A thumbnail is a small sized version of an image designed to make the image easier to identify and file. In digital environments, when thumbnails are present, they do the same job as a text index; they help users find files quickly. Visual search engines and image organizers use thumbnails and modern operating systems like Windows and Mac OS X to make things easier to navigate.
But thumbnails can sometimes be guilty by association since they can hinder performance, especially in older or slower computers. Read on to learn how to permanently disable thumbnail previews on Windows 11, 10, 8.1, and 7 and how to enhance system performance.
Disable Thumbnail Previews in Windows 11 / 10 / 8.1 / 7
Follow these steps to disable thumbnails in your Windows operating system:
- Go to My Computer or This PC.
- Click on the View option.
- Go to View in the top menu.
- Click ‘Options’ and choose ‘Change folder and search options’.
- Go to the View tab in the Folder Options window.
- Checkmark the option “Always show icons, never thumbnails.”
- Click Apply, and then OK to save.
And that’s it. And it had disabled the thumbnail previews.
Why Disable Thumbnail Previews?
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Disabling thumbnails can help improve system performance. When you have a large number of images in one folder, the loading times are reduced, so this is a good option. It’s highly useful for old and slow computers, as it helps with navigating the OS.
By following these steps, you will have successfully disabled thumbnail previews for Windows 11, 10, 8.1, or 7, giving you a smoother overall experience.
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