How to Remove Thumbnail Cache on Windows

Windows stores thumbnail cache files so File Explorer can quickly show previews for photos, videos, documents, and other files. Over time, that cache can become corrupted, outdated, or unnecessarily large, especially after Windows updates, app crashes, or moving large numbers of files. When that happens, thumbnails may display incorrectly or not load at all.

What Causes This?

Thumbnail cache problems usually happen when Windows keeps old preview data that no longer matches the actual files on your PC. The cache can also become corrupted after an improper shutdown, a File Explorer crash, low disk space, or a cleanup tool removing part of the cache but not rebuilding it properly. In some cases, disabled thumbnail settings in File Explorer can make it look like the cache is broken when previews are simply turned off.

Common Symptoms

• File Explorer shows blank icons instead of image or video previews
• Thumbnails appear wrong, outdated, or duplicated
• Folder browsing feels slow when loading previews
• Thumbnail cache files are using more disk space than expected
• Previews disappear after a Windows update or restart

How to Fix It Manually

1. Make sure thumbnails are enabled

   1. Open File Explorer with Win + E.
   2. Click the three-dot menu or View menu, then open Options.
   3. Go to the View tab.
   4. Make sure Always show icons, never thumbnails is unchecked.
   5. Click Apply, then OK.

2. Clear thumbnail cache with Disk Cleanup

   1. Press Win + S, type Disk Cleanup, and open it.
   2. Select your Windows drive — usually C:.
   3. Wait while Windows scans for removable files.
   4. In the list, check Thumbnails.
   5. Uncheck anything you do not want to remove.
   6. Click OK, then Delete Files.

3. Restart File Explorer

   1. Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
   2. Under the Processes tab, find Windows Explorer.
   3. Right-click it and choose Restart.
   4. Reopen the folder that had broken previews and check whether thumbnails rebuild correctly.

4. Delete the cache files directly if Disk Cleanup doesn’t work

   1. Press Win + R, type %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer, and press Enter.
   2. Look for files named like thumbcache_*.db and iconcache_*.db.
   3. If Windows won’t let you delete them, go back to Task Manager and restart Windows Explorer first, or sign out and back in.
   4. Delete the thumbnail cache files.
   5. Restart your PC.

5. Check for file or drive issues if thumbnails still fail

   1. Open Command Prompt as administrator by pressing Win + S, typing cmd, then choosing Run as administrator.
   2. Run:

      sfc /scannow

   3. After that completes, run:

      DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

   4. Restart your PC and test File Explorer again.

6. Free up disk space if cache problems keep returning

   1. Open Settings with Win + I.
   2. Go to System > Storage.
   3. Remove temporary files or unused apps if your system drive is nearly full.
   4. Low free space can prevent Windows from rebuilding thumbnail cache properly.

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