Fixing Image Thumbnails Not Showing Up in GNOME Files on Fedora Linux
A minor but noticeable issue appeared after upgrading to Fedora 43: image thumbnails disappeared in the Nautilus file manager. This affected not only newer formats like WebP and AVIF but also common ones like PNG and JPEG.
Interestingly, the thumbnails for video files, PDFs, and EPUB documents still displayed correctly, showing inconsistent behavior. Some older images retained their thumbnails, likely from before the upgrade from Fedora 42.
One-Line Solution
The thumbnail preview issue was resolved with a single command, allowing users to quickly restore image previews in the file explorer.
Why the Problem Occurred
Before finding the fix, I searched forums dedicated to Fedora troubleshooting. Suggestions included clearing the thumbnail cache and restarting Nautilus, but this only deleted existing previews without fixing the problem.
"Cleaning the thumbnail cache resulted in losing all image preview."
Understanding the cause and solution enhances your Linux skills beyond just applying quick fixes.
Summary
After upgrading Fedora, missing image thumbnails in Nautilus can be fixed with a simple command, improving the file manager’s preview reliability.