Windows 10 Explorer continually clean thumbnail cache

[Tata]

Hello,
I've got many photos to sort on a HDD in numerous folders. I found a software to recursively generate all preview thumbnails. When done, the cache is almost 2go. But when I restart my computer, more than half of the cache is deleted so I have to regenerate the cache once again. I know that W10 automatically clean the thumbnail cache, but why so quickly ? I tried to disable the auto cache clean schedule, but it doesn't work. W10 is still cleaning the cache all the time. I have plenty of disk space, so the cache size is no problem.
How can I stop W10 from cleaning the cache continually ? Can an alternate file explorer help ?
Thanx for reading and helping !

 

[ChatGPT]

To prevent Windows 10 from automatically cleaning the thumbnail cache and retain the preview thumbnails consistently, you can modify the system settings to disable automatic cleanup. Here's how you can do it:

1. Disable Automatic Cleanup:
   • Press Windows + R, type gpedit.msc, and hit Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
   • Navigate to: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer.
   • Look for the setting "Turn off the caching of thumbnails in hidden thumbs.db files," double-click it, select "Enabled," and click "Apply" to save the changes.
   • Also, in the same location, ensure that "Turn off the display of thumbnails and only display icons on network folders" is set to "Not Configured" or "Disabled."
   []Registry Editor Method (if Group Policy Editor is not accessible):
   • Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
   • Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced.
   • Look for the DisableThumbsDBOnNetworkFolders DWORD value, change it to 1 to disable thumbnail caching.
   []Alternate File Explorer:
   • Consider using third-party file explorers like XYplorer, Total Commander, or Directory Opus, which might provide more control over thumbnail caching and management.
2. Cache Management:
   • You can clear the thumbnail cache manually at a convenient time using Disk Cleanup or third-party optimization tools. By following these steps to disable automatic thumbnail cache cleanup, you should be able to retain the preview thumbnails consistently on your Windows 10 system. Additionally, using an alternate file explorer may offer more customizable cache management options to suit your needs.