How Can I Retrieve Thumbnails from Any File Using the Windows API in C#?

Retrieve Thumbnails from Any File Using Windows API in C

In Windows Explorer, thumbnails provide a convenient way to preview files without the hassle of manually opening each one. These thumbnails are generated through core and third-party shell extensions.

For developers looking to create custom file browsers, it is possible to retrieve thumbnails from system-supported files using C# via the Windows API. This eliminates the need to manually parse and create custom thumbnails for a vast array of file types.

The WindowsAPICodePack-Shell library provides a simple solution to this problem. By leveraging this library's ShellFile class, developers can easily obtain thumbnails with the following code:

ShellFile shellFile = ShellFile.FromFilePath(pathToYourFile);
Bitmap shellThumb = shellFile.Thumbnail.ExtraLargeBitmap;

This code initializes a ShellFile object using the file path of interest. The Thumbnail property of this object provides access to the thumbnail representation of the file. By specifying the ExtraLargeBitmap property, the code retrieves the thumbnail in its largest available size.

Note that this approach retrieves system-generated thumbnails, preserving the platform-specific rendering and layout provided by Windows.

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