Windows 11 mkv video files not displaying video thumbnails

Thumbnails are small previews of your files that appear next to their names in File Explorer, allowing you to quickly identify the content of a file without opening it. When MKV files fail to display these thumbnails, it can be frustrating, especially for users dealing with a large collection of video files. 

Why Are MKV Thumbnails Missing in Windows 11?

Windows 11. like its predecessors, is designed to show thumbnails for a variety of media formats, including images and videos. However, MKV files are not always supported by default for thumbnail previews, especially for users who have not installed the necessary codecs or players. The reasons behind MKV thumbnails not displaying could include:

Missing Codecs: MKV files use a variety of video and audio codecs, and if the necessary codecs are not installed on your system, Windows cannot generate thumbnails for the files.

File Explorer Configuration: Windows File Explorer may be set to not display thumbnails, which could be the cause of the issue.

Outdated Media Player or Codec Pack: An outdated or incompatible media player or codec pack may cause issues with thumbnail previews in Windows 11.

Corrupted System Files: System corruption can also lead to issues with thumbnail generation, including problems displaying MKV thumbnails.

Lack of Thumbnail Support for MKV Files: By default, MKV files are not natively supported in Windows for thumbnail previews, requiring third-party software or additional configuration.

How to Fix MKV Video Thumbnails Not Displaying in Windows 11

Here are the step-by-step solutions to help resolve the issue of MKV video files not displaying thumbnails in Windows 11.

1. Install the Necessary Codecs for MKV Files

The most common reason MKV files don’t show thumbnails is the lack of codecs required to decode the video and audio streams within the file. While Windows 11 supports many media formats out of the box, MKV files are not natively supported for thumbnail previews. Installing a codec pack is often the simplest solution to enable MKV thumbnail support.

Steps to Install a Codec Pack:

Download a Codec Pack: A codec pack includes all the codecs necessary to play and preview media files like MKV, AVI, MP4. and more. One of the most popular and trusted options is the K-Lite Codec Pack, which can be downloaded from trusted websites like Codec Guide.

Go to https://www.codecguide.com/download_kl.htm and download the K-Lite Codec Pack.

Choose the “Standard” version unless you need more advanced codecs or features.

Install the Codec Pack: After downloading, open the installer and follow the on-screen instructions. The installation process will configure the codecs and necessary components to enable Windows to display MKV file thumbnails.

Restart Your Computer: Once the codec pack is installed, restart your system to ensure that all settings take effect.

Check MKV Thumbnails: After rebooting, check if MKV thumbnails are now displayed correctly in File Explorer. The installation of the codec pack should resolve the issue.

2. Enable Thumbnails in File Explorer

If you have installed the necessary codecs and MKV files are still not showing thumbnails, it’s possible that the thumbnail preview feature is turned off in File Explorer settings.

Steps to Enable Thumbnails in File Explorer:

Open File Explorer: Press Win + E to open File Explorer.

Click on the View Menu: In the top toolbar, click on the View tab.

Go to Options: Select Show and then choose Options to open the Folder Options window.

Adjust Folder Options:

Go to the View tab in the Folder Options window.

Under Advanced settings, make sure the box for Always show icons, never thumbnails is unchecked.

If checked, uncheck the box and click Apply, then OK to save your settings.

Clear the Thumbnail Cache: Sometimes, the thumbnail cache gets corrupted, which can prevent thumbnails from displaying. To clear the thumbnail cache, follow these steps:

Press Win + R to open the Run dialog, then type %localappdata% and press Enter.

Open the Microsoft folder, then the Windows folder, followed by the Explorer folder.

Delete all the files in this folder (these are the cached thumbnails).

Restart Your Computer: Once you’ve updated the settings and cleared the cache, restart your system to apply the changes.

After these steps, your MKV files should start showing thumbnails in File Explorer.

3. Use a Third-Party Software to Enable MKV Thumbnails

If the steps above don’t resolve the issue, you can use third-party software to enable MKV thumbnail previews in Windows 11. Two popular tools are MediaPreview and Icaros.

Using Icaros:

Icaros is a lightweight and free tool that enables Windows to generate thumbnails for many video formats, including MKV.

Download Icaros: Go to the official Icaros website at https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/icaros.html and download the latest version of the software.

Install Icaros: Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to install the software on your PC.

Enable MKV Thumbnails:

Open Icaros from the Start menu.

Under the Thumbnails tab, check the option for MKV (and any other video formats you want to preview).

Click Apply and then Close the application.

Check MKV Thumbnails: Once Icaros is configured, you should see MKV thumbnails in File Explorer.

Using MediaPreview:

MediaPreview is another third-party tool that can help you enable thumbnail previews for MKV files.

Download MediaPreview: Visit the MediaPreview website at https://www.mediapreviewer.com/ and download the latest version.

Install MediaPreview: Run the installation file and follow the instructions.

Configure MediaPreview:

Launch MediaPreview from the Start menu.

In the Settings tab, enable MKV files to show thumbnails.

Click Apply to save the settings.

Check Thumbnails: After configuring MediaPreview, you should see MKV thumbnails in File Explorer.

4. Update Windows and Media Players

Sometimes, outdated software or media players can cause issues with MKV file thumbnail generation. Ensure that both your Windows 11 system and your media players are up-to-date.

Steps to Update Windows 11:

Open Settings: Press Win + I to open the Settings menu.

Check for Updates: In the Settings window, go to Windows Update and click Check for Updates. Install any pending updates and restart your system if necessary.

Update Media Players:

If you use a third-party media player like VLC or Media Player Classic to view MKV files, make sure it’s up to date.

Open the Media Player (e.g., VLC or MPC).

Check for Updates: Go to the Help menu and select Check for Updates.

Update the Software: If an update is available, download and install it.

5. Repair Corrupted System Files

In some cases, corrupted system files can prevent MKV thumbnails from displaying. You can use the System File Checker (sfc) tool to scan and repair corrupted files on your system.

Steps to Run System File Checker:

Open Command Prompt as Administrator: Press Win + X, then select Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).

Run the Command: In the command prompt, type the following command and press Enter:

bash

CopyEdit

sfc /scannow

Wait for the Scan to Complete: The scan will take some time, and any issues found will be automatically repaired.

Restart Your Computer: After the scan and repair process completes, restart your system.