when File Explorer only shows icons

Thumbnails not showing in Windows 11? Previews for 81 formats

Grey icons instead of pictures in File Explorer – for Photoshop, CorelDRAW, RAW or EPS files that is normal on Windows 11, because Windows doesn’t know these formats. Album 42 does: it creates a thumbnail for 81 formats and shows you all your pictures at a glance.

Try it free for 28 days How it works

How to get thumbnails for all your pictures

Install

Download and start Album 42 – no account, no sign-up.

Scan folders

Select a folder or drive and click “Scan”. The thumbnails appear while the scan is still running.

View

The slider at the top right makes the thumbnails bigger or smaller; a double-click shows the picture full size.

Why File Explorer shows no preview

Windows only creates thumbnails for formats that have a preview extension installed. That is the case for JPG and PNG, but not for many graphics formats – then you just get the icon. If thumbnails are missing even for JPG, the box “Always show icons, never thumbnails” is often ticked in Folder Options under “View”.

Album 42 needs none of these extensions: it reads the preview itself and stores it in its own catalogue. It changes nothing in File Explorer.

The formats Album 42 shows

Photos: JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, HEIC, AVIF, JXL, TIFF, BMP and camera RAW (CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, DNG, ORF, RAF, RW2) – see view RAW files and open HEIC files
Graphics: PSD and PSB, CDR, XCF, KRA, Affinity – see PSD thumbnails and CDR viewer
Vector: AI, EPS, SVG, PDF, WMF, EMF – see EPS, AI and SVG
Video: MP4 and MOV, and with the free ffmpeg practically every other format
plus 3D models and fonts – 81 formats in all

In our own test, Album 42 shows 28 formats more than File Explorer on Windows 11 with all Microsoft extensions, and 27 more than the Finder on macOS.

Frequently asked questions

Why doesn’t Windows 11 show thumbnails for PSD or CDR files?

Because Windows has no preview extension for them. Album 42 reads the preview itself – the program the file comes from does not need to be installed.

Do I have to change any settings in File Explorer?

No. Album 42 is a separate program with its own catalogue; it changes nothing in File Explorer.

Do I need additional programs?

For almost everything, no. EPS needs the free Ghostscript, rare video formats need ffmpeg, which Album 42 sets up itself with one click.

Does Album 42 change my files?

Only if you want it to. Thumbnails and tags are kept in a separate catalogue. If you drag pictures into another folder, Album 42 moves them there – “Undo” brings them back. A rotated or straightened picture is only written to the file when you click “Save”, and “Restore original” brings back the old version. If you delete a file yourself, it goes to the Recycle Bin.

don’t panic – just try it:

Try it free for 28 days

No sign-up, no subscription. If you like Album 42, you pay €29 once – including all updates of version 1.

Download Album 42 More about Album 42