Similar files can be found under various different formats because each is specialized on holding a particular type of data. Multimedia editing requires you to work with various such formats, and it’s good to have a quick preview when choosing them.

Basic folder navigation is done with File Explorer, which you can also equip with a preview panel. It can’t read all known formats by default, but with a little help, you can definitely enhance its functionality.

There’s the possibility to tweak some registries in order to make it possible, but it gets frustrating and time-consuming. Luckily, applications like Media Preview simplify the whole process to a few mouse clicks and a little attention to detail.

It’s a method widely spread across the web, and with the following steps we want to make sure it reaches even more public, so everyone knows.

Configure and preview

Step 1: Download and install Media Preview.

Step 2: Launch the application. Note that it requires administrator privileges to run, as well as to apply most settings.

Step 3: Switch to the Video Formats tab to make File Explorer preview compatible with formats that interest you.

Step 4: The Audio and Image Formats tab are similar. There are a lot of types, but there’s a button to easily select all of them.

Step 5: Press Apply in each section after selecting formats.

Step 6: See Advanced settings to pick and customize thumbnail preview for all multimedia types.

Step 7: Launch File Explorer and find several target formats to view effects.

Optional step: Run the application again to fine-tune general display settings.

Note: You can revert changes to the default configuration by revisiting the configuration screen, navigation to each tab and simply pressing Restore System Default Settings. Be sure to have administrator privileges for access.