file explorer my preview pane does not open all the way.

Question

file explorer my preview pane does not open all the way.

Lucy R 20

When I am in File Explorer, my preview pane does not open all the way. As you can see here, there are three pages, and unless I shrink/minimize the page, I can't see the document, and it only shows 3/4 of the screen. I have tried all the usual help options, even cleaning the disk, uninstalling the app, and re-installing. Nothing has helped. Any help?

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This is what it looks like when I minimize the screen

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Answer accepted by question author

SD - IA 180.3K Independent Advisor

I also see PDFPro7hook.exe.

This is the one. Could you please uninstall and verify?

Lucy R 20 Reputation points

2026-05-24T17:17:35.7166667+00:00

Hi,

I was perusing the files last night, and I found another lingering file for the PDFx application. As soon as I deleted/uninstalled that file, my file explorer was back to normal. The PDFPro7hook.exe turns out to be part of the Brother iPrint & Scan application. I'm back to normal.

Thank you so much for helping with this nugget. I appreciate your time and expertise. Wishing you a safe holiday weekend.

4 additional answers

Your answer

Lucy R 20 Reputation points

2026-05-24T17:17:35.7166667+00:00

Hi,

I was perusing the files last night, and I found another lingering file for the PDFx application. As soon as I deleted/uninstalled that file, my file explorer was back to normal. The PDFPro7hook.exe turns out to be part of the Brother iPrint & Scan application. I'm back to normal.

Thank you so much for helping with this nugget. I appreciate your time and expertise. Wishing you a safe holiday weekend.

Answer 1

SD - IA 180.3K Independent Advisor

Awesome! I was glad I was able to help you.

If your problem is resolved, please take a moment to rate the answer. Wishing you good luck!

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Answer 2

SD - IA 180.3K Independent Advisor

Alright. Could you please go to Settings app > Apps > Installed apps, and see if there is any other PDF reader installed?

Lucy R 20 Reputation points

2026-05-23T22:38:05.61+00:00

I have a Kofax PDF viewer, but that is for my Brother iPrint & Scan. I've been using this for 7+ years, and I never had a problem before.

I also see PDFPro7hook.exe.

also,

Does it matter if I use Edge and not Chrome?

Thank you for taking the time. This is soo frustrating!

Answer 3

SD - IA 180.3K Independent Advisor

I appreciate the reply. The file explorer preview pane looks like this - See there are no buttons like in your screenshot.

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May I know if you are using Foxit PDF reader?

Lucy R 20 Reputation points

2026-05-23T22:19:02.4233333+00:00

Yes, that's what it used to look like. I'm not sure what happened. I don't have Foxit PDF installed.

I did have Adobe X and Adobe Suite installed, but I uninstalled them, mainly because I was not using them.

It started the other day, when I opened my file explorer.

Answer 4

SD - IA 180.3K Independent Advisor

Hi Lucy,

This is because you are using a 3rd party program to preview PDF files in the file explorer, which might be incompatible.

May I know which program is your default PDF viewer?

If you want to use a simple PDF viewer, Powertoys is a good option:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/file-explorer

https://aka.ms/get-powertoys

I’m eager to hear back and work together to find a solution.

Lucy R 20 Reputation points

2026-05-23T22:02:45.65+00:00

I'm unaware of a third-party app. When I open the file explorer, I select my file "downloads" and click on the PDF thumbnail, which used to open in the preview pane normally.