[Fix] ICO Files Not Showing their Icons in Windows Explorer
Recently a reader asked this problem. The .ICO files were not showing their icons in Windows Explorer.
Usually Windows Explorer shows separate icons for each .ICO file but sometimes it starts showing the default unknown file icon for all .ICO files.
Actually it happens when the .ico file association is missing or damaged in Windows registry.
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This article will help you in fixing this problem and you’ll get the actual icons for all .ICO files:
To fix this problem, simply download following ZIP file:
Extract it and run the .REG file. It’ll ask for confirmation, accept it and restart your system. It’ll fix the problem.
This did not work. I used it to repair the missing icons for Photoshop 7 icons on .psd files. nothing changed.
^^ PSD files dont show images previews. You can use following to make it working:
https://www.askvg.com/sagethumbs-free-windows-explorer-extension-to-show-thumbnail-previews-and-convert-many-popular-image-formats/
Hence the term .ico…….
Thanks for the Guide and little fix, worked great… I have installed two icon programs ‘total image converter’ + ‘sib icon studio’ — do you think they may have had something to do with the issue?
Thanks =)
Unfortunately this didn’t work. (Windows 10, version 1709)
This also didn’t work for me. Windows 10 version 1903
sadly, it didn’t work for me, either in version 1903 w10. HELP, please, i’m drowning in GIMP icons (my default program for ico files) instead of thumbnails of the ico in the file!
HEY! I found a solution. apparently it was because I had selected gimp portable as my ico viewer. I change the default viewer for .ico files to m/s paint (built-in program) and now my explorer tiles show a thumbnail of the icon, not the gimp icon!
right click, open with, choose other program (don’t just click on paint in the list, yet), now you get the chance to click in “always use this program”, then open the list and click on paint!
hallelujah!
Thanks anymouse! You’re a life saver!
OMG, you’re my savior man!!
This hasn’t helped. But removing .ico from under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts and restarting explorer.exe did help.
It fixed Win 10 File Explorer for me today after a long time not displaying .ico files I have saved and made over the years. I never would have thought of that on my own and was pretty much ready to go back to Vista where I saw them displayed last.
I do have Gimp portable.
Thank you.
Anymouse’s solution worked for me W10, X64. Thank you.