Solved PDF files don't show thumbnail previews

pratnala

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Location
Jersey City, NJ, USA
PDF files on my laptop show thumbnail previews erratically. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. In the attached screenshot, you can see that Word is showing nicely but the PDF file won't. Default app is Reader (the Metro app).
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
To my experience, you need to install a third party pdf viewer such as adobe acrobat reader, pdf x viewer, foxit reader...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8 pro x64
    CPU
    Q9300
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte P43 Es3g
    Memory
    8 GB of ddr 2
    Graphics Card(s)
    sapphire hd 6850
    Sound Card
    sound blaster titanium x-fi pci-e
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22 inches
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Seagate 2 TB st20001dm001
    Samsung 2 tb sata 2
    Hitachi 500 gb sata
    PSU
    fatality 550 w
    Case
    spike
    Cooling
    air
    Mouse
    wired A4
    Internet Speed
    ADSL 8 MB / 1 MB
Right-hand click on a (pdf) file and (chose open with) next (chose default program)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7 & Win 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
    CPU
    AMD Athlon II X2 245
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H
    Memory
    4096 MB DDR2-SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    On bord
The thumbnail should show as foxit, not the default win 8
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7 & Win 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
    CPU
    AMD Athlon II X2 245
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H
    Memory
    4096 MB DDR2-SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    On bord
I have changed the default to the reader metro app from Foxit. Thumbnail never showed even when default was Foxit. Just showed the Foxit logo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
I have changed the default to the reader metro app from Foxit. Thumbnail never showed even when default was Foxit. Just showed the Foxit logo

This thread seems to have slowed.....any updates? I too have tried a 3rd party like Foxit, but it doesn't generate PDF thumbnails in explorer. I'm not sure if Foxit does this on 64-bit systems though.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
This will fix it. I had the same problem.
http://timheuer.com/blog/archive/2008/05/09/foxit-pdf-preview-handler.aspx
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio XPS 9100
    CPU
    intel i7 920 @ 2.67 GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    24 Gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5670
    Sound Card
    Internal
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Flat Screen HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Samsung EVO 850 250 GB SSD
    2 Seagate internal 1TB
    WD external 3TB USB 3
    WD external 2TB USB 3
    PSU
    550-W
    Case
    Mid
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    US USB
    Mouse
    USB
    Internet Speed
    3.84 Mbps Download .44 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    MS Defender
    Other Info
    Liteon DVD wrighter
    Liteon BD drive
    Monoprice Tablet
Thanks - but your link points to a page that says:

"This page contains the most current links to download the Foxit PDF Preview Handler for Windows Vista, Office 2007 and Windows XP"

I'm talking about Windows 8, not Vista or XP. Also, I'm not looking for a "preview" (Windows can do that already), but to show the PDF icons as thumbnails, i.e. to show an image of the first page of the PDF as the icon.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
to show an image of the first page of the PDF as the icon.

Never heard of that.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio XPS 9100
    CPU
    intel i7 920 @ 2.67 GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    24 Gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5670
    Sound Card
    Internal
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Flat Screen HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Samsung EVO 850 250 GB SSD
    2 Seagate internal 1TB
    WD external 3TB USB 3
    WD external 2TB USB 3
    PSU
    550-W
    Case
    Mid
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    US USB
    Mouse
    USB
    Internet Speed
    3.84 Mbps Download .44 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    MS Defender
    Other Info
    Liteon DVD wrighter
    Liteon BD drive
    Monoprice Tablet
Maybe you need to have this box checked.

Capture.JPG
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio XPS 9100
    CPU
    intel i7 920 @ 2.67 GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    24 Gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5670
    Sound Card
    Internal
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Flat Screen HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Samsung EVO 850 250 GB SSD
    2 Seagate internal 1TB
    WD external 3TB USB 3
    WD external 2TB USB 3
    PSU
    550-W
    Case
    Mid
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    US USB
    Mouse
    USB
    Internet Speed
    3.84 Mbps Download .44 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    MS Defender
    Other Info
    Liteon DVD wrighter
    Liteon BD drive
    Monoprice Tablet

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
I have changed the default to the reader metro app from Foxit. Thumbnail never showed even when default was Foxit. Just showed the Foxit logo

This thread seems to have slowed.....any updates? I too have tried a 3rd party like Foxit, but it doesn't generate PDF thumbnails in explorer. I'm not sure if Foxit does this on 64-bit systems though.

It worked when I had a 32-bit PC but now since I shifted to 64-bit, it is not working
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
The support, or rather the lack of support, for PDF thumbnails in 64Bit windows is a long running issue, my preferred reader The Only Free PDF Reader and Creator | Nitro PDF Reader has been quite reliable in this respect but can take a little time to Parse all files. May be worth a try but make sure you select the 64bit option
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x64 x2 Windows 10 Enterprise x64, Ubuntu
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Real World Computing
    CPU
    AMD FX8350 8 Core @4GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus M5A78L-M USB3
    Memory
    32GB [4x8GB] DDR3 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus nVidia GTX750TI-OC-2GD5 (2GB DDR5)
    Sound Card
    ASUS Xoner DG + SPDIF to 5.1 System + HDMI
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer G276HL 27", (DVi) + Samsung 39" HDTV (HDMI)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 @60Hz + 1920 x 1080 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Internal
    Crucial 256GB SSD,
    WDC WD30EZRX-00D8PB0 3TB,
    Toshiba HDWD130 3TB
    Seagate ST2000DM001-1CH1 2TB,

    External (USB3)
    Seagate Backup+ Hub BK SCSI Disk 8TB
    2.5/3.5 Hot Swap Cradle, USB3 + eSata (client HDDs)

    NAS
    Seagate ST4000DM000
    PSU
    Aerocool Templarius Imperator 750W 80+ Silver
    Case
    AeroCool X-Warrior Devil Red Tower
    Cooling
    Stock CPU, Rear 120mm, Front 2x120mm, Side 2x120mm
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K710 & K270
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless M710 M185 & M570 Trackball
    Internet Speed
    37Mb/s Down - 9.5Mb/s Up
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    BitDefender Total Security 2017
    Other Info
    Also run...

    Desktop - 6Core 8GB - Windows 10 Enterprise x64,
    Laptop - Quad 8GB - Windows 10 Pro x64
    Netbook - Ubuntu
    2 x Nexus 7 Android tablets
    Samsung 10.2" tablet
    Sony Z3 Android Smartphone
    HTC One Android Smartphone
I've used them all over the years, and find that Nitro just works, has everything that I need from a reader and comes with creation tools as well so saves a separate need for a PDF Printer.

One thing I've found is that multiple PDF readers on a system can cause problems with the display of thumbnails so it may be worthwhile totally removing any previous applications before trying any new reader
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x64 x2 Windows 10 Enterprise x64, Ubuntu
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Real World Computing
    CPU
    AMD FX8350 8 Core @4GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus M5A78L-M USB3
    Memory
    32GB [4x8GB] DDR3 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus nVidia GTX750TI-OC-2GD5 (2GB DDR5)
    Sound Card
    ASUS Xoner DG + SPDIF to 5.1 System + HDMI
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer G276HL 27", (DVi) + Samsung 39" HDTV (HDMI)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 @60Hz + 1920 x 1080 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Internal
    Crucial 256GB SSD,
    WDC WD30EZRX-00D8PB0 3TB,
    Toshiba HDWD130 3TB
    Seagate ST2000DM001-1CH1 2TB,

    External (USB3)
    Seagate Backup+ Hub BK SCSI Disk 8TB
    2.5/3.5 Hot Swap Cradle, USB3 + eSata (client HDDs)

    NAS
    Seagate ST4000DM000
    PSU
    Aerocool Templarius Imperator 750W 80+ Silver
    Case
    AeroCool X-Warrior Devil Red Tower
    Cooling
    Stock CPU, Rear 120mm, Front 2x120mm, Side 2x120mm
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K710 & K270
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless M710 M185 & M570 Trackball
    Internet Speed
    37Mb/s Down - 9.5Mb/s Up
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    BitDefender Total Security 2017
    Other Info
    Also run...

    Desktop - 6Core 8GB - Windows 10 Enterprise x64,
    Laptop - Quad 8GB - Windows 10 Pro x64
    Netbook - Ubuntu
    2 x Nexus 7 Android tablets
    Samsung 10.2" tablet
    Sony Z3 Android Smartphone
    HTC One Android Smartphone
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