In this article, I will discuss easy solutions for deleting Thumbs.db files in Windows 7.
Understanding Thumbs.db Files
Thumbs.db files are hidden files created by Windows to store thumbnail images for folders. They can take up unnecessary space on your computer and may slow down your system. To delete Thumbs.db files in Windows 7, follow these easy solutions:
1. Show Hidden Files: First, make sure that you have enabled the option to view hidden files in Windows. Go to Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Folder Options. Under the View tab, select “Show hidden files, folders, and drives” and click Apply.
2. Search for Thumbs.db: Use the search function in Windows Explorer to locate all Thumbs.db files on your computer. Simply type “Thumbs.db” in the search bar and wait for the results to show all instances of this file.
3. Delete Thumbs.db: Once you have located all Thumbs.db files, select them all and press the Delete key on your keyboard. You may be prompted to confirm the deletion, so make sure to click Yes to remove these files from your system.
Manual Deletion Methods
- Delete Thumbs.db Files in Windows Explorer
- Open Windows Explorer.
- Navigate to the folder containing the Thumbs.db file.
- Click on the Thumbs.db file to select it.
- Press Delete on your keyboard.
- Confirm the deletion by clicking Yes on the confirmation dialog box.
- Delete Thumbs.db Files in Command Prompt
- Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
- Type del /s /q /f Thumbs.db and press Enter.
- This command will search for and delete all Thumbs.db files on your system.
- Delete Thumbs.db Files Using Disk Cleanup
- Open Disk Cleanup by searching for it in the Start menu.
- Select the drive where the Thumbs.db files are located.
- Check the box next to Thumbnails under Files to delete.
- Click OK to start the cleanup process.
Disabling Thumbs.db via Group Policy
To disable Thumbs.db via Group Policy in Windows 7, follow these simple steps:
1. Open the Group Policy Editor by typing “gpedit.msc” into the Windows search bar and pressing Enter.
2. Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer.
3. Double-click on “Turn off the caching of thumbnails in hidden thumbs.db files” to open the policy settings.
4. Select “Enabled” to disable the creation of Thumbs.db files.
5. Click “Apply” and then “OK” to save the changes.
Preventing Future Creation
To prevent future creation of Thumbs.db files on Windows 7, you can follow these easy solutions. First, navigate to the folder options in Windows Explorer. Click on the View tab and uncheck the box that says “Always show icons, never thumbnails.” This will prevent Windows from generating Thumbs.db files in that particular folder.
Next, you can disable the generation of Thumbs.db files system-wide by making a simple change in the Windows Registry. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box, type “regedit” and press Enter. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced and create a new DWORD value called “DisableThumbnailCache.” Set the value to 1 to disable the generation of Thumbs.db files.
Lastly, you can use a third-party tool like CCleaner to clean up Thumbs.db files and prevent them from being created in the future. Simply download and install CCleaner, go to the Tools tab, and use the File Finder tool to search for and delete any Thumbs.db files on your system.
FAQs
How do I delete thumbs db files in Windows 7?
To delete thumbs.db files in Windows 7, you can disable thumbnails by going to File Explorer, clicking on the View tab, selecting Options, then going to the View tab and checking “Always show icons, never thumbnails”. After applying and clicking OK, you should be able to delete the files.
Is it okay to delete thumbs db files?
It is okay to delete thumbs.db files as they are used to cache thumbnail images in Windows Explorer. However, it is recommended to disable thumbnails before deleting the files.
How to clear thumbnail cache in Windows 7?
To clear thumbnail cache in Windows 7, you can click Start, type disk cleanup in the search box, press Enter, select the Thumbnails option in Disk Cleanup, and click Delete files.
Can I delete thumbcache db?
You can delete thumbcache db by running Disk Cleanup in Windows and checking the “Thumbnails” option, or by manually deleting files starting with “thumbcache” after showing Hidden Items in File Explorer.
