pictures come up as icons and not pictures

Question

How do I get my pictures to show as photos not icons. they are synced to OneDrive.

Answer 1

In Windows File Explorer, picture files synced with OneDrive can appear as generic icons if the view is set to show icons/details instead of thumbnails.

To see the photos instead of icons:

1. Open File Explorer and browse to the OneDrive folder where the pictures are stored.
2. On the ribbon (or toolbar), change the view to a thumbnail view such as Large icons or Extra large icons.
3. If thumbnails still do not appear, open View options and make sure any setting like “Always show icons, never thumbnails” is turned off.

The OneDrive sync status icons (clouds, check marks, etc.) will still appear on top of the thumbnails, but the files themselves will display as photo previews once a thumbnail view is enabled.

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References:

• Sync files with OneDrive in Windows
• What do the OneDrive icons mean?