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Taskbar Thumbnails Not Showing? Here’s the Fix
Fix It Yourself · Troubleshooting

Taskbar Thumbnails Not Showing? Here’s the Fix

Updated 22 May 202610 min readEasy
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TL;DR

Taskbar thumbnails not showing is usually caused by disabled Aero Peek settings or dodgy registry values. Enable Peek in Taskbar settings, check Performance Options for visual effects, and verify the Desktop Window Manager service is running. Most cases fixed in under 10 minutes without any reinstalls.

Difficulty
Easy
Time
5-15 mins
Success rate
85% of users
Tools
None (built-in Windows tools only)

Look, I've seen this one about a hundred times. You're hovering over a taskbar icon expecting to see a nice preview of your open windows, and... nothing. Just the app name, or worse, absolutely nothing happens. Before you start Googling "Windows 10 reinstall" (please don't), let me save you a few hours. This is almost always a settings thing, and I can walk you through it.

⏱️ 11 min read
✅ 85% success rate
📅 Updated March 2026

Key Takeaways

  • Taskbar thumbnails not showing is typically fixed by enabling Aero Peek in Taskbar settings and Performance Options
  • Registry values like DisablePreviewWindow can block previews even when settings appear correct
  • The Desktop Window Manager Session Manager service must be running for thumbnails to work
  • Graphics driver issues can prevent thumbnail rendering, but this is less common than settings problems
  • Remote Desktop sessions disable thumbnails by design, so they'll return when you're back on the actual machine

What Causes Taskbar Thumbnails Not Showing?

Right, so here's the thing. Windows 10 uses a feature called Aero Peek to generate those taskbar thumbnails. When you hover over an icon, the Desktop Window Manager (DWM) quickly renders a preview of the actual window content. Sounds simple, but there are quite a few moving parts that can break.

The most common culprit? Someone (maybe you, maybe a Windows update, maybe that dodgy "PC optimiser" you installed last month) has turned off Aero Peek. It's a single toggle in the settings, but Windows hides it in two different places, which is proper annoying. I've also seen registry values get corrupted after updates, particularly the ExtendedUIHoverTime and DisablePreviewWindow entries. These tell Windows whether to show previews and how long to wait before displaying them.

Another frequent cause is the Desktop Window Manager Session Manager service deciding to stop running. This service (called UxSms in the services list) is responsible for actually rendering the previews. No service, no thumbnails. And occasionally, graphics driver problems prevent the DWM from doing its job properly, though that's less common than the settings issues.

If you've recently used Remote Desktop to connect to your PC, you might notice taskbar thumbnails not showing during the session. That's completely normal. Microsoft disables them over RDP to save bandwidth. They'll come back when you're physically at the computer again. More details in Microsoft's RDP documentation.

Taskbar Thumbnails Not Showing Quick Fix

Let's start with the most likely fix. This works for about 85% of the cases I see, and it takes all of five minutes.

1

Enable Aero Peek and Performance Settings Easy

Time needed: 5 minutes | Success rate: 85%

  1. Open Taskbar settings
    Right-click on any empty bit of the taskbar (not on an icon, just the blank space). Select "Taskbar settings" from the menu that pops up. The Settings window should open to the Taskbar page.
  2. Turn on Peek preview
    Scroll down until you see "Use Peek to preview the desktop when you move your mouse to the Show desktop button at the end of the taskbar". Make sure that toggle is switched to ON. It's blue when it's on, grey when it's off.
  3. Open Performance Options
    Now press the Windows key and R together to open the Run dialogue. Type sysdm.cpl and hit Enter. When System Properties opens, click the "Advanced" tab at the top, then click the "Settings" button under the Performance section.
  4. Enable visual effects for thumbnails
    You'll see a list of visual effects. Make sure these three are ticked: "Enable Peek", "Show thumbnails instead of icons", and "Save taskbar thumbnail previews". If you've got "Adjust for best performance" selected, it'll have unticked everything. Switch to "Custom" instead and manually tick those three options.
  5. Apply and restart Explorer
    Click "Apply", then "OK" to close Performance Options. Now press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager. Find "Windows Explorer" in the list (it's usually near the bottom), right-click it, and select "Restart". Your screen will flicker for a second as Explorer restarts.
  6. Test it out
    Open a few windows of any application (I usually use File Explorer or Chrome). Hover your mouse over the taskbar icon. You should now see thumbnail previews of each window.
If you can see the taskbar thumbnails now, you're sorted. This was just a settings issue, nothing more serious.
When you restart Windows Explorer, any open File Explorer windows will close temporarily, and your desktop will refresh. You won't lose any work in other applications, but you might need to reopen File Explorer windows.

More Taskbar Thumbnails Not Showing Solutions

Still nothing? Right, let's dig a bit deeper. The next most common issue is registry values that have gone wonky.

2

Fix Registry Values and Check DWM Service Intermediate

Time needed: 15 minutes | Success rate: 75%

  1. Back up your registry first
    Press Windows key + R, type regedit, and hit Enter. Click "Yes" if User Account Control asks for permission. In Registry Editor, right-click on "HKEY_CURRENT_USER" at the top of the left sidebar, select "Export", choose somewhere safe like your Documents folder, and save it as "registry_backup.reg". If anything goes wrong, you can double-click this file to restore everything.
  2. Navigate to Explorer settings
    In the left sidebar of Registry Editor, expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER, then Software, then Microsoft, then Windows, then CurrentVersion, then Explorer, and finally click on Advanced. The right pane will show a bunch of values.
  3. Check ExtendedUIHoverTime
    Look through the list for a value called "ExtendedUIHoverTime". If you see it and the Data column shows a really high number (anything above 10000), that's your problem. Right-click it and select "Delete". If it doesn't exist at all, that's fine, just move on.
  4. Check DisablePreviewWindow
    Now look for "DisablePreviewWindow". If it exists and shows "1" in the Data column, double-click it. Change the value to 0 and click OK. If it doesn't exist or already shows 0, you're good.
  5. Open Services
    Press Windows key + R again, type services.msc, and press Enter. Scroll down the list until you find "Desktop Window Manager Session Manager". The service name is actually "UxSms" if you look at the Name column.
  6. Verify the service is running
    Look at the Status column for Desktop Window Manager Session Manager. It should say "Running". If it says "Stopped" or nothing at all, right-click the service and select "Start". Then right-click it again, choose "Properties", set Startup type to "Automatic", and click OK.
  7. Restart Explorer
    Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), find "Windows Explorer", right-click it, and select "Restart".
  8. Test the previews
    Open multiple windows and hover over the taskbar icons. The taskbar thumbnails should now appear properly.
Registry changes take effect immediately after restarting Explorer. If you see previews now, the problem was either the ExtendedUIHoverTime delay or the DisablePreviewWindow value blocking them.
Be careful in the Registry Editor. Only modify the specific values mentioned here. Changing or deleting random registry entries can cause serious system problems. If you're not comfortable doing this, skip to the advanced solution or get remote support.

Advanced Taskbar Thumbnails Not Showing Fixes

If you're still seeing no taskbar thumbnails after trying the above, we're looking at either graphics driver problems or system file corruption. This is less common but does happen, particularly after major Windows updates.

3

Update Graphics Drivers and Run System Repairs Advanced

Time needed: 45 minutes | Success rate: 70%

  1. Identify your graphics card
    Press Windows key + R, type dxdiag, and press Enter. Click "Yes" if it asks about checking driver signatures. Go to the "Display" tab and write down the name and manufacturer shown under "Device". You'll need this info to download the right driver.
  2. Download the latest driver
    Go to your GPU manufacturer's website. For NVIDIA cards, visit nvidia.com/drivers. For AMD, it's amd.com/support. For Intel integrated graphics, use intel.com/download-center. Download the latest driver for your specific card model and Windows 10.
  3. Uninstall the current driver
    Press Windows key + X and select "Device Manager". Expand "Display adapters", right-click your graphics card, and choose "Uninstall device". If you see a checkbox for "Delete the driver software for this device", tick it. Click "Uninstall" and wait for it to finish.
  4. Install the new driver
    Run the driver installer you downloaded. Most will give you options like "Express" or "Custom". Choose "Custom" if available, and look for a "Clean install" option. This removes any leftover bits from the old driver. Follow the prompts and restart when it asks.
  5. Clear the thumbnail cache
    After restarting, press Windows key + R, type cleanmgr, and press Enter. Select your C: drive and click OK. In the list of files to delete, tick "Thumbnails". Click OK, then "Delete Files" to confirm. This removes any corrupted thumbnail cache files.
  6. Run System File Checker
    Press Windows key + X and select "Windows PowerShell (Admin)" or "Command Prompt (Admin)". Type sfc /scannow and press Enter. This scan takes about 20 minutes. Don't close the window or restart your PC while it's running. It'll check all Windows system files and repair any corrupted ones.
  7. Check for Windows updates
    Open Settings (Windows key + I), go to "Update & Security", click "Windows Update", then "Check for updates". Install everything it finds and restart if prompted.
  8. Test taskbar previews
    Once everything's updated and restarted, open several windows and hover over the taskbar icons. Your taskbar thumbnails should finally be working.
If taskbar thumbnails are showing now, the problem was either an outdated graphics driver preventing DWM from rendering previews, or corrupted system files affecting the thumbnail functionality.
The System File Checker scan takes 20-30 minutes and must run without interruption. Don't restart or shut down your PC during the scan. If you're on a laptop, plug it in first. Graphics driver updates can cause temporary screen flickering or brief black screens, which is normal.
🛠️

Still Stuck? Let Us Fix It Remotely

If your taskbar thumbnails still won't show after trying all these fixes, there might be a deeper conflict with third-party software or system corruption that needs proper diagnosis. I've seen cases where security software or system customisation tools interfere with the Desktop Window Manager in ways that aren't obvious from settings alone.

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Preventing Taskbar Thumbnails Not Showing

Once you've got your taskbar thumbnails working again, here's how to keep them that way.

Keep Windows updated. I know, everyone says this, but Windows updates often include fixes for DWM and taskbar issues. Check for updates monthly at minimum. And don't just install the important ones. Those optional updates sometimes contain driver improvements that prevent thumbnail problems.

Be careful with "PC optimiser" software. I've lost count of how many times I've seen these programs disable Aero Peek or mess with registry values in the name of "performance". If you're using something like CCleaner or similar tools, check what they're actually changing before you let them run. Most modern PCs don't need aggressive optimisation anyway.

Update your graphics drivers every few months. Don't wait for Windows Update to do it, because it often installs generic drivers that are months out of date. Go directly to NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel's website and grab the latest version for your card. Set a reminder on your phone if you need to.

If you use Remote Desktop regularly, remember that taskbar thumbnails are disabled during RDP sessions by design. That's not a problem to fix, it's just how RDP works. Don't panic and start changing settings when you're connected remotely, because the thumbnails will come back automatically when you're physically at the machine.

Create system restore points before making major changes. Before you install big updates or new software, create a restore point. If something breaks taskbar thumbnails (or anything else), you can roll back without having to manually fix everything. It takes 30 seconds and has saved me countless hours.

Taskbar Thumbnails Not Showing Summary

So there you have it. Taskbar thumbnails not showing is almost always a settings or registry issue, not a reason to reinstall Windows. Start with enabling Aero Peek in both Taskbar settings and Performance Options. That fixes the majority of cases straightaway.

If that doesn't work, check the registry for ExtendedUIHoverTime or DisablePreviewWindow values that might be blocking previews, and verify the Desktop Window Manager Session Manager service is running. These registry problems usually happen after Windows updates or when system optimisation software gets a bit too enthusiastic.

Only if those solutions fail should you move on to updating graphics drivers and running system repairs. Graphics driver issues can prevent the DWM from rendering thumbnails properly, but this is less common than simple settings problems. The System File Checker can repair corrupted Windows files that might be affecting taskbar functionality.

And look, if you've tried everything here and your taskbar thumbnails still aren't showing, it might be time to get someone to look at it remotely. Sometimes there are weird conflicts with third-party software or deeper system issues that need a proper hands-on diagnosis. But for most people, one of these three solutions will get those previews working again in under 15 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Taskbar thumbnails not showing is usually caused by disabled Aero Peek settings, corrupted registry values like DisablePreviewWindow or ExtendedUIHoverTime, or the Desktop Window Manager Session Manager service not running. Less commonly, outdated graphics drivers or system file corruption can prevent thumbnail previews from appearing.

Right-click the taskbar and select Taskbar settings, then enable 'Use Peek to preview the desktop'. Next, press Windows key + R, type sysdm.cpl, go to Advanced > Performance Settings, and tick 'Enable Peek', 'Show thumbnails instead of icons', and 'Save taskbar thumbnail previews'. Restart Windows Explorer to apply changes.

Yes, absolutely. Taskbar thumbnails not showing is almost never a reason to reinstall Windows. The issue is typically fixed by enabling Aero Peek in settings, correcting registry values, or ensuring the Desktop Window Manager service is running. Only severe system corruption would require a Windows reinstall, which is extremely rare for this problem.

Microsoft disables taskbar thumbnails during Remote Desktop sessions by design to conserve bandwidth and improve performance. This is normal behaviour, not a problem. Taskbar thumbnails will automatically work again when you're physically at the computer rather than connected via RDP.

The Desktop Window Manager (DWM) is the Windows service responsible for rendering visual effects including taskbar thumbnail previews. It uses your graphics card to generate preview images of open windows. If the Desktop Window Manager Session Manager service stops running or graphics drivers are outdated, taskbar thumbnails won't display properly.

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