Preview files in windows 10.

You probably know that Windows 10 Explorer has a built-in feature so that you can preview the file you are opening. To preview, and also to view the contents of a file without opening this file in the program, you need to enable the preview panel using hot keys. Alt keys+ P on your keyboard and select a supported file in File Explorer to view the files in the preview pane. The built-in file viewer is a very handy tool and can save you valuable time, especially if you don't use thumbnails in File Explorer.

The only problem with the built-in file preview feature is that it takes up a significant amount of screen space. While you can quickly turn the preview pane on or off with the Alt + P hotkeys, turning on the preview pane just to view the file doesn't make any sense. But wouldn't it be nice if we could preview files in File Explorer, without being turned on in the preview pane?

QuickLook App to Quickly View Files in Windows 10

QuickLook is free app available in the Windows Store so you can quickly preview files in Windows 10 Explorer. The main difference between QuickLook and Explorer's built-in file preview feature is that QuickLook does not add or require a dedicated preview pane.

To preview a document or image, you just need to select the file and then press the space bar on your keyboard. A preview of the file will appear on the screen. To close the preview window, simply press the space bar or press the ESC key.

Preview audio, video, and images in Windows 10

QuickLook supports several file types, including popular image, document, audio and video formats.

After installing the QuickLook app from the store, you just need to launch the QuickLook app to be able to view files in File Explorer.

As you can see in the photo, when you view a file, you can open the file and its associated applications or programs. For example, if you're viewing an image file and the default image viewer is the photo app, QuickLook shows open with the photo app in the top right corner of the preview. Also, if you like to do it with the keyboard, just press the Enter key to preview the file, or to close the preview window and open the file with your default application.

With default settings, QuickLook does not load immediately when Windows startup 10, but you can change this by right-clicking on the "QuickLook" icon in the system tray and selecting run at startup.

To install the application you need to visit windows store, and download the app to install the QuickLook app on your Windows 10 PC.

Many users, when familiarizing themselves with the new OS from Microsoft, found that viewing Windows photos 10 is carried out through the program "Photos". But in Windows 8, Microsoft offered a choice between the photo viewer and the Photos tool.

Why did developers save users the ability to view common graphic formats through a more convenient and functional program?

Many Windows 10 users start looking for better third-party products knowing that Photo Viewer only works with TIFF formats and TIF. Therefore, today we will consider how to add this tool to the "Default Applications" section and the "Open with" dialog, where the program is initially absent.

Let's use the registry editor

More advanced users try to list "Photo Viewer" as the application to open pixel images through the Software Mapping tool, but again, the application is only available for the above TIFF/TIF. Is it possible to make the photo viewer be able to be specified as the opener for other image formats as well? Of course, and it's easy to do.

1. We call the registry editor by executing the "regedit" command in the search line or the text line of the "Win + R" command interpreter.

2. Go to HKLM/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows Photo Viewer/Capabilities/FileAssociations.

Here you will see a couple of options with the name of the image formats that are allowed to be opened using the photo viewer.

3. Using the right button, we call the context menu of the free part of the space of the right frame of the window and select the creation of a string parameter (REG_SZ).

4. Enter its name as ".jpeg", and set the value to "PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff".

We do all the same operations for other formats (.jpg, .gif, .png) that you want to open through a more convenient image visualization tool.

5. We call "Parameters" by means of Win+i.

6. Go to "System" → "Default Applications".

8. In the left frame with the list of programs, click on "Photo Viewer", then on the icon with the inscription: "Select default values ​​for the program."

9. Check the boxes next to the required formats.

11. We call the item context menu"Open With" on one of the selected image formats.

Windows Photo Viewer will appear.

12. Specify the tool as the default image opener.

Alternative method

For beginners who do not want to delve into the wilds of storage Windows settings 10, it is recommended to use the WinAero Tweaker utility.

• After launching the application, we move to the last item of the available tweaks “Windows Accessories”.
• Click on the "Activate Windows Photo Viewer" button.

The result will be the same in both cases.

To make it easier to work with graphic files or other objects operating system Windows has the ability to customize image previews. Finding the desired object is much easier if you can see its content. These system features are available to everyone and are installed in 1 click when choosing a way to display files in a folder, but they do not always work correctly. If you experience these issues, you should use other Windows 10 resources to fix the errors.

Many change the display of files and folders from a table or list to large, medium and small icons. Default preview option in OS Windows 10 included. However, it happens that you need to disable it to improve system performance or it is disabled. Before you take any action, you need to figure out how the elements should be displayed correctly when file preview is enabled.

The thumbnail display looks like this:

Disabling preview will make the images look like this:

There are several ways to enable or disable image previews in Top Ten:

1. Changing the settings in Visual Effects.
2. By changing the connection status of the thumbnail preview in Explorer.
3. Through Group Policy.
4. With a REG file.
5. By using the BAT file.

Using these methods requires certain skills and knowledge of system administration. Below is a detailed review of the methods and instructions for their use.

Preview images in Windows 10 through the "Visual Effects" setting

To open the settings, you must first launch the command line. This can be done by selecting the "Run ..." sub-item in the "Start" menu, located in the lower right part of the list, or by pressing the "Win" key combination while pressing "R". The launched dialog box should look like this:

In the free area opposite "Open:" you must enter SystemPropertiesPerformance.exe and click on "OK" with the mouse or send to run with the "Enter" key. It should look like the picture below:

In the explorer launched as a result of the actions taken, you must enable preview for thumbnails of all files.

IMPORTANT: In most cases, thumbnail preview is enabled as an option after system installation. If the thumbnails are not displayed, you should look for an issue to debug or make sure the setting is set.

This is done by activating the list item "Display thumbnails instead of icons" with a tick. You can apply changes to the system after clicking the "OK" button.

To save system resources and make it faster, you can uncheck "Output instead of thumbnail icons", confirm the action by clicking on the "OK" button.

How to enable file preview in Windows 10 in Explorer by changing the connection status

To change the settings for displaying pictures in thumbnail view when using your own account You can use the change in Explorer Options.

IMPORTANT: This method is only suitable for resolving the issue of displaying images within a specific account. After you exit it, other users or the administrator will not see the changes.

First you need to open "Explorer Options", find the "File" tab in the window that opens, select "Change Search and Folder Options" from the menu that opens. The screenshot below shows all the necessary steps.

As a result of the previous operation, the "Folder Options" window will open, where you need to find the "View" tab and go to it. Preview is enabled by default.

Thumbnail preview must be enabled in File Explorer. Find on the "View" tab the item "Always show icons, not thumbnails", uncheck the box set there, confirm the action by clicking the "OK" button. In the figure below, the desired item is highlighted with a red rectangle.

To disable thumbnail previews in the same way, you need to activate the "Always show icons, not thumbnails" command by checking the box next to it. The following figure shows what the correct actions should look like.

Preview in Windows 10 File Explorer via Group Policy

To make changes to the system through group policy, you must have administrator rights.

IMPORTANT: When using this method the settings of all accounts available on a particular machine will be predefined.

Open the Group Policy Editor window.

A menu will open on the left panel of the window that starts up, where you need to find the "User Configuration" item. Next, in the sub-item "Administrative templates" you need to go to " Windows Components”, by activating it by pressing the left mouse button. The contents of this folder with which we are interested in "Explorer" will appear in the right field. The figure below shows the location of the Explorer object on the Advanced tab.

IMPORTANT: Group Policy setting is not available in the Home editor of the operating system.

After opening the "Explorer" folder, you must deactivate the option to display only icons by turning off the display of thumbnails. In the screenshot below, this item is highlighted with a red rectangle.

To do this, open the specified option and select "Disabled" or "Not configured". Be sure to click the "OK" confirmation button.

Now, from the user profile, you can independently disable or enable the preview of graphic files.

How to disable preview in Windows 10 File Explorer

To disable image previews through Group Policy in File Explorer, you must follow the same steps as described in the previous section. In the window that opens the option to display only icons, select the “Enabled” value by turning off the display of thumbnails.

Preview in Windows 10 File Explorer using a .reg file

Usage this method requires administrator rights. AT otherwise it will be impossible to access the registry and perform any actions there. The main difference between this method and changing the mode through Group Policy is the ability to apply only to the current user. If the machine had thumbnail display settings set through the application BAT file, "Visual Effects" settings, or in the Explorer options, then changes with the .reg file will override the previous values.

The use of the reg file in the registry keys are modified and added to the DWORD values:

DisableThumbnails DWORD

• Delete or 0 = Inactive
• 1 = Active

By default, image preview for all users is enabled in File Explorer. If this is not the case, then the following steps must be performed to connect:

Download file to your PC Enable_Thumbnails_for_All_Users.zip .

Double-click to run the .reg file. As a result of this, a dialog box should appear asking you to allow the merge, which must be confirmed by clicking on the "OK" button.

After that, be sure to restart the machine or at least log out of the system.

If the preview is enabled, then the ability to change the visibility of the file thumbnail is available to users. More .reg file not needed, so you can remove it if you wish.

To disable preview in the operating system using registry changes, you need to download another file - Disable_ Thumbnails_ for_ All_ Users. zip . After saving it on the "Desktop", you need to unpack it and run it. Similar to the enable procedure, you need to merge and restart the computer or leave the current account. This file is also not needed in the future and can not be stored.

How to enable file preview in Windows 10 using BAT file

This method of setting the preview is relevant only for a specific account. This must be taken into account when using it.

In the registry key using bat files, the DWORD parameter is changed:

IconsOnly DWORD

• 0 = Disabled - display icons
• 1 = Enabled - display thumbnails

By default, in the Windows 10 operating system, file preview is enabled in File Explorer. If it is disabled, then you must perform the following steps to connect:

Download file turn_ on_ thumbnail_ previews_ in_ explorer. zip and save it to your desktop. After extracting from the archive, double-click the left mouse button to run for the command line to appear. The screen will flicker and command line will close by restarting explorer. This allows the registry to apply changes made. Because in the future given file not useful, it can be removed from the "Desktop".

To disable file preview in Explorer using a .bat file, you need to download turn_ off_ thumbnail_ previews_ in_ explorer. zip archive, save to the "Desktop", unpack and run the .bat file for execution. The actions will be the same as when you turn on the preview.

Conclusion

Presented 5 possible ways enabling and disabling the preview of graphics and other files in Explorer. These methods work on the Windows 10 operating system, which must be taken into account when guided by the tips provided. You also need to pay attention to the presence of administrator rights, since not all methods are available to the user from the account.

On Windows 10, you use the Photos app to view images, not Windows Photo Viewer. After clicking on the pictures, photos saved in popular formats will be opened in the Photos application.

Probably many will use on their computers this application, others liked the Windows Photo Viewer more. The most interesting thing is that the old Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10 has not gone anywhere, it has remained in the operating system. By default, Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10 opens "TIF" and "TIFF" files.

Therefore, you can restore "Windows Photo Viewer" in the Windows 10 operating system in order to open image files of popular formats with this viewer. The implementation of bringing Windows Photo Viewer back to your computer will differ depending on how your computer got its operating system. Windows system 10: update from previous version operating system, or with a new "clean" Windows installation 10.

How to restore Windows Photo View when upgrading to Windows 10

If your computer has Windows 10 operating system after upgrading from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, then there will be no problems using the old photo viewer. In this case, Windows Photo View is present in GUI operating system.

To select a photo viewer as the application to open a supported file graphic format(.bmp, .dib, .jpe, .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .jfif, .jpeg, .jxr, .png, .wdp), right-click on the image, and then from the context menu "Open with help", select from the list available applications context menu item "Select another application".

After that, the "How do you want to open this file?" window will open. In the "Other options" section, among the list of applications, you will see "Windows Photo Viewer". Highlight the Windows Image Viewer, then check the box next to "Always use this application to open (.file extension) files", and then click on the "OK" button.

After that, files of this graphic format will be opened by default using the Windows Photo Viewer application.

How to bring back the photo viewer in Windows 10

At clean install Windows 10, Windows Photo Viewer will be missing from the operating system GUI, so it can't be selected to open certain types of files.

In this case, the problem with the old tool Windows browsing, it will be possible to solve in several ways, in which the ability to select an application for the corresponding file types will be restored. This is done by changing the Windows registry 10.

Before making changes to the Windows registry, or before making other major changes to your computer, be sure to create a system restore point. In this case, if problems arise, you can return Windows 10 to the working state that was on your computer before making changes.

Download to your computer a file that contains the application of changes in the registry of the operating system to add missing values.

restore windows photoviewer reg download

Then run this file on your computer. To do this, double-click on the registry file (extension.reg) with the left mouse button, or after clicking with the right mouse button, select the "Merge" item in the context menu.

After applying the changes in the registry, on your computer, the Windows Photo Viewer will be available in the context menu "Open with" to select a program to open photos saved in a specific format.

This will open the "Choose an application" window, in which you will see Windows Photo View among other applications. Next, click on the application to match the supported file formats.

You can do all this yourself manually by adding file type parameters to the registry branch:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows Photo Viewer/Capabilities/FileAssociations

I will not describe this method, since all this can be easily done using a ready-made registry file.

Bringing Back the Photo Viewer with Winaero Tweaker

You can restore Windows Photo View in Windows 10 using free program Winaero Tweaker. The program does not require installation on a computer, the application is launched from a folder.

Download Winaero Tweaker

After launching the Winaero Tweaker program on your computer, in the right part of the program window, find the item "Activate Windows Photo Viewer". First, select this item, and then on the left side of the utility window, click on "Activate Windows Photo Viewer" to restore the functions of the Windows Photo Viewer application in Windows 10.

Then the "Choose default programs" window will open, in which you will need to highlight "Windows Viewer", and then click on "Set this program as default" to open all supported file types, or "Choose default values ​​for this program" to open specific file types of your choice.

There is no doubt that of all Windows tools 10, File Explorer (formerly known as Windows Explorer) is the most commonly used. And yet, many self-professed Windows experts are only superficially familiar with this incredibly rich built-in application.
The basic principles for organizing files are simple:

• Combine files in several easy-to-access places.
• For more effective search, use key and descriptive words in file names.
• Use powerful search tools in File Explorer.
• Have backups files.

Understanding how best to use File Explorer requires some knowledge of how Windows itself organizes files. Some of these subtleties are incredibly obvious, while others are so hidden that even an experienced hand can miss them.

The file explorer, by default, has its own button on the taskbar. If you prefer using the keyboard, use an easy-to-remember keyboard shortcut, logo Windows+E.

With the help of several fine tuning, you can personalize the file explorer layout according to your style.

The ribbon (ribbon) at the top of the file explorer resembles its counterpart in Microsoft Office, but has one key difference - it is not configurable. The only thing you can do is double-click on any of the tab headers to hide its contents. With the content of the feed hidden, the headings feel like an old-fashioned menu bar, but there is more room for the content area.

The navigation bar located on the left is assembled into key points, which expand and collapse on demand. If you prefer the older, single-hierarchy tree view, select This PC, then on the View tab, go to the navigation bar, then select Show All Folders.

With the "Show all folders" option, the navigation bar looks like the image below. (Note that a shortcut menu is shown here to make the listing more concise.)

After selecting the "Show all folders" option, only two anchor points will be displayed in the navigation bar: quick access and the desktop.

Optional element, hidden by default, an area that appears to the right of the content area. Depending on the option you choose on the View tab, in the Panel group, a preview of the current element or details about it will be displayed. The figure below shows that the preview area for a photo high resolution saved in JPEG format. Windows 10 has filters to preview most photo formats, Office documents, PDF files and other common document formats.

The following figure shows the detail panel for a single file.

If the detail panel is selected, you can edit the metadata for the current file. The "save" and "cancel" buttons are displayed at the bottom of the panel.

Changing the Quick View

Sometimes you want to see a list with detailed information about a file, and sometimes thumbnails of all the files in a folder. It doesn't matter, in any file explorer window, with the help of small buttons in its lower right corner, you can switch between detail view and thumbnail view. The detailed view mode is especially useful if you want to filter the contents of a folder.

As mentioned earlier, you can't customize the ribbon, but you can position the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) as you wish. By default, QAT is displayed in the title bar, above the ribbon. If you want to move it lower, click the down arrow to the right of it and then the Show Below Ribbon button. QAT in this new position is a modified option so you can always move it back above the ribbon.

The same menu contains a short list of the most frequently used commands that can always be added to quick access. To add commands that are available on the ribbon, but not in this menu, right-click on the desired command and select "Add to Quick Access Toolbar" from the context menu that appears.

And further, one of the little-known secrets of QAT tuning. You can add groups of commands to the Quick Access Toolbar. For example, go to the "View" tab, at the bottom of the "Panels" group, right-click on the desired shortcut and select the "Add to Quick Access Toolbar" command. Now when you click on this shortcut in QAT, you can select either the preview area or the details panel.

Organize files with the quick access option

The shortcut option is always displayed at the top of the navigation bar. Its sole purpose is to give you quick access to frequently used files and folders. Having fixed the location of the items you need, you can customize it.

The shortcut option is one of the most important additions to file explorer. As mentioned earlier, organizing files in different locations is one of the first steps towards overall organization. Once you have identified these locations, attach shortcuts to them in the hotspot and easily open what you need.

To pin to the quick access list desired disk, folder, library, or section, right-click on it and select Pin for Quick Access from the context menu. To remove an unnecessary item, right-click on it in the quick access list and select "Remove from quick access".

Recently opened folders appear at the bottom of the quick access list. If a quick access title is selected, the pinned and recent folders of that group will be displayed at the top of the content pane, with recently opened files below them.

You can view this list of recent files (and even pin a shortcut to the Quick Access Toolbar) by going to %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent. You can get to this location even faster, open the Run \ Run field and enter shell: recent in it. Some additional settings shortcuts you can find in the "Folder Options" dialog box. Where, at the very top, you can specify whether you want new File Explorer windows to open in quick access or as standard, like This PC.

If you need to, uncheck one or both of the options in the Privacy section, at the bottom of the Folder Options window, which will prevent Recently from appearing in Quick Access. open files and folders. Click the "Purge" button to empty the Recent folder and remove all shortcuts (except for the ones you have attached).

Using Libraries and Known Folders

The more you use your computer, the more you understand the hierarchy of folders that start with drives and letters.

But, if you are ready to give up old habits, you can significantly increase your productivity with the help of a file system. Windows Explorer 10. The secret, in mastering the so-called famous folders of your profile - user documents, downloads, music, pictures, videos, and so on. And most importantly, learn how to use libraries, which are very effective method collect files from several folders located in different places into virtual folders in which it is easy to search and filter information.

In a clean install of Windows 10, the archives are hidden. If you don't see the "Libraries" link in the navigation bar, go to the "View" menu and check the "Show Libraries" box. By default, the library mainly displays duplicate documents, music, photos, and videos from the user's profile. If you don't plan to customize these libraries or create your own, you can keep them hidden. But there are many advantages to using libraries.

Adding folders to a library

To view and manage folders in an existing library, to make the Manage tab visible (it's under the heading Library Tools), first click on it, then select Manage Library. The figure below shows the results for the Documents library with files taken from four folders - the default Documents folder in the user profile, two separate OneDrive synced folders, and a shared folder called the company name located on a network file server.

The expand document library option in the navigation bar shows a separate entry for each folder contained in the library. You can use these links to view individual folders. More importantly, all folders in a library are automatically indexed, meaning you can search and filter content from multiple sources as if they were in the same folder. In addition, all files in the library are supported by the "File History" feature.

To add a folder to an existing library, first click on the Manage Library button, then on the Add button, and then navigate to the folder you want to include in the library. An easier way is to right-click on desired folder and select the "Include in Library" command from the context menu. This option shows a list of existing libraries.

Right-click on a folder and use the context menu to add it to an existing library, or to create a new library, use the "Create New Library" option at the bottom of the menu.

An attentive reader will undoubtedly notice that the list of libraries available in the context menu contains two of them that are not on the navigation bar. The Photos app, for its own use, creates camera and photo libraries, which other apps can do as well.

To create your own library, use the "Create New Library" option at the bottom of this menu. Or alternatively, in the navigation bar, click on the header of the library, then right-click on the content pane and select New, then select the library. With the new library open, click "Include in Folder" and add the directory you need, to add multiple folders select the Manage Library option.

Moving data folders to another location

You can move known user profile folders - documents, downloads, music, pictures, and so on to another location. This is especially useful if you are using a desktop PC with two physical drives. For example, as a system disk - a small, fast solid state drive(SSD), and regular HDD with more capacity for data files. The effect of moving is most noticeable if your collection of digital music or photos is too large to fit comfortably on system drive where it is usually located. The process is very simple. Open your user profile (the easiest way is to type %UserProfile%) in the address bar, right-click on the folder you want to move, and in the context menu, select the "Location" tab. Next, a dialog box will open.

Here you can enter the path to the move folder or click the "Move / Move" button and point to the location you need (with the ability to create a new folder). To change the location, click Apply or OK. When you do this, you will see a dialog box as shown here:

Answer - Yes, if you do not want the folder (and its contents) to be stored in your user profile. Repeat this process for any other roaming folders in your profile. By the way, it is quite normal to mix and match locations for these well-known folders. In fact, this tweak is also convenient because you can easily see the current location for all folders.

• In the file explorer address bar, by typing %UserProfile%, open your user profile, then press Enter.
• Switch to detail view if necessary.
• Right-click on the heading of any column, then, at the bottom of the context menu that appears, select "Next". The parts selection dialog will open:

• Select the folder path from the list and click OK.

The contents of the File Explorer window should now look like the following figure. Here, you will immediately see that the download folders and images have been transferred.

With the addition of the folder path to the list displayed in the detailed view, you will immediately see where each of the user profile folders is located.