In Windows 11, the taskbar thumbnail feature gives you a small preview window when you hover over the taskbar icon for a running program. This allows you to see the current status of the program without maximizing the application. However, some users have complained that thumbnail previews quickly disappear from the taskbar on Windows 11.
You may encounter this issue if your computer's resources are low, you have a corrupted profile, or your system files are damaged. However, we'll show you how to fix all of these issues in this guide.
1. Rebuild the thumbnail cache
The thumbnail cache consists of all the images Windows uses to display folder and file previews. When the cache becomes corrupted or broken, it can cause the taskbar thumbnail preview to quickly disappear. Rebuilding the thumbnail cache will clear it and resolve the issue.
Step 1: Click Windows Magnifier On the taskbar, type Clean, Then select Apply. Disk Cleanup.
Step 2: Select your drive and press OK.
Step 3: within the section Files to be deletedUncheck every option except Thumbnail, and then click "OK".
2. Run a System File Checker scan.
Corrupted system files cause abnormal behavior on your computer and may be the reason why the taskbar thumbnail preview disappears quickly. Windows 11 has a built-in utility that scans for corrupted, bad, or missing system files and replaces or repairs them. Here's how to run a file scan using the System File Checker utility.
Step 1: Press the keyboard shortcut Windows + R To open the dialog box "employment".
Step 2: Type cmd And press Control + Shift + Enter Keyboard shortcut to open Command Prompt with administrator privileges.
Step 3: Enter the script below and press Enter:
sfc / scannow
Step 4: Restart your computer. Check if Thumbnail Previews The taskbar still disappears quickly.
3. Reinstall the SHELLEXPERIENCEHOST application package.
On a Windows 11 computer, the Shellexperiencehost application package controls the taskbar and Start menu, among other user interface elements. Therefore, when the application package is missing or corrupted, you will notice some irregularities between the elements it controls. Sometimes this manifests as irregular display times for the thumbnail preview function. Your best bet would be to reinstall it.
Step 1: Click icon Windows Search (Magnifying Glass) On the taskbar, type powershell, Then click Option "Run as administrator" In PowerShell.
Step 2: Type the script below and press Enter To reinstall an application package Shellexperiencehost.
Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost | foreach {Add-AppxPackage -register "$($_.InstallLocation)\appxmanifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode}
4. Update scroll delay time
Chances are the delay time is too short; therefore, it will continue to disappear quickly. Windows comes with a Registry Editor that can be used to configure some vital computer settings and behavior. Use the steps below to increase the scroll delay time for the taskbar thumbnail preview, but first,Create a backup of your registry In case you need to roll back your configuration.
Step 1: Press the keyboard shortcut Windows + R To open the dialog box "employment".
Step 2: Type regedit Then press Enter To open Registry Editor.
Step 3: Go to the path below:
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
Step 4: Double-click a value. ThumbnailLivePreviewHoverTime In the left pane, then increase the value data entry, and change Base To Decimal, Then click OKAY. Entries are in milliseconds, so you can try 1000 or 1200. If not, ThumbnailLivePreviewHoverTime If present, continue to step 5.
Step 5: Right-click any empty space in the left pane, select New, and then DWORD (32-bit) value. Name the new value. ThumbnailLivePreviewHoverTime, Give it a value of 1000 or 1200, as shown in step 4.
5. Create a new user profile
Creating a new user profile creates fresh copies of your taskbar settings, including a new thumbnail cache. This means that if the old cache or specific related settings become corrupted, they will be replaced, which will resolve the thumbnail preview issue. Here's how to create a new user profile.
Step 1: Press the keyboard shortcut Windows + I To open an application Settings.
Step 2: Click "the accounts" In the left sidebar, then Other users in the left pane.
Step 3: Click the button Add an account.
Step 4: Click “I don't have this person's login information.”
Step 5: Click an option Add a user without a Microsoft account.
Step 6: Enter your details and click "the following".
Step 7: Expand the newly created user and click Next.Q “Change account type”.
Step 8: Select Administrator from the Account Type drop-down list, and then click OK.
Step 9: Sign out and sign in to the newly created account and check if the issue of thumbnail previews disappearing quickly is resolved.
Enjoy the full Windows 11 user interface experience again
Sometimes, this issue means you can't select or view previews, which impairs the user experience. However, if you follow the solutions in this guide, the problem of thumbnail previews disappearing from the taskbar on Windows 11 will quickly go away. That's what we're sharing in this guide.
