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Sergio243401196rw6
Participating Frequently
August 6, 2026
Question

Preview panel is not working with PDF files

  • August 6, 2026
  • 19 replies
  • 146 views

I have activated Preview panel in Windows explorer but i cannot see PDF previews.

I am using Adobe Acrobat DC.

I have tried all the options i have foundin internet but it doesn´t work, files are not downloaded from internet and don´t have in properties any option to unblock previews.

I have activated the option in preferences in Adobe to see the preview.

The only option i have not tried is to stop using Adobe Acrobat to work.

Does anybody know how to solve this problem so that previews are back to windows explorer?

Thanks a lot.

    19 replies

    Adobe Employee
    Utkarsh35493727za1t
    Adobe Employee
    August 26, 2026

    Hi ​@Sergio243401196rw6,

    Could you please try the steps below?

    How to Unblock File Preview in Microsoft Windows

    For a single file:

    1. Right-click the file and select Properties.
    2. Under the General tab, look for the message:
      “This file came from another computer and might be blocked.”
    3. Select Unblock, then click Apply and OK.

    To unblock multiple files using PowerShell:

    1. Open PowerShell (Admin).
    2. Run the following command (replace the folder path with your actual folder location):

    Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\Path\To\Folder" -File -Recurse | Unblock-File

    This will unblock all files in the specified folder and its subfolders.

    Please let us know if the issue still occurs after trying these steps. Thanks!

    Sergio243401196rw6Author
    Participating Frequently
    August 26, 2026

    Hi ​@Utkarsh35493727za1t thanks a lot for your reply, but as i said in the question, i have already tried all the solutions found in internet and they don´t work. This happens with the ones you propose in your reply.

    Thanks a lot and best regards.

    Sergio243401196rw6Author
    Participating Frequently
    August 7, 2026

    Hi Anand,

     

    thanks a lot for the information but unfortunately Troubleshooting option does not exist in Adobe Acrobat menus.

    Regards.

    Meenakshi0101
    Community Manager
    Meenakshi0101Community Manager
    Community Manager
    August 7, 2026

    Hi Sergio243401196rw6,



    If you are unable to find the options to enable the troubleshooting features mentioned in the first two points of the help document, please skip those steps and start the diagnostic tool instead. Follow the remaining steps outlined in the document and share the log ID generated at the end.

    If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.


    Thanks,

    Meenakshi

    Sergio243401196rw6Author
    Participating Frequently
    August 7, 2026

    Hi Meenakshi,

     

    thanks a lot, but as i said these options cannot be found in Adobe.

     

    Regards.

    Sergio243401196rw6Author
    Participating Frequently
    August 6, 2026

    Hi Meenakshi,

    thanks a lot for your replay but all these suggestions, as i said in the question, have already been tested and don´t work. I need a solution for the issue.

    Best regards.

    Anand Sri Bhattacharya
    Community Manager
    Anand Sri BhattacharyaCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    August 6, 2026

    Hello @Sergio243401196rw6


    I hope you are doing well, and thanks for sharing all the details, and also for trying all the steps. We're sorry for the trouble you had.


    Could you please create a test user profile with full admin rights and test the workflow with the PDFs? If the issue still continues, please collect the logs and share them with us for investigation. To collect the logs while reproducing the issue, please refer to this article: https://adobe.ly/45IGb7w


    Regards,

    Anand Sri.

    Sergio243401196rw6Author
    Participating Frequently
    August 6, 2026

    Hi Anand,

     

    thanks a lot for the reply but I am not sure to understand the process to collect logs.

     

    Step 6: 

    1. Launch Acrobat and perform the steps that led to the issue, then select Stop diagnostics.

    I am not following any step in Acrobat I just select a file un windows explorer and preview doesn’t work. I am not sure these steps can be followed for this.

     

    best regards.

     

     

    Meenakshi0101
    Community Manager
    Meenakshi0101Community Manager
    Community Manager
    August 6, 2026

    Hi Sergio243401196rw6,


    Thank you for reaching our, and sorry to hear that you are experiencing an issue.


    As per your description above, it appears the issue is either related to Acrobat's integration with Windows Explorer or to Windows Preview handler settings. Please try the following troubleshooting  steps:

    1. Verify Acrobat Preview Settings

    • Open Adobe Acrobat DC. 

    • Go to Menu > Preferences > General.

    • Ensure that " Enable PDF thumbnail previews in Windows Explorer is checked.

    • Click OK and restart Windows Explorer or reboot the computer.

    1. Ensure that Acrobat is set as the default PDF Application

    • Right-click a PDF file and select Open with > Choose another app.

    • Select Adobe Acrobat and check Always use this app.

    1. Check Windows Explorer Preview Settings

    • Open File Explorer and select View > Preview Pane (or press Alt + P).

    • Go to Folder Options > View and make sure:

    1. Show preview handlers in the preview pane is enabled.

    2. Always show icons, never thumbnails is unchecked

    1. Try testing with a new test PDF

    • Create a new test PDF and save locally.

    • Now, check if you can view that file in preview

    If you still experience the issue, consider reinstalling Acrobat by following these steps:

    • Uninstall the application and run the cleaner tool from the following link: Acrobat Cleaner tool.

    • Reboot the machine. 

    • Install Adobe Acrobat from the following page: Install Acrobat.


    Please let us know how it goes.


    Thanks,

    Meenakshi

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