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I have two nearly identical Windows 11 machines, with virtually the same hardware (HP Pro Tower 290 G9 Desktop) with virtually the same applications installed. In each case, Acrobat Reader is the default app for .pdf files, and Icons are supposed to be displayed on files in Explorer, while content Thumbnails are displayed on folders
On one machine (Topaz), everything works as it should, but on the other (Fifi), the icon on .pdf files is the same as the Icon displayed on image files, such as .jpg .png etc. I have tried all the suggestions I have found on the Web (re-assign “Open with”, rebuild icon cache, re-install Acrobat etc.
In explorer, I can check the box to “Always show Icons, never Thumbnails” and the Acrobat icon appears on .pdf files, as expected, but the content thumbnails on folders disappear – not what I want.
Also, I noticed that if I open a folder containing .pdf files on Topaz, the acrobat Icons show immediately, but on Fifi, I see the acrobat icon flash on briefly, to be replaced by the ,jpg icon.
Thus, it seems like there is a conflict in the explorer icon display for .pdf files – one instruction sets the .pdf display to “icon”, and a subsequent instruction immediately changes it to “thumbnail”.
I am attaching two screen captures showing the same folder as it is displayed on Topaz and on Fifi. Both contain sub folders, a .jpg file along with the same .pdf file.
Note that on Topaz, the folders show content, while the .pdf file shows the Acrobat icon, and the .jpg file shows a thumbnail of the image. This is what I expect. On Fifi, the folders show content, but the .pdf file shows a "thumbnail" of the ,pdf content, in the same manner as it does for the .jpg file.
Finally, I show the display on Fifi with the "Always show icons, never thumbnails" set in Explorer.
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This is a Windows problem and has nothing to do with Acrobat itself. Try to reassign the default app for the specified formats.
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Thank you. I tried assigning PdfFusion as the app for .pdf files, the same thing happens: the .pdf file does not appear with a PdfFusion icon, only with the same thumbnail as before. If I double click the .pdf file it does open in PdfFusion, however. But since this all works correctly on the other system (Topaz) I am beginning think you are correct. I have been dreading reinstalling Win 11 on Fifi!
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In one of the Windows Explorer windows, go to View - Options - View and tick off the box next to "Always show icons, never Thumbnails".
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That fixes the problem with the icon showing on the .pdf file, but it removes the thumbnails on the folders, which I find useful.
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