toggles for:

Preview Pane handlers (SVG, PDF, Markdown, etc.)
Thumbnail providers (SVG, PDF, STL, etc.)

3 - Check Windows Preview Pane Settings

In File Explorer, enable Preview Pane:

Go to View → Show → Preview Pane.

In Folder Options → View tab, ensure:

Show preview handlers in preview pane is checked.

4 - Restart File Explorer

After enabling add-ons, restart File Explorer or reboot your PC to apply changes.

To assist others who might have similar questions and to help us improve our support system, we kindly encourage you to "Accept the answer" if it successfully addressed your concern. Accepting an answer lets other users know that this solution worked for you, and it also helps us track the effectiveness of our support efforts.

Warm regards,

Hendrix Vu | Microsoft Q&A Support Specialist

Hendrix-V 17,945 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-01T09:11:12.7766667+00:00
Hi john myers,

PowerToys does not support JPG or PNG previews in the Preview Pane—only SVG, PDF, Markdown, G-code, QOI for preview and SVG, PDF, STL, G-code, QOI for thumbnails.

To fix the issue, please try this method:

Restart Explorer & Clear Cache

Open Task Manager → Restart Windows Explorer.

Clear thumbnail cache:

Run cleanmgr → select Thumbnails → OK.

Reboot after clearing cache.

I look forward to receiving your update and I'm willing to collaborate with you till we resolve the issue. Please keep me informed.

Best regards,

Hendrix Vu | Microsoft Q&A Support Specialist
john myers 20 Reputation points

2025-09-01T12:45:06.56+00:00

I tried it all before asking, so unfortunately the answer served no benefit. Yesterday, after 6 hours of installing PowerToys, it stopped previewing pdf files. PDF preview handler was the one reason I installed the 350MB program. Adode Acrobat preview handler fails after hours of installing the app or uninstall and reinstalling, or updating. It works when I uninstalled WPS, but WPS is essential for me to have. I read that Power Toys previewer handlers will override any and all other handlers. That was true for about 4 hours. The WPS was overided by Powertoys and the preview did not have the controls to export changes the size, etc, the WPS handler always shows for the xlsx and doc, docx, etc, files. The preview pane was a standard plaint view of the document. But after about 4 hours, it reverted back to the WPS handler and about 2 hours after that the pdf handler no longer worked. This was happening each time I installed Acrobat, and PowerToys was no better of fixing the problem to keep the pdf handler working. I never had this problem prior to about 5 months ago. All the file types worked for the preview pane, Now only the WPS handlers work for docx and xlsx. If image and pdf handlers stopped working for WPS, I thought other apps could use their own handlers (like powertoys and acrobat). I have no idea what to do now. Perhaps but another PC but the same problem could occur when I install WPS. I'm so use to using WPS for so many years, I don't want to learn to use another app. Just how hard can a preview handler issue be? On the surface it seems simple, but underneath...?
Hendrix-V 17,945 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-19T04:48:38.8366667+00:00
Hi john myers,

I can completely understand how frustrating this must feel, especially after investing so much time trying to fix something that seems like it should be simple. You’ve done a lot of troubleshooting already, and it’s clear you’ve been very thorough.

What you’re experiencing is actually a common challenge with Windows preview handlers: when multiple applications (like WPS, Adobe Acrobat, and PowerToys) register their own handlers for the same file types, Windows often struggles to maintain the correct priority.

Here are some practical steps to stabilize your preview experience:

1. Decide Which App Should Control Each File Type

If WPS is essential for DOCX/XLSX previews, let it handle those.

Use PowerToys or Adobe for PDFs—but not both at the same time.

2. Set Default Preview Handlers Manually

Open Registry Editor and navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PreviewHandlers

Confirm the correct CLSID for each file type. For example:

Adobe PDF: {DC6EFB56-9CFA-464D-8880-44885D7DC193}

PowerToys PDF: {07665729-6243-4746-95b7-79579308d1b2}

Remove duplicates or conflicting entries.

3. Lock the Registry Keys

After setting the preferred handler, adjust permissions on the PreviewHandlers key to prevent other apps from overwriting it.

4. Clear Thumbnail and Preview Cache

Run:

del /f /s /q %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\thumbcache_*.db

Please let me know if the solution works.

Thanks!