Rebuild Icon Cache and Clear Thumbnail Cache
By Timothy Tibbettson 06/30/2023 |
If you're looking at icons that are slow to load, blank, fuzzy, or even flashing, you might need to rebuild your icon cache or clear your thumbnail cache. Here's how.
1: Delete With a Free App
Windows 10 users can use Thumbnail and Icon Cache Rebuilder for Windows 10. Right-click, and run as administrator and follow the steps on the download page.
2: Manually Delete
To manually delete, it depends on your operating system, but not by much. You might want to show hidden files before you begin, but we didn't need to on Windows 10.
Open Windows Explorer or File Explorer and search for IconCache.db. They should appear in the C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer.
Windows 7 and 8 users can just delete IconCache.db and reboot.
Windows 10 users will see numerous files that end in the .db extension. You'll need to delete all of them. A shortcut would be to click on IconCache.db (or any .db files) and then press CTRL + A. That highlights all of the .db files so just click delete. Reboot.
Typically, some of these files will be locked so you can't delete them. Well, challenge accepted.
3: Delete From Safe Mode
One option would be to delete them from Safe Mode.
4: Delete From a Command Prompt
If Safe Mode didn't work, then press CTRL ALT DELETE and select Task Manager. Look for Windows Explorer near the top, right-click, and select end task. There's a good change that your task bar will disappear. Don't worry.
Press the Windows Key + S and type in cmd and right-click on Run as administrator.
-=- Advertisement -=-
Now copy and paste, the following and press enter.
Windows 7 and 8:
cd /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer attrib –h iconcache_*.db del iconcache_*.db start explorer
Windows 10:
cd /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
attrib –h
thumbcache_*.db
del thumbcache_*.db
start explorer
Reboot and you should be all set.
comments powered by Disqus
1: Delete With a Free App
Windows 10 users can use Thumbnail and Icon Cache Rebuilder for Windows 10. Right-click, and run as administrator and follow the steps on the download page.
2: Manually Delete
To manually delete, it depends on your operating system, but not by much. You might want to show hidden files before you begin, but we didn't need to on Windows 10.
Open Windows Explorer or File Explorer and search for IconCache.db. They should appear in the C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer.
Windows 7 and 8 users can just delete IconCache.db and reboot.
Windows 10 users will see numerous files that end in the .db extension. You'll need to delete all of them. A shortcut would be to click on IconCache.db (or any .db files) and then press CTRL + A. That highlights all of the .db files so just click delete. Reboot.
Typically, some of these files will be locked so you can't delete them. Well, challenge accepted.
3: Delete From Safe Mode
One option would be to delete them from Safe Mode.
4: Delete From a Command Prompt
If Safe Mode didn't work, then press CTRL ALT DELETE and select Task Manager. Look for Windows Explorer near the top, right-click, and select end task. There's a good change that your task bar will disappear. Don't worry.
Press the Windows Key + S and type in cmd and right-click on Run as administrator.
TIP: Now copy and paste, the following and press enter.
Windows 7 and 8:
cd /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer attrib –h iconcache_*.db del iconcache_*.db start explorer
Windows 10:
cd /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
attrib –h
thumbcache_*.db
del thumbcache_*.db
start explorer
Reboot and you should be all set.
comments powered by Disqus
