Thumbnail Cache - Clear and Reset

How to Clear and Reset Thumbnail Cache in Windows​

   Information

By default, Windows stores the images for thumbnail previews in cache memory so that it can redisplay the images quickly each time you reopen a folder in Windows Explorer (Vista and Windows 7) or File Explorer (Windows 8).

This tutorial will show you how you to clear and reset the thumbnail cache to force Windows to reload the thumbnail picture views into the cache again as needed as you open folders.

   Note

The thumbnail cache .db files are located in the hidden system folder location below:

C:\Users\User-Name\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

You may want to clear the thumbnail cache if the Windows Explorer thumbnail pictures have become corrupted and not displaying properly, or the thumbnail cache file has become to large and you want to clear some hard disk space.

CONTENTS:

• Option One: To Clear and Reset Thumbnail Cache using Disk Cleanup
• Option Two: To Clear and Reset Thumbnail Cache using a BAT File

OPTION ONE

To Clear and Reset Thumbnail Cache using Disk Cleanup

1. Open Disk Cleanup.

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

3. Click/tap on the Delete Files button. (See screenshot below)

4. Disk Cleanup will now clear the thumbnail cache and close.

OPTION TWO

To Clear and Reset Thumbnail Cache using a BAT File

1. Click on the Download button below to download the BAT file below.
Clear_and_Reset_Thumbnail_Cache.bat


Download


2. Save the .bat file to your desktop.

3. Run the .bat file.

4. If prompted, click on Run.
NOTE: If you like, you can stop getting the Run prompt by unblocking the downloaded .bat file.

5. Follow the instructions in the command prompt to clear and reset your thumbnail cache.







That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Enable or Disable the Thumbnail Cache in Windows
• How to Enable or Disable Explorer Thumbnail Previews in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• Add "Enable/Disable Thumbnails" to Context Menu in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• How to Change the Thumbnail Previews Border in Windows 7
• How to Rebuild the Icon Cache in Windows
• How to Reset the Favorites Favicons in Vista and Windows 7
• How to Stop and Prevent Windows from Deleting the Thumbnail Cache

 

[Rjck]

Ok done it, thx guys keep you posted if there's any changes...

 

[Rjck]

all started as usual... i check my pictures all fine... was playing, surfing, chattin', then go to pictures folder and thumbnails are rebuilding again, i check the size of the cache and it displays as 6MB usually is 122MB... weird huh?

 

[astrajingga]

nice info Brink...
thanks

 

[Evil Nemesis]

Hey thanks for the tip, It does the work but (I know it's kinda offtopic) How to clear Photoshop Open Dialog Box Thumbnails cache ? as they always show wrong rotated image thumbnails even after these steps mentioned here in this thread !

 

[Brink]

Hello S.Orangzeb,

You're welcome. I'm not sure about Photoshop though. That subject may be best posted in the Music, Pictures & Video forum area instead.

 

[Britton30]

Hello Shawn, I have done the disk cleanup but I still have some folder thumbs remaining as shown in the snip of a thumbs.db viewer. They are all from my pictures folder.
I have also disabled caching as outlined here... http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/10794-thumbnail-cache-enable-disable.html



How can I get rid of the pesky buggers?

 

[Brink]

Hey Gary,

You might see if deleting the individual hidden Thumbs.db files listed in your screenshot may be able to finish them off.

 

[Britton30]

Well that worked. Do you have any insight why the Disk clean up, and CCleaner didn't root them out?

 

[Brink]

Great news.

Disk Cleanup only clears the main central thumbs.db cache in the hidden folder below.

C:\Users\User-Name\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

 

[Britton30]

Ahh, gotcha, thank you!

 

[Brink]

Anytime mate.

 

[unlockAVSO]

Great tutorial! Thanks a lot.

 

[unko]

I tried multiple methods but my thumbnails are still totally wrong! Please help

 

[Brink]

Hello unko,

Please provide more details and screenshots to see what may be wrong.

 

[unko]

Well some jpeg thumbnail are showing other pics thumbnails.. common bug actually, never solved!

 

[Brink]

If you like, you might test to see if refreshing (F5), renaming the files, or move them to another location and back may toggle it to show the correct thumbnail.

 

[unko]

Moving it somewhere else and it shows correct thumbnail. Moving it backwards and the issue is back.

 

[Brink]

Any luck with the other options?

 

[unko]

Am afraid I tried em all already.. also tried a cleaning all called TFC.. Any suggestions welcomed.

 

[Jez2k]

My Waterfox shortcut on the desktop is still completely black. I tried the batch file, no luck. I loaded Disk Cleanup but the option to clear the thumbnail cache is not there. No luck with CCleaner either.

EDIT
And now, the CCleaner shortcut itself is all black, along with the IObit Uninstaller icon.

EDIT
Each time I create a new shortcut on the desktop, it immediately turns black.