# Forcing Win Explorer to thumbnail view

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forcing-win-explorer-to-thumbnail-view/284510>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 13, 2005, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forcing-win-explorer-to-thumbnail-view/284510 "2005-01-13T05:06:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forcing-win-explorer-to-thumbnail-view/284510/1 "2005-01-13T05:06:51Z")

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I’m preparing a CD of some pictures I’m going to send to friends, and I’d like to include a menu option that would allow them to view the picture directory on the CD with Windows Explorer in the thumbnail view. From the Googling I’ve done so far, there doesn’t seem to be a way to force Explorer to launch in the thumbnail view.

(Note I’m talking about Windows Explorer, not Internet Explorer.)

Is there really no way? Any ideas?

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**Author:** ![SavageNarce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@SavageNarce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SavageNarce)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forcing-win-explorer-to-thumbnail-view/284510/2 "2005-01-13T13:31:12Z")

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Not unless you’re sending them the computer along with the image files. If their computer is set up to view the CD contents as a list of filenames rather than thumbnails, then that’s what they will see. You could include a text file with instructions on how to change the Explorer view to thumbnails, or there are several utilities that will create a “thumbnail” file in HTML that could be used to identify and open photos on the CD (I use [IrfanView,](http://www.irfanview.com/) which is freeware).