How to Enable or Disable “Display file icon on thumbnails” in Windows 11

Method 1The Quick Way Using File Explorer

File Explorer 📁 lets you turn on or off the display file icon on thumbnails setting using the built-in Folder Options menu. Open any folder, click the three dots at the top to open the menu, and choose Options. Go to the View tab, look for the list of advanced settings, and check or uncheck the box next to always show icons, never thumbnails.

1. Open File Explorer 📁. Press the Windows Key + E on your keyboard to launch a File Explorer 📁 window. Tip: You can also click the folder icon on your taskbar 🖥️ if you prefer using your mouse.
2. Open the folder options menu. Look at the very top toolbar of the File Explorer 📁 window and click the three horizontal dots (...) to open the secondary menu. Choose Options from the bottom of that list.

   

3. Switch to the View tab. In the window that pops up, click on the View tab near the top to see a long list of advanced folder settings.
4. Find and change the thumbnail setting. Scroll down the list until you find the checkbox for Display file icon on thumbnails. Uncheck this box if you want to get rid of the tiny program badges. Leave it checked if you want to keep them.

   

5. Save your changes. Click the Apply button at the bottom of the window, and then click OK to close the menu. Your previews will update right away.

Method 2The Advanced Way Using Registry Editor

1. Open the Registry Editor. Press the Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box. Type regedit into the text field and hit Enter. Warning: The Registry is a powerful area of Windows. Always be careful to only change the exact settings mentioned in tutorials so you do not accidentally break other features.
2. Navigate to the Explorer Advanced folder. Copy and paste this exact path into the address bar at the top of the Registry Editor, then press Enter:

   🗝️Registry

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   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

3. Locate or create the overlay switch. Look through the list of settings in the right-hand window pane for a value named ShowTypeOverlay. If you do not see it, right-click any empty space in the right pane, hover over New, choose DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it ShowTypeOverlay.
4. Modify the value data. Double-click ShowTypeOverlay to open its properties box. Change the Value data to 0 if you want to disable the icon overlays, or change it to 1 if you want to enable them. Click OK.
5. Restart File Explorer 📁 to apply the fix. Registry changes for the shell usually require a quick restart of your desktop interface to take effect. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager 📊, find Windows Explorer 📁 in the list of processes, right-click it, and choose Restart.

Method 3The Automated Way Using PowerShell

1. Open PowerShell as an administrator. (Requires administrator privileges). Click your Start button ⊞, type PowerShell, right-click the result, and select Run as administrator.
2. Run the command to hide the icons. If you want to turn the icon overlays off, copy and paste this command into the PowerShell window, then press Enter:

   ⬛PowerShell

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   Set-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced -Name ShowTypeOverlay -Value 0

3. Run the command to show the icons. If you ever change your mind and want the application badges back, run this command instead:

   ⬛PowerShell

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   Set-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced -Name ShowTypeOverlay -Value 1

4. Restart the 🔄 Windows shell. Because PowerShell edits the underlying settings directly, you need to restart your desktop interface for the change to appear on your screen. Run this command right after your registry tweak: Stop-Process -Name explorer -Force Tip: Your taskbar 🖥️ and desktop will flash away and reappear for a brief second. This is normal and means File Explorer 📁 successfully reloaded.

Summary

Managing the display file icon on thumbnails setting in Windows 11 is easy using File Explorer 📁, Registry Editor, or PowerShell depending on your comfort level. Whether you want a quick menu toggle or a fast command line fix, these three simple methods let you customise your file previews exactly how you want them.