Resolve Unable to Delete Thumbs.db with Power Tactics

Solve the problem of deleting stubborn Thumbs.db files in Windows systems

Thumbs.db files automatically generated by Windows systems are usually hidden, but many users report that they cannot be deleted because they are in use. This article provides several ways to delete Thumbs.db files in Windows systems.

The Thumbs.db file is a database file that is generated when viewing a folder in the thumbnail view. After Windows Vista, the thumbnail cache is centrally stored in %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer . It helps to quickly reuse files and improve computer performance. When Thumbs.db files form huge empty folder structures, people tend to delete them. However, because the file is in use, they cannot delete Thumbs.db.

You can try the following four ways to delete the Thumbs.db file in Windows and choose the one that best suits your situation.

Method 1: Change the view settings of File Explorer

You can change the view settings of File Explorer and try to delete the Thumbs.db file again.

Step 1: Press Win E to open File Explorer.

Step 2: Select View on the top toolbar and click Options to open the Folder Options window.

Step 3: Under the View tab, uncheck Show file icon in thumbnails and Hide protected operating system files (recommended) .

Step 4: Click Apply and OK to save the changes.

You can then delete the thumbnail file to see if the notification still appears.

Method 2: Change the file extension

Based on feedback from some Windows users, you can also solve the problem of not being able to delete Thumbs.db by changing the extension of the Thumbs.db file.

Find the Thumbs.db file, change its extension to .dat , and try to delete it. If the Thumbs.db file is not visible, you need to check if the Show hidden files option is enabled.

Method 3: Adjust settings in the local group policy editor

If you cannot delete Thumbs.db and you are using Windows Pro or later, you can change the policy in the local Group Policy Editor.

Step 1: Press Win R to open the run window.

Step 2: Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to open the local Group Policy Editor window.

Step 3: Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer . You can find the cache policy for closing the thumbnails in the thumbs.db file in the right pane.

Step 4: Double-click the policy to modify the policy. Select Enable in the next window and click Apply and OK to confirm the changes.

You need to restart your computer to apply the changes to your computer completely, and then try to delete the thumbnail file.

Method 4: Delete the file after a clean startup

The last method is to try to delete the Thumbs.db file after a clean boot. A clean boot will start your computer with minimal drives and startup programs. You can easily try to delete some stubborn files in a clean boot.

Step 1: Press Win R to open the run window.

Step 2: Type msconfig and press Enter to open the system configuration.

Step 3: Under the Services tab, select Hide all Microsoft services and click Disable All .

Step 4: Go to the Startup tab and select Open Task Manager .

Step 5: You need to disable all the programs listed here. After that, close the Task Manager .

Step 6: Return to the system configuration window and click OK to confirm. After restarting, your computer will be in a clean boot environment.

Now you can try to show the hidden Thumbs.db files and delete them.

Summarize

The above is everything about how to delete the Thumbs.db file in Windows. Different situations require different solutions. Hopefully you can find a solution to your problem.

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