Recent Windows 23H2, 24H2 builds .MOV thumbnails missing

HHH03 · Oct 7, 2024

I’ve noticed recently the File Explorer is no longer showing thumbnails for .MOV files. They show inside of the OneDrive folder, but anywhere else… no show. Of course HEVC codec is installed and the files will play normally. The problem first cropped up around end of July. I really don’t want to use a third party app like ICAROS or Shark 007 codec to get these thumbnails back.
Any suggestions anyone?

RFS · Oct 7, 2024

HHH03 said:
I’ve noticed recently the File Explorer is no longer showing thumbnails for .MOV files. They show inside of the OneDrive folder, but anywhere else… no show. Of course HEVC codec is installed and the files will play normally. The problem first cropped up around end of July. I really don’t want to use a third party app like ICAROS or Shark 007 codec to get these thumbnails back.
Any suggestions anyone?

I have a lot of .MOV files on my PC and all the thumbnails are present and correct. I'm on 24H2.

HHH03 · Oct 7, 2024

RFS said:
I have a lot of .MOV files on my PC and all the thumbnails are present and correct. I'm on 24H2.

This a screenshot of the .MOV files in a folder on my Desktop. If install ICAROS, the thumbnails will generate.

bobkn · Oct 7, 2024

I have the thumbnails. (24H2, 256100.1882.)

I have the Microsoft Raw Image extension, the free K-Lite codec pack (full version) installed, plus the paid ($10) FastPictureViewer. I don't know which is responsible for creating thumbs for .MOV files.

HHH03 · Oct 7, 2024

bobkn said:
I have the thumbnails. (24H2, 256100.1882.)

I have the Microsoft Raw Image extension, the free K-Lite codec pack (full version) installed, plus the paid FastPictureViewer. I don't know which is responsible for creating thumbs for .MOV files.

Originally, Windows itself generated them without any difficulty. Then Windows 10 1703 or 1709 removed QuickTime native support, and you needed the HEVC codec installed to generate them. The HEVC codec worked since then except for recently.

HHH03 · Oct 7, 2024

GusGhanem said:
Those are the icons of the new Photos app? Did you uninstall any default Windows apps?

No, those images are from my desktop in File Explorer. I haven't done anything, it's a clean install with no modifications.

dacrone · Oct 7, 2024

HHH03 said:
This a screenshot of the .MOV files in a folder on my Desktop. If install ICAROS, the thumbnails will generate.
View attachment 111487

bobkn said:
I have the thumbnails. (24H2, 256100.1882.)

K-Lite codec pack

^ this. Klite mega codec pack - only install the tweak tool. then set thumbnails to enable for all extensions. (ONLY the tweak tool. you dont need the entire codec pack.. there are too many good media player alternatives that play those formats already. this TO ME*** was only useful back in wmp legacy days...)

HHH03 · Oct 7, 2024

dacrone said:
^ this. Klite mega codec pack - only install the tweak tool. then set thumbnails to enable for all extensions. (ONLY the tweak tool. you dont need the entire codec pack.. there are too many good media player alternatives that play those formats already. this TO ME*** was only useful back in wmp legacy days...

I'm using ICAROS Thumbnail Handler right now... That fixed the Thumbnail issue.

glasskuter · Oct 7, 2024

you might try this. Clear and Reset Thumbnail Cache in Windows 11 Tutorial

HHH03 · Oct 7, 2024

glasskuter said:
you might try this. Clear and Reset Thumbnail Cache in Windows 11 Tutorial

I’ve tried that too. Something is different with IOS 18 and not totally compatible with Windows 23H2/24H2. Microsoft has done something to file Explorer too around the end of July when the .MOV thumbnails disappeared.

Berton · Oct 7, 2024

I have some .mov files, probably from Apple's QuickTIme on Mac OS X, and they show the icon for the VLC program that can open them, not thumbnails.

HHH03 · Oct 7, 2024

Berton said:
I have some .mov files, probably from Apple's QuickTIme on Mac OS X, and they show the icon for the VLC program that can open them, not thumbnails.

When Windows 10 first came out, Microsoft bragged about not needing a codec pack to play media. Then, they removed native QuickTime support requiring the HEVC codec. As iPhones become more advances adding new features, Microsoft has decided to add unwanted features and remove desired functionality in its products.

HHH03 · Oct 9, 2024

Not sure why Microsoft decided to remove the .MOV thumbnail support in Explorer… ICAROS thumbnail generator does fix all the issues I’ve encountered. It seems IOS 18 .MOV files aren’t completely compatible with Windows either, ICAROS fixes the missing properties and GPS data issue inside of the Photos App.

Berton · Oct 9, 2024

Might look at this page:

Download Sample MOV Files for Testing

Explore free sample MOV files to validate and test your applications with QuickTime Movie format.

toolsfairy.com

Some reading:

How to Play .MOV Files on Windows 11: A Simple Guide for Users - Solve Your Tech

Struggling to play .MOV files on Windows 11? Our simple guide walks you through easy steps to ensure smooth playback without any hassle.

www.solveyourtech.com

HHH03 · Oct 9, 2024

GusGhanem said:
Thank You. I'm on a clean install of 24H2 with all those codecs installed and updated. I have not made any changes, and I can see the MOV thumbnail (sample-mov-files-sample_1920x1080.mov) and it plays in the new Windows Media Player by default.

I don't have any Apple devices and haven't come across MOV/Quicktime for decades. I just wanted to check for others.

The problem appears to be specific to iOS iPhone .MOV files, particularly since the introduction of the HEVC format with iOS 12. Some of my older iPhone .MOV files are unaffected; they were encoded in H264 rather than H265 (HEVC).

Here's a 4K sample from my phone if you want to check for yourself.

HHH03 · Oct 9, 2024

GusGhanem said:
Do you have all these free extensions installed: Download Microsoft Media Foundation Codecs - MajorGeeks

Where can I get MOV samples to check?

Here's a 4K sample from my iPhone if you're interested.
iPhone 4K movie

HHH03 · Oct 9, 2024

GusGhanem said:
Got it, it's the container not the codec. It shows the Media Player icon as thumbnail, and it plays (trees and grass).

It plays fine on my computer too… just no thumbnail shows up. There’s also some incompatibility with the file properties in file Explorer.exe… it doesn’t display complete data as it did in the past.

HHH03 · Oct 9, 2024

GusGhanem said:
Hopefully MS will add support in the future (unless they have to pay a license) Of course properties/metadata all show in MPC-HC and MPC-BE

Until mid-July of this year, everything was working properly, with thumbnails and properties appearing as they should. Yet, by July's end, the thumbnails in File Explorer vanished. After the iPhone iOS 18 update, the properties no longer displayed correctly. Once the Icaros thumbnail/property handler was installed, normalcy was restored. Icaros had a problem with incorrect times, but Xanashi quickly fixed it by releasing a new beta build (Icaros_v3.3.3_b3), which was quite remarkable!

bobkn · Oct 9, 2024

HHH03 said:
The problem appears to be specific to iOS iPhone .MOV files, particularly since the introduction of the HEVC format with iOS 12. Some of my older iPhone .MOV files are unaffected; they were encoded in H264 rather than H265 (HEVC).

Here's a 4K sample from my phone if you want to check for yourself.

I downloaded it. Thumbnail shown.

(Jeepers. It's an HDR movie.)

HHH03 · Oct 9, 2024

bobkn said:
I downloaded it. Thumbnail shown.

(Jeepers. It's an HDR movie.)

Interesting… can’t understand why I don’t get thumbnails inside of file explorer. My Video thumbnails look like the screenshot I uploaded at the beginning of the post. Unless it’s related to CPU or a Graphics card. My PC has an AMD Threadripper Pro 3945WX and RT-7900 XTX.

Recent Windows 23H2, 24H2 builds .MOV thumbnails missing

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