Windows 7 - Thumbnails - Enable or Disable - Add to Context Menu

   Information

This will show you how to add or remove Enable/Disable Thumbnails to the desktop, library, and folder window context menu for all users to be able to toggle only their thumbnail previews of files and folders on or off in Windows Explorer with a single click in Vista and Windows 7.

   Note

When you right click on the Desktop and click on Enable/Disable Thumbnails, the thumbnail previews will instantly show as turned on or off. You will need to refresh (F5) any other opened inactive window to have the thumbnail previews turned on or off.

When you right click on a blank area in the main window of a library or folder and click on Enable/Disable Thumbnails, the thumbnail previews will instantly show as turned on or off in that window. You may need to refresh (F5) any other opened inactive window to have the thumbnail previews turned on or off.

1. Do either step 2 or 3 below for what you would like.


2. To Toggle Thumbnails Enabled or Disabled with Notify Sound Played
NOTE: When you click on the Enable/Disable Thumbnails context menu item using this option, you will hear the notify.wav file play only if Window Media Player is set as the default program for .wav files. If you do not have Window Media Player turned on in Windows Features, then you will get an error instead of the sound playing.

A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below, and save it to your desktop.
NOTE: This includes all "hidden files, folders, or drives" and "hidden protected operating system files".

Add_Enable-Disable_Thumbnails_with_Sound.zip

B) Go to step 4.

3. To Toggle Thumbnails Enabled or Disabled without any Sound
NOTE: This option is if you did not want to have the Notify.wav play when you use the Enable/Disable Thumbnails context menu item, or if you get an error from using step 2 since you have Windows Media Player turned off in Windows Features.

A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below, and save it to your desktop.
NOTE: This includes all "hidden files, folders, or drives" and "hidden protected operating system files".

Add_Enable-Disable_Thumbnails.zip

B) Go to step 4.

4. Open the downloaded ZIP file, and extract (drag and drop) both the .reg and .vbs files to your desktop.

5. Right click on the extracted .vbs file, click on Properties, click on the General tab, and unblock it.
NOTE: If you do not see a Unblock button, then the file is already unblocked.

6. Right click on the extracted and unblocked .vbs, and click on Copy.

7. In Windows Explorer, navigate to and open the C:\Windows folder. Right click on a empty area in the C:\Window folder, click on Paste, then cick on Continue and Yes (UAC) if prompted. Close the Windows Explorer window.

8. Right click on the extracted .reg file and click on Merge.

9. Click on Run, Yes (UAC-Windows 7) or Continue (UAC-Vista), Yes, and OK when prompted.

10. Enable/Disable Thumbnails has now been added to the context menu.

11. You can delete the download files left on your desktop now if you would like to.

1. Click on the Download button below to download the file below, and save it to your desktop.

Remove_Enable-Disable_Thumbnails.reg

2. Right click on the downloaded .reg file and click on Merge.

3. Click on Run, Yes (UAC-Windows 7) or Continue (UAC-Vista), Yes, and OK when prompted.

4. Enable/Disable Thumbnails has now been removed from the context menu.

5. In Windows Explorer, navigate to and open the C:\Windows folder, right click on the file below, click on Delete, and Yes (if prompted).

Toggle-Thumbnails-ON-OFF.vbs

OR

Toggle-Thumbnails-ON-OFF_with_Sound.vbs

6. You can now delete the download reg file if you would like to.