Win11 Solved! Explorer preview not updating

This time, we will introduce a solution for when the Explorer preview screen does not update in Windows 11.

Many users have Explorer preview enabled, but in some environments, the information about the first music or video file selected remains on the preview screen, and the information is not updated even if a different music or video file is selected.

If you close and reopen Explorer, the preview of the first selected file will be displayed, but the preview of other files will not be updated.

Reasons why File Explorer preview won't update and how to fix it

The reason why the Explorer preview does not update is because the default app is set to "Windows Media Player Legacy."

If you set the default app to "Windows Media Player Legacy," the preview will not update if you leave the default settings.

In this case, you can solve the problem by changing the default settings in Folder Options.

1. Press Windows Key + R to open Run, type the following command and press Enter:

rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Options_RunDLL 0

2. Folder Options will open, so open the "View" tab.

3. The box next to "Show preview handlers in preview window" is checked, so uncheck it and click OK.

The setup is now complete, so try selecting a music or video file and checking it.

Points to note

If you uncheck "Show preview handlers in preview window" in Folder Options, you will not be able to preview the contents of text files and other files.

By default, this option is checked and the contents of the text file will be previewed.

Registry Location

If you operate the registry incorrectly, it may cause problems such as the system being unable to start. Please make a backup in advance using system restore or similar, and proceed at your own risk.

• How to create and restore a system restore point
• How to open and back up the Registry Editor
• Windows 11/10 Registry Basics: Concept, How to Open, and Internal Structure
• How to Take Ownership and Change Permissions in Windows 11 Registry
  

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The registry location is a REG_DWORD value called "ShowPreviewHandlers" in the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

"1" is enabled and "0" is disabled.

Changes to this registry value take effect immediately.

Batch fileIf you create one like this, you can easily switch between them.