Forum Discussion
Windows Explorer doesn't show video thumbnails anymore [Win11Pro]
For several days now, Windows Explorer has not been displaying video thumbnails; instead, the program icon is displayed. This only affects video files (mp4, avi, mov, gif, etc.)—other icons, such as those for images and PDFs, are displayed correctly. It affects all folders on the system. No changes or updates have been made to the video player. Videos play correctly in the player. The problem with video thumbnails also exists in WhatsApp Desktop (installed via Microsoft Store).
Version: Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (Build 26200.7171)
Update status: latest (without beta)
Attempted fixes:
• Deleted thumbnail/icon cache
• DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
• DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
• sfc /scannow
all unsuccessful regarding the thumbnails
2 Replies
Since video thumbnails depend on codecs:
- Update your video codecs (e.g., K-Lite Codec Pack).
- Or, temporarily uninstall third-party codecs if installed.
- Restart and see if thumbnails return.
Unfortunately this does not work. I have seen this issue across all 3 of my Windows 11 PCs all up to date on 25H2. Microsoft need to fix this and quickly.
