Where Does Windows Store Thumbnail Cache?
Explorer thumbnail and icon cache databases, and the kill Explorer first rule for deleting them.
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Explorer caches thumbnails centrally in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\thumbcache_*.db, numbered by size with an index file, plus iconcache_*.db for icons in the same folder. This replaced the old per folder Thumbs.db files.
Stale or corrupt thumbnails end at deletion and automatic rebuild on next browse. The safe route is Disk Cleanup or Storage Temporary files with Thumbnails checked; manual delete needs Explorer killed first (taskkill explorer, delete, restart it) or files report in use. Reboot to fully apply after a Disk Cleanup pass.
Where Windows stores this, by platform
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\
thumbcache_256.db and siblings (per size) plus index; iconcache_*.db for icons. Hidden AppData path. Clear via Disk Cleanup (Thumbnails) or Storage Temporary files; manual delete requires killing explorer.exe first. Rebuilds automatically on browse.
Frequently asked questions
How do I rebuild broken Windows thumbnails?
Run Disk Cleanup, check Thumbnails, and confirm, then reboot. Explorer regenerates the databases on next folder visit. Manual deletion works too but only with explorer.exe stopped first.
Why is thumbcache access denied while deleting?
Explorer holds the files open. End it via taskkill /f /im explorer.exe, delete the thumbcache_*.db files, then start explorer.exe again from Task Manager.
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