Adobe Acrobat Reader is one of the first things most people install on a computer, but one thing which I do not understand is why it does not offer the option for thumbnail previews in Windows (other free PDF readers, such as PDF XChange Viewer, offer this by default).
If you use Adobe PDF Reader and would like thumbnail previews in Windows then this software is for you: PDF Preview is a free Windows extension that will simply add thumbnail previews for PDFs, as shown in the screenshot above.
How to use: first off, check that in fact you do not have thumbnail previews for PDF already. (In the case that you may have multiple PDF readers installed on your system, you may already have these). If not, download, install and run PDF Preview. Next, open a folder in Windows and watch as the PDF icons for your documents are replaced with thumbnail previews. If this does not happen you may need to logoff and login first (or restart your computer).
The verdict: does the job well enough. Personally, I would instead recommend a different PDF viewer than Adobe’s (e.g. PDF XChange Viewer), but if you are happy with Adobe Acrobat and would simply like to add thumbnail previews, PDF Preview delivers.
[Thanks go to reader Panzer for the tip about this software]
Version tested: 1.00 build 36
Compatibility: Windows 2000 through Windows 7. 32 bit and 64 bit.
Go to the program page for more info, or straight to the download page (scroll down; approx 3.68 megs).
