Why can't PSD thumbnails be displayed in Windows 7?

If previous fixes didn't work for you, this probably will.

Confirmed on windows7 64-bit (though others may work)

There are two fixes using .DLL's that have been posted in this thread. Install either one,

then read on if they don't work right away.

psicon.dll

PSDCodec.dll

If you don't see any change after reboot, do the following:

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Run photoshop and do file --> Open. Browse to a folder that has PSD's. Change that folder's view to something that usually shows thumbnails... for example, right click an empty area and do view --> large icons. The PSDs should now all show thumbnails within photoshop, and you'll also see them in that folder within windows.

The same trick will get PDF thumbnails to show (by browsing within acrobat).

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To save time, so you don't have to browse manually to several folders, here's a trick to fix ALL psd's.

In windows, browse to your C: drive or wherever you keep your PSD's. At the top right, in the search box, type *.psd and press enter. This runs a search for all PSD's on the drive/folder, and includes all subfolders. It might take a while. Once the search is finished, click the save search button at the top. Save it anywhere (like your desktop).

Now within photoshop, click file --> open --> browse to wherever you saved that search. It should be called .psd and have a blue folder icon. If you double click it, it acts just like a folder that has all your PSD files (they didn't actually move though). Now right click --> view --> choose medium/large/tile view.

This may take a second, and if any PSDs fail to show thumbnails, try clicking each of them once. Thumbnails should now show in windows everywhere. You can safely delete the saved search if you want, it won't affect your files.

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If this STILL doesn't work, it's possible windows didn't register the dll's correctly. To make windows use a DLL, it needs to know the name/location of that DLL. To make sure the path/filename is correct, here's a surefire method.

psicon.dll --> save it anywhere (doesn't have to be the suggested location). Hold ctrl+shift on the keyboard, right click the dll file. You should see "Copy as Path"  somewhere in the middle. Choose that.

Now go to the .reg file provided with this dll. Right click it, choose edit. It should open in notepad.

There's a path already listed here, between quotes. It'll look similar to this, though maybe not exactly the same:

"C:\Program Files\Adobe\Shell\psicon.dll"=dword:00000001

Highlight everything from the first " to the last " (including both quote marks) and then right click, paste.

Now wherever you see a backslash, type a second \ to make a double backslash.

One more step, the path is repeated at the second to last line.

Again highlight it, paste, replace all single slashes with double. Now save, close, double click the reg file, click OK, and reboot. Then try viewing thumbnails within photoshop to kickstart windows into showing them.

PSDcodec.dll --> Place it anywhere, ctrl+shift+right click the dll file, choose copy as path.

Start -> cmd --> type regsvr32 (with a space at the end) --> right click, paste.

Press enter. Click ok. Reboot.  Then try viewing thumbnails within photoshop to kickstart windows into showing them.