Skip to main content
J
Jay Maechtlen
Inspiring
April 6, 2018
Question

Windows Explorer preview of .ai files

  • April 6, 2018
  • 7 replies
  • 27117 views

At least on this machine (Win 7 with CC) some Illustrator files will preview well in Explorer, and some don't.

I created a simple illustration in Illustrator and saved it in a number of names and formats. Explorer previews it just fine!

I have a lot of graphics that I pulled out of PDFs - open in Illustrator, save as .ai, strip the extra stuff and edit as needed.

Most of them will not preview correctly. The preview pane shows some old version of the PDF. It never seems to reflect changes in the file done in AI.

I even saved a modified file as PDF, opened and revised it in Acrobat Pro (ok, ver 8.3) and resaved it.

Then opened that revised PDF in AI and resaved it.

Still the ancient preview shows for the .ai in Explorer - though the PDF previews fine.

Any theories?

    7 replies

    T
    The Butler
    New Participant
    April 18, 2020

    This seems like too easier answer to a question that has taken years without a fix BUT....

     

    I just save my AI files as a .PDF and Windows Explorer happily gives a thumbnail preview (as long as the Adobe Reader app is set to display thumbnail previews (From PDF Reader, [Edit], General, [/]Enable PDFthumbnail preview.

    This works for me on XP, Win 7 and Win10.

    When saving from Illustrator I save as PDF and choose to [/]Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities.

    CorySouthpaw
    CorySouthpaw
    Participating Frequently
    January 22, 2019

    Seeing still unanswered, here's my 2¢.  I also wanted Ai files to preview in Explorer, but never cared for Bridge as it's just one more program to run and eat resources.  Came across PSD codec by ArdFry Imaging, and it's perfect!  Granted not free, but well worth $20 IMO and integrates perfectly with Windows 7.   Not just Ai files but INDD, PSD, Ai, EPS plus more I believe.  Check out snap below, you can clearly see they're all Ai files and they preview just fine. (thumbnail and preview pane) 

    Regarding Ai 'preview' issue, have you explored "Create PDF Compatible File" checkbox.  For files WITH preview issues you may want to verify that box is checked.  Hopefully some of this helps! 

    ryan_edwards
    ryan_edwards
    Inspiring
    January 22, 2019

    that is pretty cool *in a pinch* or something.  But the newest update to Bridge CC put this to shame, just more functionality/more control/filtering controls than an explorer view.

    But still a very cool thing to have enabled! I'm getting this now

    ryan_edwards
    ryan_edwards
    Inspiring
    November 16, 2018

    just use adobe bridge -- it is adobes window explorer and very good at previewing/zooming/adding meta data

    J
    Jay MaechtlenAuthor
    Inspiring
    April 9, 2018

    And something that I should have mentioned in the beginning - it matters, because the preview also fails when browsing for a file to place when using Ctrl-D.

    Not just browsing around in the file structure, when Bridge or something else can easily be used.

    Is there an effective alternative to place a file (especially when linking a graphic onto a page of text) that lets you browse previews?

    Willi Adelberger
    Willi Adelberger
    Community Expert
    April 7, 2018

    The only reliable PDF viewer is Acrobat. Use it and none other.

    jane-e
    jane-e
    Community Expert
    April 7, 2018

    Adobe Bridge is an awesome Previewer. Have you tried that?

    J
    Jay MaechtlenAuthor
    Inspiring
    April 9, 2018

    Yes, we know there are lots of previewers.

    That is not the point of the question.

    My specific question was, "why do some AI files preview in Win Explorer, and some don't?"

    And "why doesn't AI know how to save files (created from PDFs) that will preview consistently?"

    Bridge is ok, but seems clumsy when I'm looking for content across various directories.

    Omar.Fathy
    Omar.Fathy
    Community Expert
    April 6, 2018

    in Windows 10  you can use the preview pane to see the Ai files:

    or you can use applications like:

    SageThumbs

      J
      Jay MaechtlenAuthor
      Inspiring
      April 6, 2018

      doesn't matter -  we are talking Win 7 here, and the Explorer preview pane.

      Omar.Fathy
      Omar.Fathy
      Community Expert
      April 6, 2018

      so you can use apps like Sega Thumbs in win7

      John Mensinger
      John Mensinger
      Community Expert
      April 6, 2018

      I dunno. I've never used Explorer's preview window much (running CC in WIN7 here too), so I initially theorized it probably has something to do with whether an AI is saved with PDF Compatibility enabled. (Your description sort of hints at it.) But after trying several things, I can't reproduce your problem; I get correct previews of AI files no matter how I save them.

      If I happen upon anything that might help, I'll post back here.

      J
      Jay MaechtlenAuthor
      Inspiring
      April 6, 2018

      if you open a pdf in Illustrator, then save it as .ai, you are more likely to see the issue.

      (one of the docs I just tested was built in ID CS5, so it's not just from non-Adobe software)

      If I copy the contents of one of the bad docs into a new file and save it, it works/previews fine.

      So something in the format of a .ai file that was created from a pdf may keep it from previewing correctly.

      John Mensinger
      John Mensinger
      Community Expert
      April 9, 2018

      https://forums.adobe.com/people/Jay+Maechtlen  wrote

      . . . something in the format of a .ai file that was created from a pdf may keep it from previewing correctly.

      Not sure "format of an .ai file" is an accurate characterization, but I'd agree it is likely something inherent in the file's original construct; something that survives the re-save in Illustrator.

        Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
        Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices