How to fix windows 11 photo folder not displaying thumbnails?

Question

Hello, after trying to find a solution to this, I ended up finding it. Do this:

1. Open File Explorer (press Win + E).
2. Click the three-dot menu (...) in the top toolbar and select Options.
3. Switch to the View tab.
4. Scroll down and uncheck the box that says Always show icons, never thumbnails

Answer 1

Hello Haydar Ghafoor,

Thanks for coming back to share the fix. That Folder Options toggle exists for performance and policy scenarios where Explorer is told to render generic icons only and skip thumbnail generation entirely, which is why the picture folder looked blank of previews until the box was unchecked. Once it is off, Explorer resumes building thumbnails from the image cache and the change applies across all picture folders without a reboot.

Information like this are useful because the same setting can get flipped by certain OEM configurations, group policies, or storage cleanup utilities without the user being aware, so a clear write-up of the symptom and the exact toggle helps the next person searching for it. I appreciate you sharing the resolution.

Answer 2

To restore picture thumbnails in Windows 11 File Explorer, ensure that thumbnail display is enabled in Folder Options.

Follow these steps:

1. Open File Explorer (Windows logo key + E).
2. Select the three-dot menu (…) on the command bar and choose Options.
3. In the Folder Options dialog, go to the View tab.
4. In Advanced settings, make sure Always show icons, never thumbnails is unchecked.
5. Also ensure Display file icon on thumbnails is checked (if available).
6. Select OK to apply the changes.

If thumbnails are still missing specifically for OneDrive content, also check:

1. In File Explorer, set the view to Medium icons or larger for the folder.
2. For affected OneDrive files, right-click each file and select Always keep on this device so thumbnails can be generated locally.
3. Be aware that OneDrive does not show previews/thumbnails for PDFs or images larger than 100 MB.

If File Explorer crashes or behaves unexpectedly when browsing picture folders, test for corrupt image thumbnails:

1. Open Folder Options → View tab.
2. Temporarily check Always show icons, never thumbnails and uncheck Display file icon on thumbnails.
3. Browse the picture folders again. If Explorer no longer stops working, one or more images may be corrupt.
4. After testing, return the settings to show thumbnails again.

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References:

• File Explorer in Windows
• OneDrive Thumbnails
• Error: Windows Explorer has stopped working