Windows 10 File Explorer preview pane not working for PDF

FIX: PDF thumbnails are not showing on Windows 10/11

by Milan Stanojevic

Windows & Software Expert

Milan has been enthusiastic about PCs ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Read more

Updated: Dec 13, 2021

Posted: January 2021

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Many users have documents in PDF format on their PC, and sometimes its easier to recognize different PDF files by their thumbnail.

Unfortunately, many users reported that PDF thumbnails arent showing inFile Explorer on Windows 10. This can be an annoying problem, but fortunately, there are several solutions available.

Thumbnails are quite important since they allow us to find the desired files quickly.

However, many users reported problems with PDF thumbnails, so today were going to cover the following topics:

• How to show PDF thumbnails in Windows 10 In order to show PDF thumbnails on Windows 10, you need to have a default PDF viewer installed. Most users prefer Adobe Reader, but there are many great third-party alternatives.
• Enable PDF thumbnail previews in Windows Explorer In order to enable thumbnail previews in Windows Explorer, you need to set a default application for PDF files. After doing that, the issue should be resolved.
• PDF thumbnails not showing Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7 64-bit This problem can occur on any version of Windows, and even if youre not using Windows 10, you should be able to fix the issue using one of our solutions.
• PDF thumbnails disappeared, dont show, gone, no longer showing If PDF thumbnails are missing, the issue is most likely Adobe Reader. To fix the issue, be sure to check its settings and update it to the latest version.

What can I do if PDF thumbnails are not showing in File Explorer?

1. Use Adobe Acrobat Reader

1. Press Windows Key + S and enter default programs. Choose Default app settings from the list.
   
2. Select Choose default apps by file type.
   
3. Find .pdf format on the list and double click it to set the default application. Set Adobe Reader as a default application.
   

By following the steps above, youll set the Adobe Reader as the default application for PDF files.

Many users reported that Preview pane is not working for PDF files in Windows 10, but that can be fixed by changing few settings.

1. In Adobe Reader open Edit menu and go to Preferences.
2. Select Updater.
3. Enable Do not download and install updates automatically option.

After doing that your PDF thumbnails should return automatically.

Windows 10 doesnt let you set certain apps as default? Check out this guide and fix the problem in no time.

Make sure that you have the latest version of Adobe Reader installed

Some users claim that a recent Adobe Reader update fixed this issue, so be sure that you have the latest version of Adobe Reader installed. To ensure that you have the latest updates installed do the following:

1. Open Adobe Reader.
2. Go to Help > Check for updates.

If you have the latest version of Adobe Reader installed be sure to enable thumbnail previews by going to Preferences > General and selecting the Enable PDF thumbnail previews in FileExplorer option.

Get Adobe Reader

2. Install the latest updates

1. Open the Settings app. You can do that quickly by using Windows Key + I shortcut.
2. When Settings app opens, go to Update & Security section.
   
3. Now click Check for updates button.
   

If PDF thumbnails are not showing on your Windows 10 PC, the problem might be the missing updates. Certain glitches with Windows can occur once in a while, and in order to keep your Windows working properly, its important to keep your Windows up to date.

By default, Windows 10 installs the missing updates automatically, but sometimes you might miss an important update due to certain bugs or errors.

To prevent these types of problems from appearing, be sure to keep Windows 10 up to date at all times.

If you cant open the Setting app, take a look at this article to solve the issue.

Having trouble updating your Windows? Check out this guide that will help you solve them in no time.

3. Uninstall Adobe Reader X

If your PDF thumbnails are missing, the problem might be Adobe Reader X. Many users reported that this application was the cause for this issue, and after removing it, the problem with thumbnails was resolved.

To completely remove this application from your PC, its advised to use uninstaller software.

If youre not familiar, these types of applications are specially designed for removing applications and they will remove all files and registry entries associated with a specific application.

By doing so, youll completely remove the desired application from your PC and ensure that the problem doesnt appear anymore.

If youre looking for good uninstaller software, you should try out IOBit Uninstaller. Here are some of its features:

• Ability to remove any application
• Full removal of applications
• Can remove Universal Windows apps
• Automatic scanner for leftover files

4. Install the fix for Adobe Acrobat

According to users,Adobe Acrobat isnt showing thumbnails for PDF files on Windows 10, and in order to fix this issue, many users are suggesting installing a fix for it.

Supposedly this third-party fix fixes the problem on 64-bit versions of Windows 10 with Adobe Acrobat X, so be sure that you try it.

Note: This fix comes from a third-party source, and were not responsible for any damage that it might cause.

5. Use PDF Preview

By default, Windows 10 cant show thumbnails for PDF files, but you can easily fix that by using third-party solutions such as PDF Preview. This is a freeware tool available for both personal and commercial use.

This tool will generate thumbnails for all PDF files regardless of their version, therefore this application can be perfect if you work with PDF files on a frequent basis.

Need more options? Check out this list with the best uninstallers to use on Windows 10.

6. Use a preview pane

1. Locate the PDF file that you want to preview in File Explorer.
2. Now go to the View tab and enable Details pane.
   

This is just a workaround, but it might be useful until you find a permanent solution. If PDF thumbnails are missing in File Explorer, you could use the preview pane to view your PDF files.

You should be able to see the preview on your documents in the preview pane simply by selecting them. If needed, you can also show or hide the Preview pane by using Alt + P keyboard shortcut.

Keep in mind that this is just a workaround and not the best long-term solution, but until you manage to solve the problem, you might want to keep using this workaround.

If you want to easily restore thumbnails in Windows 10, take a look at this dedicated guide and learn how you can do it in just a few steps.

7. Preview files using Adobe Reader

1. Open Adobe Reader.
2. Now choose File > Open.
3. Navigate to the directory that has your PDF files. Your thumbnails should now be generated. Dont open or select any PDF files.
4. Close Adobe Reader.
5. Now open File Explorer and go to the directory that has your PDF files.

If Preview pane is not working for PDF files in Windows 10, be sure to try this quick and simple workaround.

Adobe Reader fails to install on Windows 10? Count on us to solve the problem.

8. Use Disk Cleanup

If PDF thumbnails are not showing on Windows 10, the problem might be your temporary files. Sometimes temporary files can get corrupted and that can cause this and many other problems to appear.

Your thumbnail cache is a temporary file, and if your thumbnails arent showing, its rather likely that your temporary files are corrupted.

However, you might be able to fix this issue simply by using Disk Cleanup to remove temporary files. Once your thumbnail cache is removed, your PC will regenerate your thumbnails again.

To learn more about Disk Cleanup and see how to remove your temporary files, feel free to check our guide on how to use Disk Cleanup for detailed information.

Although Disk Cleanup can fix this problem for you, some users prefer third-party solutions.

If you likewise need stronger tools to clean your system thoroughly from temporary files, then consider more efficient deep clean hard drive software.

9. Use third-party tools

If PDF thumbnails arent showing on your PC, the problem might be Adobe Reader. While Adobe Reader is a great application, there are many other great PDF viewer apps.

All these applications have similar features as Adobe Reader, so they are a perfect alternative if you need a new PDF viewer.

Speaking of PDF viewers, many users reported that they fixed the problem with thumbnails simply by using Nitro Free PDF Reader.

According to users, after installing this application, the issue with PDF thumbnails was resolved, so be sure to try this application.

Not being able to see thumbnails for PDF files in Windows 10 can be inconvenient, but you can easily fix that problem by using one of our solutions.

If you have any other suggestions or questions, dont hesitate to leave them in the comments section below and well be sure to check them out.

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