How to Save an Office Document with a Preview
People who use several workbooks throughout the day, in particular visual learners, may work faster if they can find their documents easier. Office files can be saved with a thumbnail image shown in File Explorer that can help us recognize and manage files.
Thumbnail images can only be stored inside Microsoft Office documents saved in the Open XML file formats (xlsx, xlsm, xlsb etc), first introduced in 2007. By default, thumbnail images are not enabled. To save a workbook with a thumbnail:
Thumbnail images can only be stored inside Microsoft Office documents saved in the Open XML file formats (xlsx, xlsm, xlsb etc), first introduced in 2007. By default, thumbnail images are not enabled. To save a workbook with a thumbnail:
- Go to File > Save As
- Mark the Save Thumbnail checkbox
- Click Save
Here is how to save thumbnails for all Excel workbooks:
- Go to File Tab > Info
- Click Properties > Advanced Properties
- On Summary tab, mark the Save Thumbnails for All Excel Documents checkbox
What is Saved in a Thumbnail
Excel saves the top-left range in the active worksheet.
