General Clear and Reset Thumbnail Cache in Windows 11


  • Staff
configuration_banner.png

This tutorial will show you how to clear and reset the thumbnail cache for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Windows keeps a copy of all your picture, video, and document thumbnails in a cache so they can be reused to quickly display when you open a folder instead of having to manually scan and slowly load them each time.

The thumbnail cache can sometimes become corrupted causing thumbnails to display incorrectly or distorted. When this happens, the thumbnail cache needs to be deleted to reset it and automatically recreate as needed.


The thumbnail cache .db files for each user is located in the hidden folder below.

%LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
(C:\Users\{user-name}\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer)



Contents

  • Option One: Clear and Reset Thumbnail Cache in Disk Cleanup
  • Option Two: Clear and Reset Thumbnail Cache using BAT file




Option one

To Clear and Reset Thumbnail Cache in Disk Cleanup


1 Open Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe).

2 Select the Windows C: drive, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

thumbnail_cache_Disk_Cleanup-1.png

3 Check the Thumbnails box, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

thumbnail_cache_Disk_Cleanup-2.png

4 Click/tap on Delete Files to confirm. (see screenshot below)

thumbnail_cache_Disk_Cleanup-3.png

5 When finished, restart the computer to fully apply.




Option Two

Clear and Reset Thumbnail Cache using BAT file


1 Close and save anything that you are working on before proceeding. The next steps will involve restarting the explorer process.

2 Do step 3 or step 4 below for which .bat file you would like to use.

3 Use BAT file to Instantly Clear and Reset Thumbnail Cache without Details and Prompting

A) Click/tap on the download button below to download the BAT file below.​

Clear_and_Reset_Thumbnail_Cache.bat


(Content of BAT file for reference)
Code:
@echo off

echo.
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
timeout 2 /nobreak>nul
echo.

DEL /F /S /Q /A %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\thumbcache_*.db

timeout 2 /nobreak>nul
start explorer.exe

B) Save the BAT file to your desktop.​

C) Unblock and run the BAT file.​

D) You will now notice your screen flash as a command prompt opens and closes to kill the explorer process, delete your thumbnail cache, and restart the explorer process.​

E) When finished, restart the computer to fully apply.​

4 Use BAT file to Clear and Reset Thumbnail Cache with Details and Prompting

A) Click/tap on the download button below to download the BAT file below.​

Prompt_to_Clear_and_Reset_Thumbnail_Cache.bat


(Content of BAT file for reference)
Code:
@echo off

echo.
echo The explorer process must be temporarily killed before resetting the thumbnail cache.
echo.
echo Please SAVE ALL OPEN WORK before continuing.
echo.
pause

echo.
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
timeout 2 /nobreak>nul
echo.

DEL /F /S /Q /A %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\thumbcache_*.db

timeout 2 /nobreak>nul
start explorer.exe
echo.
pause

B) Save the BAT file to your desktop.​

C) Unblock and run the BAT file.​

D) Follow the instructions in the command prompt to rebuild your thumbnail cache. (see screenshot below)​

thumbnail_cache_command.png

E) When finished, restart the computer to fully apply.​


That's it,
Shawn Brink


 

Attachments

  • configuration.png
    configuration.png
    5.3 KB · Views: 151
  • Clear_and_Reset_Thumbnail_Cache.bat
    365 bytes · Views: 372
  • Prompt_to_Clear_and_Reset_Thumbnail_Cache.bat
    549 bytes · Views: 396
Last edited:
Does not delete IconCache.db , how about adding this line and updating .bat's?

DEL /F /S /Q /A "%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\IconCache.db"
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
Does not delete IconCache.db , how about adding this line and updating .bat's?

DEL /F /S /Q /A "%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\IconCache.db"

Hello, :-)

This tutorial is for the thumbnail cache instead of the icon cache below for the command you posted.

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Windows Defender is telling me not to run this bat file :(
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    jds63 /self built
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 10700KF 3.8 MHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming
    Memory
    G.Skill Trident RGB Series 64GB DDR4-3600MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC Edition
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VG28UQL1A 28" 144 Mhz 4K Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160p HDR
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe 500GB M.2 Drive, (2) Samsung 870 EVO 1TB SATA III Internal SSD, (2) Samsung 860 EVO 1TB SATA III Internal SSD & Seagate Barracuda 2TB
    PSU
    ASUS ROG Thor 850 80+ Platinum 850W Fully Modular RGB Power Supply
    Case
    Lian Li Lancool II Mesh Performance
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12A CPU Cooler, (5) Noctua NF-A12x15 chromax.black.swap 120mm, (3) Lepa BOL.Quiet PWM LED 120mm
    Keyboard
    Logitech MX Keys
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Ergo Trackball
    Internet Speed
    325Mbps/ 20Mbps
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox 64-bit, Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Plus 2023
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-Ray/DVD Burner 209DBK, Logitech Z906 5.1 Speakers and Epson XP7100 All-in-One Printer
Windows Defender is telling me not to run this bat file :(
Hello, :)

That would be a normal SmartScreen security precaution since it's a file downloaded from the Internet. It's 100% safe, but just needs to be unblocked first.

You can see the contents of the BAT file under the download link to help see what it will do. :)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Brink is right, it's a "false positive" !

Chuck
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows11 23H2 (OS Build 22631.2428)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP HP ENVY TE01
    CPU
    2.90 gigahertz Intel Core i7-10700
    Motherboard
    Board: HP 8767 A (SMVB)
    Memory
    16214 Megabytes Usable Installed Memor
    Hard Drives
    1511.52 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
    1418.15 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless
    Mouse
    M 185 wireless
    Internet Speed
    12 ms Jitter 8 ms Download 10.5 Mbps Upload 1.7
    Browser
    Edge & FF
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Hi buddy,
Thanks, seen you at my problem post, tried every other solution so far to get back video thumbnails.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    jds63 /self built
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 10700KF 3.8 MHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming
    Memory
    G.Skill Trident RGB Series 64GB DDR4-3600MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC Edition
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VG28UQL1A 28" 144 Mhz 4K Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160p HDR
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe 500GB M.2 Drive, (2) Samsung 870 EVO 1TB SATA III Internal SSD, (2) Samsung 860 EVO 1TB SATA III Internal SSD & Seagate Barracuda 2TB
    PSU
    ASUS ROG Thor 850 80+ Platinum 850W Fully Modular RGB Power Supply
    Case
    Lian Li Lancool II Mesh Performance
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12A CPU Cooler, (5) Noctua NF-A12x15 chromax.black.swap 120mm, (3) Lepa BOL.Quiet PWM LED 120mm
    Keyboard
    Logitech MX Keys
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Ergo Trackball
    Internet Speed
    325Mbps/ 20Mbps
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox 64-bit, Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Plus 2023
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-Ray/DVD Burner 209DBK, Logitech Z906 5.1 Speakers and Epson XP7100 All-in-One Printer

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    jds63 /self built
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 10700KF 3.8 MHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming
    Memory
    G.Skill Trident RGB Series 64GB DDR4-3600MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC Edition
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VG28UQL1A 28" 144 Mhz 4K Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160p HDR
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe 500GB M.2 Drive, (2) Samsung 870 EVO 1TB SATA III Internal SSD, (2) Samsung 860 EVO 1TB SATA III Internal SSD & Seagate Barracuda 2TB
    PSU
    ASUS ROG Thor 850 80+ Platinum 850W Fully Modular RGB Power Supply
    Case
    Lian Li Lancool II Mesh Performance
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12A CPU Cooler, (5) Noctua NF-A12x15 chromax.black.swap 120mm, (3) Lepa BOL.Quiet PWM LED 120mm
    Keyboard
    Logitech MX Keys
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Ergo Trackball
    Internet Speed
    325Mbps/ 20Mbps
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox 64-bit, Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Plus 2023
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-Ray/DVD Burner 209DBK, Logitech Z906 5.1 Speakers and Epson XP7100 All-in-One Printer
jds63, just shows you not everything is "black & white" ! Then you have to dig deeper to find the truth !

Chuck
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows11 23H2 (OS Build 22631.2428)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP HP ENVY TE01
    CPU
    2.90 gigahertz Intel Core i7-10700
    Motherboard
    Board: HP 8767 A (SMVB)
    Memory
    16214 Megabytes Usable Installed Memor
    Hard Drives
    1511.52 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
    1418.15 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless
    Mouse
    M 185 wireless
    Internet Speed
    12 ms Jitter 8 ms Download 10.5 Mbps Upload 1.7
    Browser
    Edge & FF
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
I thought I should post this for the good of the community. This is the only place I will. I scoured the internet trying to find a solution to this problem that Windows 11 would not update my thumbnails on the desktop and would make me hit f5 to refresh every time I moved something to or from the desktop. I spent a few hours following instructions. Nothing worked except, and your going to hate this, I had to reload my machine from scratch, first the OS then programs, then updates, and all my data. It was painful but it worked.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
I thought I should post this for the good of the community. This is the only place I will. I scoured the internet trying to find a solution to this problem that Windows 11 would not update my thumbnails on the desktop and would make me hit f5 to refresh every time I moved something to or from the desktop. I spent a few hours following instructions. Nothing worked except, and your going to hate this, I had to reload my machine from scratch, first the OS then programs, then updates, and all my data. It was painful but it worked.
Next time you have an issue like this, be sure to try the procedures in the tutorial and, if that doesn't resolve it, then see if it's a user profile issue by simply creating, and testing with, a new local user account. If it's a profile issue, you can either manually migrate your data and settings to the new user or fix your account the easy way using Account Profile Fixer. Beats rebuilding the whole machine.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10/11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer
Thanks, Anyone who can find a solution to this problem would be hugely helpful.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
No it has not returned. It wrinkled out a couple of other little software bugs too.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
No it has not returned. It wrinkled out a couple of other little software bugs too.
So, in terms of a solution, I think it's covered by the tutorial for most cases, but may require a profile refresh in some cases (and using Account Profile Fixer would be the easiest way to do that).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10/11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer
Thanks Shawn,
I have been using the same .bat file since ‎May ‎26, ‎2020, and it still works fine.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP/Envy-17T
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 @ 1.80GHz
    Motherboard
    HP - 8485 (U3E1)
    Memory
    16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620 and NVIDIA GeForce MX150
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio / Intel Display Audio / NVIDIA Virtual Audio Device (Wave Extensible) (WDM)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor on Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Screen Resolution
    1536x864 pixels
    Hard Drives
    KBG30ZMV256G TOSHIBA (SSD)
    ST1000LM049-2GH172 (SSD)
    PSU
    HP Standard
    Cooling
    HP CoolSense
    Keyboard
    Standard PS/2 Keyboard
    Mouse
    Anker
    Internet Speed
    95Mbps
    Browser
    FireFox
    Antivirus
    WebRoot

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