File Explorer PDF Preview stopped working after Windows 11 23H2 upgrade.

Question

Have checked the proper view thumbnails settings in acrobar DC and/or Acrobat Reader as well as the preview settings in the windows folders. I have removed and performed clean installs on the adobe acrobat products.

File explorer thumbnail preview works correctly for .XLSX, .DOCS, and .JPG files.

When highlighting a .PDF in file explorer, the preview pane displays:

"This file cannot be previewed because of an error in the PDF Preview Handler."

I've followed a few links regarding the PDF Preview Handler, but haven't stumbled upon anything that has helped.

Anyone have knowledge regarding repair of the Preview Handlers?

gina_5181 · Answer

Hello!You're facing a "This file cannot be previewed because of an error in the PDF Preview Handler" message in Windows File Explorer for PDFs, despite clean Adobe installs and other file types previewing fine. This often points to a corrupted or incorrect registry entry for the Adobe PDF Preview Handler, or a conflict with Adobe's "Protected Mode." The key steps to resolve this, beyond basic reinstallation, involve checking and correcting specific registry values (AppID under {DC6EFB56-9CFA-464D-8880- UPSers 44885D7DC193}) and temporarily disabling Protected Mode within Adobe Acrobat/Reader preferences. If those don't work, ensure Adobe is the default PDF handler, clear temporary files, and consider running Windows System File Checker (SFC).

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