The thumbnail pictures in Windows Explorer or in the Preview Pane of the Open dialog is very convenient as it could assist you on searching of the preferred files. But sometimes you are not able to see the SOLIDWORKS preview. There are few methods you may use to solve this issue.
Method 1: SOLIDWORKS Thumbnail in General Options
There is an option in SOLIDWORKS itself. You may go to Tools > Options > System Options tab > General > ‘Show thumbnail graphics in Windows Explorer‘ to make sure this option is enabled. Also files must be subsequently opened and saved in SOLIDWORKS in order to generate the screenshot for the thumbnail.
Method 2: Windows Folder Options
You may go to your Windows Folder Options. There are two options required, one need to be unchecked and another one need to be checked.
- Windows Control Panel > Folder Options
- Select the ‘View‘ tab at the top of the window
- UNCHECK the option ‘Always show icons, never thumbnails‘
CHECK the option ‘Show preview handlers in preview pane‘ (scroll down to find it)
Method 3: Windows Performance Options
SOLIDWORKS Thumbnail may also be disabled if you have customized your performance levels of Windows.
- Select Search, type performance, then select Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows in the list of results.
- Under ‘Visual Effects‘ tab, SELECT ‘Show thumbnails instead of icons’
Method 4: DLL Registration
During the installation of SOLIDWORKS, many .DLL files are installed and require registration to function properly. If you had installed without full LOCAL Windows Administration permissions, this can prevent proper registration of the DLLs. Manually registering the following DLLs can correct the issue.
- swdocumentmgr.dll (by default under C:\Program Files\Common Files\SOLIDWORKS Shared)
- sldthumbnailprovider.dll (by default under C:\Program Files\SOLIDWORKS Corp\SOLIDWORKS)
To manually register these DLLs:
- Log into Windows as a full LOCAL Administrator Account
- Browse in Windows Explorer to find the above .DLL files
- Run the Command Prompt as Administrator (Start > All Programs > Accessories > right-click ‘Command Prompt‘ and “Run as administrator“)
- Enter the following text and press Enter after each (*note these are the default installation location folders)
- regsvr32 “C:\Program Files\Common Files\SOLIDWORKS Shared\swdocumentmgr.dll”
- regsvr32 “C:\Program Files\Common Files\SOLIDWORKS Shared\sldwinshellextu.dll”
- regsvr32 “C:\Program Files\Common Files\SOLIDWORKS Shared\sldthumbnailprovider.dll”
Now you should be able to see the thumbnail of your SOLIDWORKS file. 🙂
