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Participant
December 22, 2023
Answered

Desktop PDF icon thumbnails/preview turn black on Win 11 Pro with Acrobat Pro 64-bit

  • December 22, 2023
  • 3 replies
  • 6663 views

Tried clearing the thumbnail cache, turning "thumbnails instead of icons" off/on (both in Acrobat Preferences and Windows Explorer folder options), and reinstalling the Acrobat. Didn't work.

 

The only case they show is when I change my desktop icon size to Large. The issue here is they have a white background around the PDF preview (which I don't think was the case before), and - I want my icons to be back to Medium size.

There is no issue with the preview on icons or any size in folders, only on Desktop.

 

Any help or fix that doesn't include hillbilly patches, third-party debuggers, or add-ons?

Correct answer Edward348902426vjt

The fix is detailed on page 2 by user littleh80198665

https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/pdf-icons-on-desktop-turn-into-black-squares/td-p/9269976/page/2

 

  1. Delete the thumbnail cache using disk cleanup
  2. Right click on desktop and select refresh

 

Thanks littleh80198665!

3 replies

Participant
October 8, 2025

i have the real fix and the real cause of the problem.

i'm amazed no one else has figured this out.

you need to set the scale for all of your monitors (includig your laptop screen) to the same scale.

that's it.

it's just that simple.

Edward348902426vjtCorrect answer
Participating Frequently
January 18, 2024

The fix is detailed on page 2 by user littleh80198665

https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/pdf-icons-on-desktop-turn-into-black-squares/td-p/9269976/page/2

 

  1. Delete the thumbnail cache using disk cleanup
  2. Right click on desktop and select refresh

 

Thanks littleh80198665!

Participating Frequently
January 18, 2024

Unfortunately I spoke too soon - it looks like the fix is not long lasting - the icons have flipped back to a black background

Abambo
Community Expert
Community Expert
January 19, 2024

What happens when you repeat your solution?

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer
Abambo
Community Expert
Community Expert
December 24, 2023

Please show screenshots of what you see. It's much clearer with an image.

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer
Participating Frequently
January 18, 2024

I get this issue as well - this is what the icon looks like when sized in medium