3D Thumbnail Display on Windows Explorer

3D Design
1

Hello

I have two versions of SW installed on my computer, the thumbnails display well with the 2019 version, and not with the 2021 version.

I did everything that appears underneath, and nothing to do. Now, I'm drying...

Solution 1: SOLIDWORKS Thumbnails in General Options

The first thing to check is an option in SOLIDWORKS itself, by going to theTools > Options menu > System Options > General > "Show Graphics Samples in Windows Explorer". 

Make sure this option is enabled. Files must also be opened and saved in SOLIDWORKS to generate the thumbnail screenshot.

Solution No. 2: Windows Folder Options

The next thing to check is your Windows folder options. There are two options required: one must be enabled, the other must not.

  1. - Windows Control Panel> Folder Options
  2. - Select the " View " tab at the top of the window
  3. - Check "Show preview manager in preview pane"
    - Uncheck "Always show icons, never thumbnails"

Solution No. 3: Windows Performance Options

Thumbnails can also be disabled if you've customized your Windows performance levels.

  1. - Windows Control Panel> Performance Information and Tools
  2. - Select "Adjust Visual Effects" from the margin on the left side of the window
  3. - " Visual Effects" tab
  4. - Check "Show thumbnails instead of icons"
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2

Hello;

When installing SOLIDWORKS, many . DLLs are installed and require registration to function properly. If you installed without full Windows Administration LOCAL permissions, this may prevent DLLs from being registered correctly. Manually registering the following DLLs can correct the problem.

  • swdocumentmgr.dll (C:\Program Files\Common Files\SOLIDWORKS Shared)
    sldwinshellextu.dll (C:\Program Files\Common Files\SOLIDWORKS Shared)
    sldthumbnailprovider.dll (C:\Program Files\SOLIDWORKS Corp\SOLIDWORKS)

Log in to Windows as a full local administrator account Navigate Windows Explorer to check the location of the . DLL above Launch the Command Prompt as Administrator (Start > All Programs > Accessories > right-click 'Command Prompt' and 'Run as Administrator')

Type the following text (including quotation marks) and press Enter after each (*note that these are the default installation location folders and may need to be changed)

  • regsvr32 "C:\Program Files\Common Files\SOLIDWORKS Shared\swdocumentmgr.dll"
    regsvr32 "C:\Program Files\Common Files\SOLIDWORKS Shared\sldwinshellextu.dll"
    regsvr32 "C:\Program Files\SOLIDWORKS Corp\SOLIDWORKS\sldthumbnailprovider.dll"

Kind regards.

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