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Original post : Clear Thumbnails Cache - Guide for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10.
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This guide shows you <strong>how to clear the thumbnails cache</strong> for the following Windows versions: <strong>Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 or 10.</strong> <h2>Windows XP</h2> <h3>How to clear the thumbnails cache in Windows XP</h3> To clear the thumbnails cache in Windows XP, follow these instructions: <ol> <li>Open Windows Explorer (or open My Computer)</li> <li>Click <strong>Tools</strong></li> <li>Select <strong>Folder Options</strong></li> <li>The Folder Options window will appear</li> <li>Go to the <em>View tab</em></li> <li>Under <em>Hidden files and folders</em> section, check <strong>Show hidden files and folders</strong></li> <li>Under <em>Hidden files and folders</em> section, uncheck <b>Hide protected operating system files</b> and click <strong>OK</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Start</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Search</strong></li> <li>Select <strong>All files and folders</strong> from the left side</li> <li>Type <code>Thumbs.db</code> in the <em>All or part of the file name</em> field</li> <li>Click <strong>Search</strong></li> <li>Search will now list all instances of the Thumbs.db file found on your computer</li> <li>Select all the files listed by pressing <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> + <kbd>A</kbd> and then press the <kbd>Shift</kbd> + <kbd>Delete</kbd> keys to delete the selected files.Or, simply right-click on these files and click <strong>Delete</strong>.</li> <li>Empty your Recycle Bin</li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_4876" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/WXP_cache_3.png"><img class="wp-image-4876 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/WXP_cache_3.png" alt="Thumbnails folder in Windows XP" width="800" height="600" /></a> Thumbnails folder in Windows XP[/caption] <h3>Enable or disable in Windows XP</h3> To enable or disable the option to cache thumbnails on a Windows XP system, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Open <strong>My Computer</strong></li> <li>Go to <strong>Tools > Folder Options</strong></li> <li>Go to <em>View</em></li> <li>Check the <strong>Do not cache thumbnails</strong> option. If <strong>Do not cache thumbnails is checked</strong>, Windows XP will not cache thumbnails.If <strong>Do not cache thumbnails is not checked</strong>, Windows XP will cache thumbnails.</li> <li>Click <strong>OK</strong></li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_4874" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/WXP_cache_2.png"><img class="wp-image-4874 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/WXP_cache_2.png" alt="Thumbnails folder options in Windows XP" width="800" height="600" /></a> Thumbnails folder options in Windows XP[/caption] <h2>Windows Vista</h2> <h3>How to clear the thumbnails cache in Windows Vista</h3> To clear the thumbnails cache on a Windows Vista computer, follow these steps to open Disk Cleanup: <ol> <li>Click <strong>Start</strong></li> <li>Click All Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools</li> <li>Click <strong>Disk Cleanup</strong>Alternatively, you can click Start and type <code>disk cleanup</code> in the search box, press <kbd>Enter</kbd>.</li> <li>Disk Cleanup should now load</li> <li>If you have more that 1 disk drive, e.g. more than 1 <code>C:\</code>, select the drive you want to clean up, then click <strong>OK</strong></li> <li>From the <em>Files to delete</em> section, select the <strong>Thumbnails</strong> option and deselect all other options</li> <li>Then click <strong>OK</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Delete Files</strong></li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_4877" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/WVista.png"><img class="wp-image-4877 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/WVista.png" alt="Disk Cleanup in Windows Vista" width="800" height="600" /></a> Disk Cleanup in Windows Vista[/caption] <h3>Enable or disable in Windows Vista</h3> To enable or disable the thumbnails cache option on a Windows Vista computer, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Open My Computer</li> <li>Click <strong>Organize</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Folder and search options</strong></li> <li>Go to the <em>View</em> tab</li> <li>Select or deselect the <strong>Always show icons, never thumbnails</strong> option</li> <li>Click <strong>OK</strong></li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_4878" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/WVista_2.png"><img class="wp-image-4878 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/WVista_2.png" alt="Thumbnails folder options in Windows Vista" width="800" height="600" /></a> Thumbnails folder options in Windows Vista[/caption] <h2>Windows 7</h2> <h3>How to clear the thumbnails cache in Windows 7</h3> To clear the thumbnails cache on a Windows 7 computer, you need to run Disk Cleanup and select the Thumbnails option to clear the cache: <ol> <li>Click <strong>Start</strong></li> <li>Type <code>disk cleanup</code> in the search box</li> <li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li> <li>Disk Cleanup should now load.If not, go to All Programs > Accessories > System Tools and find Disk Cleanup listed there.</li> <li>Select the <strong>Thumbnails</strong> option. Make sure it's checked and deselect the other options listed at the <em>Files to delete</em> section.</li> <li>Click <strong>OK</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Delete files</strong></li> </ol> You can also open Disk Cleanup to clear the thumbnails: <ol> <li>Click <strong>Start</strong></li> <li>Type <code>disk cleanup</code></li> <li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_4879" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W7_cache.png"><img class="wp-image-4879 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W7_cache.png" alt="Disk Cleanup in Windows 7" width="800" height="600" /></a> Disk Cleanup in Windows 7[/caption] <h3>Enable or disable in Windows 7</h3> <h4>Method 1</h4> To enable (or disable) the ability to cache thumbnails on Windows 7 computer, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Log in as an Administrator</li> <li>Press the [winkey] and <kbd>R</kbd> keys</li> <li>Type <code>gpedit.msc</code> in the Run dialog</li> <li>Click <strong>OK</strong></li> <li>The Local Group Policy Editor should open</li> <li>Go to User Configuration</li> <li>Then Administrative Templates</li> <li>Then Windows Components</li> <li>Then Windows Explorer</li> <li>Double-click on <strong>Turn off the caching of thumbnails in hidden thumbs.db files</strong></li> <li>Select <strong>Enabled</strong> to turn off the cache.If you want to leave the caching of thumbnails enabled, this option should be <strong>Disabled</strong>.</li> <li>Click <strong>OK</strong></li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_4880" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W7_cache_2.png"><img class="wp-image-4880 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W7_cache_2.png" alt="Group Policy screen in Windows 7" width="800" height="600" /></a> Group Policy screen in Windows 7[/caption] <h4>Method 2</h4> <ol> <li>Open <strong>Folder options</strong></li> <li>Go to the <em>View</em> tab</li> <li>Select or deselect the <strong>Always show icons, never thumbnails</strong> option</li> <li>Click <strong>OK</strong></li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_4881" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W7_cache_3.png"><img class="wp-image-4881 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W7_cache_3.png" alt="Thumbnails folder options in Windows 7" width="800" height="600" /></a> Thumbnails folder options in Windows 7[/caption] <h2>Windows 8/8.1</h2> <h3>How to clear the thumbnails cache in Windows 8 or 8.1</h3> <h4>Method 1</h4> To clear the thumbnails cache on a Windows 8 or 8.1 system, follow these instructions: <ol> <li>Open Windows Explorer</li> <li>Go to the <strong>View</strong> tab</li> <li>Select <strong>Hidden items</strong>, then select <strong>Show selected items</strong></li> <li>Navigate to <code>C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer</code>, where <code>C:\</code> is where you installed Windows 8 or 8.1 and <code>User</code> is the username of your account profile.If Windows 8 or 8.1 was installed on <code>D:\</code> and your username is <code>Anna</code>, the path you need to navigate to is: <pre>D:\Users\Anna\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer</pre> </li> <li>Select all files that begin with <code>thumbcache</code></li> <li>Right-click these files and click <strong>Delete</strong></li> <li>Empty the Recycle Bin</li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_4882" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W8_cache.png"><img class="wp-image-4882 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W8_cache.png" alt="Thumbnails folder in Windows 8" width="800" height="600" /></a> Thumbnails folder in Windows 8[/caption] <h4>Method 2</h4> You can also open Disk Cleanup to clear the thumbnails: <ol> <li>Click <strong>Start</strong></li> <li>Type <code>disk cleanup</code></li> <li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_4883" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W8_cache_2.png"><img class="wp-image-4883 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W8_cache_2.png" alt="Disk Cleanup in Windows 8" width="800" height="600" /></a> Disk Cleanup in Windows 8[/caption] <h3>Enable or disable in Windows 8 or 8.1</h3> <h4>Method 1</h4> To enable (or disable) the ability to cache thumbnails in Windows 8 / 8.1 systems, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Log in as an Administrator</li> <li>Press the [winkey] and <kbd>R</kbd> keys</li> <li>Type <code>gpedit.msc</code> in the Run dialog</li> <li>Click <strong>OK</strong></li> <li>The <strong>Local Group Policy Editor</strong> should now open</li> <li>Go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer</li> <li>Double-click on <strong>Turn off the caching of thumbnails in hidden thumbs.db files</strong></li> <li>Select <strong>Enabled</strong> to turn off the cache. If you want to leave the caching of thumbnails, this should be <strong>Disabled</strong>.</li> <li>Click <strong>OK</strong></li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_4884" align="alignnone" width="800"]<img class="wp-image-4884 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W8_cache_3.png" alt="Group Policy screen in Windows 8" width="800" height="600" /> Group Policy screen in Windows 8[/caption] <h4><strong>Method 2</strong></h4> <ol> <li>Open <strong>Folder options</strong></li> <li>Go to the <em>View</em> tab</li> <li>Select or deselect the <strong>Always show icons, never thumbnails</strong> option</li> <li>Click <strong>OK</strong></li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_4885" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W8_cache_4.png"><img class="wp-image-4885 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W8_cache_4.png" alt="Thumbnails folder options in Windows 8" width="800" height="600" /></a> Thumbnails folder options in Windows 8[/caption] <h4><strong>Method 3</strong></h4> <ol> <li>Open the Registry</li> <li>Navigate to this key: <pre>HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced</pre> </li> <li>The value for <code>DisableThumbnailCache</code> should be <code>1</code>, if you want to disable the thumbnails caching.Otherwise, leave it as <strong>0</strong> to have it enabled.</li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_4886" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W8_cache_5.png"><img class="wp-image-4886 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W8_cache_5.png" alt="Registry Editor screen in Windows 8" width="800" height="600" /></a> Registry Editor screen in Windows 8[/caption] <h2>Windows 10</h2> <h3>How to clear the thumbnails cache in Windows 10</h3> <h4>Method 1</h4> To clear the thumbnails cache on a Windows 10 system, follow these instructions: <ol> <li>Open Windows Explorer</li> <li>Go to the <strong>View</strong> tab</li> <li>Select <strong>Hidden items</strong>, then select <strong>Show selected items</strong></li> <li>Navigate to <code>C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer</code>, where <code>C:\</code> is where you installed Windows 8 or 8.1 and <code>User</code> is the username of your account profile.If Windows 8 or 8.1 was installed on <code>D:\</code> and your username is <code>Anna</code>, the path you need to navigate to is: <pre>D:\Users\Anna\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer</pre> </li> <li>Select all files that begin with <code>thumbcache</code></li> <li>Right-click these files and click <strong>Delete</strong></li> <li>Empty the Recycle Bin</li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_4908" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W10_cache_01.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-4908" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W10_cache_01.png" alt="Thumbnails folder in Windows 10" width="800" height="600" /></a> Thumbnails folder in Windows 10[/caption] <h4>Method 2</h4> You can also open Disk Cleanup to clear the thumbnails: <ol> <li>Click <strong>Start</strong></li> <li>Type <code>disk cleanup</code></li> <li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_4907" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W10_cache1.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-4907" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W10_cache1.png" alt="Disk Cleanup in Windows 10" width="800" height="600" /></a> Disk Cleanup in Windows 10[/caption] <h3>Enable or disable in Windows 10</h3> <h4>Method 1</h4> To enable (or disable) the ability to cache thumbnails in Windows 8 / 8.1 systems, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Log in as an Administrator</li> <li>Press the [winkey] and <kbd>R</kbd> keys</li> <li>Type <code>gpedit.msc</code> in the Run dialog</li> <li>Click <strong>OK</strong></li> <li>The <strong>Local Group Policy Editor</strong> should now open</li> <li>Go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer</li> <li>Double-click on <strong>Turn off the caching of thumbnails in hidden thumbs.db files</strong></li> <li>Select <strong>Enabled</strong> to turn off the cache. If you want to leave the caching of thumbnails, this should be <strong>Disabled</strong>.</li> <li>Click <strong>OK</strong></li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_4906" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W10_cache_21.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-4906" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W10_cache_21.png" alt="Group Policy screen in Windows 10" width="800" height="600" /></a> Group Policy screen in Windows 10[/caption] <h4><strong>Method 2</strong></h4> <ol> <li>Open <strong>Folder options</strong></li> <li>Go to the <em>View</em> tab</li> <li>Select or deselect the <strong>Always show icons, never thumbnails</strong> option</li> <li>Click <strong>OK</strong></li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_4905" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W10_cache_31.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-4905" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W10_cache_31.png" alt="Thumbnails folder options in Windows 10" width="800" height="600" /></a> Thumbnails folder options in Windows 10[/caption] <h4><strong>Method 3</strong></h4> <ol> <li>Open the Registry</li> <li>Navigate to this key: <pre>HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced</pre> </li> <li>The value for <code>DisableThumbnailCache</code> should be <code>1</code>, if you want to disable the thumbnails caching.Otherwise, leave it as <strong>0</strong> to have it enabled.</li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_4904" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W10_cache_4-1.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-4904" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/W10_cache_4-1.png" alt="Registry Editor screen in Windows 10" width="800" height="600" /></a> Registry Editor screen in Windows 10[/caption] <h2>More Information</h2> [partial name="partial_moreinfo" versions="xp,vista,7,8,10"]