Fix Windows 10/11 Picture Icons Not Showing

Unveiling the Solution: Resolving Windows 10/11 Picture Icons Vanishing

Perform SFC Scan

To fix the issue of picture icons not showing in Windows 10/11, you can perform an SFC scan. This scan checks and repairs any corrupted or missing system files that might be causing the problem.

Here’s how to perform an SFC scan:

1. Press the Windows key + X and select “Command Prompt (Admin)” from the menu.
2. In the command prompt window, type “sfc /scannow” and press Enter.
3. Wait for the scan to complete. It may take some time.
4. Once the scan is finished, restart your computer.

After the restart, check if the picture icons are now showing properly. If not, you can try other solutions such as clearing the thumbnail cache or resetting File Explorer settings.

Performing an SFC scan can help resolve various issues with system files, and it’s a quick and easy troubleshooting step to try.

Reset the Icon and Thumbnail Caches

To fix Windows 10/11 picture icons not showing, you can try resetting the icon and thumbnail caches. This can help resolve issues with missing or incorrect thumbnails and icons.

First, open File Explorer and go to the “View” tab.

Next, click on the “Options” button and a new window will open.

In the “File Explorer Options” window, go to the “View” tab.

Under the “Advanced settings” section, scroll down and find the “Show thumbnails instead of icons” option.

Check the box next to this option to enable it.

Click on the “Apply” button and then on “OK” to save the changes.

Now, open the “Run” dialog box by pressing the Windows key + R.

Type cleanmgr and hit Enter to open the Disk Cleanup utility.

In the utility, select the drive where your Windows is installed (usually C:), and click on “OK”.

Check the “Thumbnails” option and click on “OK” to start the cleanup process.

Once the process is complete, restart your computer and check if the picture icons are now showing correctly.

Fix Icons and Thumbnails from Run or Command Prompt

If you’re experiencing issues with picture icons not showing in Windows 10/11, you can fix the problem by following these steps:

1. Clear the thumbnail cache: Open the Run dialog by pressing Windows + R, then type “cleanmgr” and hit Enter. Select the drive where Windows is installed and check the “Thumbnails” option. Click OK to clear the thumbnail cache.

2. Reset File Explorer settings: Open the Run dialog again and type “control folders“. In the Folder Options window, go to the “View” tab and click on “Reset Folders” under the “Folder Views” section. Click OK to apply the changes.

3. Adjust Visual Effects settings: Open the Run dialog and type “sysdm.cpl“. In the System Properties window, go to the “Advanced” tab and click on “Settings” under the “Performance” section. Make sure that “Show thumbnails instead of icons” is checked. Click OK to save the settings.

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JavaScript (script.js):
javascript
window.addEventListener('load', function () {
var pictureIcon = document.getElementById('picture_icon');
pictureIcon.addEventListener('error', function () {
pictureIcon.src = 'fallback_image.jpg';
});
});


In this example, we first include an `` tag in the HTML with the `src` attribute pointing to the desired image file. We also assign it an `id` for easy access in JavaScript. Then, in the JavaScript code, we add an event listener to the `load` event of the window. Inside the event listener, we access the image element by its `id` and add an additional event listener to the `error` event. If the image fails to load, the error event is triggered, and we set a fallback image’s path as the source of the image element.

Keep in mind that this is a simplified example and may not work in all scenarios. The specific implementation may vary depending on the platform, framework, or specific requirements of your project.

Check File Explorer Settings

To check your File Explorer settings and fix Windows 10/11 picture icons not showing, follow these steps:

1. Open File Explorer by pressing the Windows key + E or by clicking on the File Explorer icon in the taskbar.

2. In File Explorer, click on the “View” tab at the top of the window.

3. In the “View” tab, click on the “Options” button on the right side.

4. In the “Folder Options” window that appears, click on the “View” tab.

5. Scroll down and locate the “Show thumbnails instead of icons” option.

6. Make sure this option is checked by ticking the box next to it.

7. Click on the “Apply” button, then click on “OK” to save the changes.

8. Close File Explorer and reopen it to see if the picture icons are now showing correctly.

By checking and adjusting the Thumbnail preview settings, you can resolve issues with picture icons not displaying properly. Ensure that your system has enough storage space and clear the thumbnail cache files if necessary. These steps should help you fix the problem and enjoy clear picture previews in File Explorer.

Change Visual Effect Settings

To change the visual effect settings and fix picture icons not showing on Windows 10/11, follow these steps:

1. Open File Explorer by pressing Windows key + E.
2. Click on the “View” tab at the top.
3. In the “Layout” group, click on “Options” and select “Change folder and search options.”

4. In the Folder Options window, click on the “View” tab.

5. Scroll down and find the “Advanced settings” section.
6. Under “Files and Folders,” make sure the “Always show icons, never thumbnails” option is unchecked.
7. Check the box for “Display file icon on thumbnails” to enable thumbnail previews.
8. Click “Apply” and then “OK” to save the changes.

9. Additionally, you can try clearing the thumbnail cache files to resolve any thumbnail preview issues:

10. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
11. Type “%localappdata%” (without quotes) and press Enter.
12. Locate and open the “Microsoft” folder, then the “Windows” folder.
13. Find and delete the “Explorer” folder.
14. Restart your computer to rebuild the thumbnail cache.

By adjusting the visual effect settings and clearing the thumbnail cache files, you should be able to fix picture icons not showing on Windows 10/11.

Clear Thumbnails Cache

1. Open File Explorer by clicking on the folder icon in the taskbar or by pressing Win + E on your keyboard.
2. In the File Explorer window, click on the View tab at the top.
3. Check the box next to “Hidden items” in the Show/hide section. This will display hidden files and folders.
4. Navigate to the following directory: C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local. Replace YourUsername with your actual username.
   
5. Scroll down and find the Thumbnails folder. Right-click on it and select Delete to remove the cache.
6. Open the Run dialog by pressing Win + R on your keyboard.
7. Type cleanmgr in the Run dialog and press Enter to open the Disk Cleanup utility.
8. Select the C: drive (or the drive where your Windows is installed) and click OK.
   
9. In the Disk Cleanup window, check the box next to “Thumbnails” and click OK.
10. Wait for the cleanup process to finish. This may take a few minutes.
11. Restart your computer to apply the changes.

Modify Windows 10 Registry Settings

To fix Windows 10/11 picture icons not showing, you can modify the Windows 10 registry settings. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Registry Editor by pressing Windows + R, typing “regedit,” and hitting Enter.
2. Navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced.
3. Look for the IconsOnly DWORD value on the right-hand side. If it doesn’t exist, right-click in the empty space, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it IconsOnly.
4. Double-click on IconsOnly and set its value to 0.
5. Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

This should resolve the issue of picture icons not showing in Windows 10/11. If the problem persists, you can also try clearing the icon cache or adjusting thumbnail preview settings in File Explorer Options.

Remember to be cautious when modifying registry settings, as incorrect changes can cause system instability.

Edit Group Policy

To fix Windows 10/11 picture icons not showing, you can edit Group Policy to address the issue directly. Follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type “gpedit.msc” and hit Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
3. Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer.
4. Double-click on “Turn off the display of thumbnails and only display icons” policy.
5. Select “Enabled” to disable thumbnail previews or “Not Configured” to enable them.
6. Click Apply and OK to save the changes.

By adjusting this policy, you can control whether thumbnail previews are displayed for your media files, including pictures and videos. This can help if your desktop icons or search results are not showing the correct thumbnails.

Note: If Group Policy Editor is not available on your version of Windows, you can also try clearing the icon cache or adjusting the view settings in File Explorer. These solutions might resolve the issue as well.

Remember to restart your system after applying any fixes to ensure changes take effect.

Restore File Explorer Settings

To restore File Explorer settings on Windows 10/11 and fix picture icons not showing, follow these steps:

1. Open File Explorer by pressing Windows Key + E or by clicking the folder icon on your taskbar.
2. Click on the “View” tab at the top of the File Explorer window.
3. In the “Layout” section, click on “Options” to open the File Explorer Options window.
4. In the File Explorer Options window, click on the “View” tab.
5. Scroll down and make sure the “Always show icons, never thumbnails” option is unchecked.
6. Click on the “Apply” button, then click “OK” to save the changes.
7. Close File Explorer and reopen it.
8. Check if the picture icons are now showing properly.
9. If the issue persists, try clearing the thumbnail cache. Open File Explorer, go to the “View” tab, and click on “Options” again.
10. In the File Explorer Options window, click on the “View” tab and under “Advanced settings,” click on the “Reset Folders” button.
11. Click “Yes” to confirm and then click “OK” to close the File Explorer Options window.
12. Restart your computer and check if the picture icons are now visible.

By following these steps, you should be able to restore File Explorer settings and resolve picture icon display issues in Windows 10/11.

John Simonds