The dreaded “HEIC thumbnails not showing Windows” problem is one of those small annoyances that slowly drives you mad. You copy a batch of iPhone photos to your PC, open the folder, and instead of little previews you get a grid of identical blank icons. You cannot tell which photo is which without opening every single one. Here is the reassuring part: your photos are not broken. Windows is simply missing the two little pieces it needs to draw those previews, and installing them takes about five minutes.
First, the good news: your files are fine
When File Explorer shows a generic icon instead of a thumbnail, it does not mean the photo is corrupted. It means Windows can see the file but does not know how to decode the picture inside it well enough to draw a preview. Thumbnails are generated by Windows itself, not by the app you use to open photos, so even if a HEIC file opens perfectly in some viewer, Explorer can still show a blank icon.
If you are ever unsure, read our guide on whether your HEIC file is actually corrupted. But in the vast majority of cases, blank thumbnails mean one thing: missing codecs.
Step 1: Install both Microsoft Store extensions
This is where most people go wrong, so pay attention: Microsoft splits HEIC support into two separate extensions, and you need both. Installing just one is the number one reason thumbnails stay blank.
1. HEIF Image Extensions (free). This tells Windows that a .heic file is an image at all, and it provides the container support that File Explorer, Photos, and Paint use.
2. HEVC Video Extensions (usually about $0.99). This is the piece that actually decodes the compressed image data inside the file. Yes, it says “video” in the name, and yes, you need it for photos anyway. Some PCs include a free manufacturer version, so check before paying.
To install them, open the Microsoft Store, search for each name exactly, and hit install. After both are in, sign out of Windows and sign back in (or restart your PC). Do not skip this: without it the codecs often stay half-registered and thumbnails stay blank.
Step 2: Make sure thumbnails are actually enabled
Sometimes the codecs are fine and Windows is just told not to show previews. Check this:
Step 1. In File Explorer, click the View menu (or the three dots in Windows 11), then Options, then Change folder and search options.
Step 2. Go to the View tab.
Step 3. Make sure “Always show icons, never thumbnails” is unchecked. If it is checked, Windows will show generic icons for every file type, HEIC included.
While you are at it, switch the folder to Large icons or Extra large icons view. Thumbnail previews only appear in the icon views, not in List or Details view.
Step 3: Clear the thumbnail cache if previews are still stuck
Windows keeps a cache of thumbnails, and occasionally it gets wedged showing old blank icons even after the real fix is in place. Clearing it forces Windows to regenerate every preview from scratch:
Step 1. Open Disk Cleanup (search for it in the Start menu).
Step 2. Select your system drive, usually C:.
Step 3. In the list, check only Thumbnails and click OK.
Reopen your photo folder and give it a moment. The previews should now generate one by one.
The permanent fix: convert once, browse happily forever
Codecs fix your PC, but the HEIC problem follows the files wherever they go. Send those photos to a friend, upload them to a website, or open them on an older machine, and the blank-icon dance starts all over again.
The lasting fix is to convert the batch to JPG with a free HEIC to JPG converter. JPG thumbnails work on every version of Windows ever made, no Store extensions, no $0.99 codec, no cache clearing. If you deal with iPhone photos regularly, converting on arrival is a habit that pays for itself the first week.
This is especially true on older systems. If you are still on one, see our guide to open HEIC on Windows 7, where the codec situation is even trickier and converting is frankly the sane option.
Frequently asked questions
Why do my HEIC files open but show no thumbnails?
Opening and thumbnailing use different parts of Windows. A viewer app can sometimes decode the file on its own, but File Explorer thumbnails need the system-level HEIF and HEVC extensions properly installed and registered.
I installed the HEIF Image Extensions but thumbnails are still blank. Why?
You almost certainly need the second piece: the HEVC Video Extensions. The free HEIF extension handles the container, but the actual image decoding needs HEVC. Install both, then sign out and back in.
Do I really have to pay $0.99 for the HEVC extension?
On most PCs, yes, that is Microsoft’s price for it. Some computers from major manufacturers include a free “HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer” version, so search the Store for that exact name first before paying.
Will clearing the thumbnail cache delete my photos?
No. It only deletes the tiny preview images Windows generated. Your actual photos are untouched, and Windows rebuilds the previews automatically the next time you open the folder.
Do I need to do this on every Windows PC I use?
Yes, the extensions install per machine. That is exactly why converting to JPG is the better long-term answer: a JPG shows thumbnails everywhere with zero setup.
HEIC thumbnails not showing in Windows looks like a broken-photo problem, but it is really just a missing-decoder problem. Install both Store extensions, check your folder options, clear the thumbnail cache if needed, and those blank icons turn back into your actual photos. And when you are tired of repeating this on every PC you own, convert the batch to JPG and never think about it again.
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