How to Set a Thumbnail Image for a Video on Windows 10

Windows 10 does not include a File Explorer button for choosing a different thumbnail for each video. You can, however, add a custom cover image to a supported video file’s embedded metadata with Tag Editor. That stores the artwork in the file, but it does not guarantee that File Explorer will display it: Windows uses a thumbnail handler and cache, and some handlers generate a frame from the video instead of reading cover art.

What this method changes

Tag Editor edits media tags; it does not install a Windows thumbnail handler. Its project documents support for formats and tag families including MP4, ID3, Vorbis, Opus, FLAC, and Matroska/WebM. Cover-art support varies by container. The embedded image travels with the file when the format can store it, so compatible players may show it too. Each app decides whether it uses that artwork.

Set a custom video cover on Windows 10

1. Download Tag Editor’s command-line build

Get the Windows archive from the official Tag Editor releases page and extract it to a folder you can find again. In the extracted files, locate tageditor-cli.exe. The project specifically recommends this command-line wrapper on Windows; tageditor.exe is the graphical application. The Qt 6 build requires Windows 10 version 1809 or later, according to the project’s CLI documentation.

Download only from the project’s official release page. If Windows displays a security warning, verify the download and its source before deciding whether to run it.

2. Choose a cover image and protect the video

Use a JPEG image you own or have permission to use. A clear still related to the video is easy to recognize; for a widescreen video, a landscape composition often fits naturally. Save it somewhere with a short path, such as C:\Videos\cover.jpg. Keep the original video safe and edit a copy first. Tag Editor notes that some changes can require rewriting the whole media file, so allow time and disk space for a large video.

3. Embed the cover art with the CLI

Open File Explorer to the folder containing tageditor-cli.exe. Click the address bar, type cmd, and press Enter to open Command Prompt in that folder. Then enter the command below, replacing each sample path with the full path on your PC. Keep the quotation marks when a path contains spaces.

"C:\Tools\TagEditor\tageditor-cli.exe" set "cover=C:\Videos\cover.jpg" --files "C:\Videos\My video.mp4"

Here, set tells Tag Editor to modify tags, cover= points to the JPEG, and --files names the video to update. Press Enter and wait for the command prompt to return. Do not close the window or interrupt the process while the file is being written. For a folder of videos that should all share the same cover, the CLI can accept multiple file paths; run separate commands when each video needs its own image.

4. Confirm the saved artwork

Use Tag Editor’s documented extract operation to copy the embedded cover back out as a new JPEG. Replace the executable and video paths as before:

"C:\Tools\TagEditor\tageditor-cli.exe" extract cover --output-file "C:\Videos\check.jpg" --file "C:\Videos\My video.mp4"

Open check.jpg and compare it with the cover you chose. Tag Editor does not convert the image during extraction, so use a JPEG cover with this example. Then return to File Explorer, switch to Medium, Large, or Extra large icons, and press F5 or reopen the folder.

If File Explorer still shows a video frame

• No thumbnails appear for any files: In File Explorer, choose View > Options > View and clear Always show icons, never thumbnails. Microsoft’s Windows 10 thumbnail guidance lists this as a display-setting check.
• The old video frame remains: The embedded cover may be saved correctly even if Explorer’s video thumbnail handler chooses a frame instead. Windows documents that the Shell uses thumbnail handlers and a thumbnail cache; refreshing the folder may help, but Tag Editor cannot force a particular handler to use cover art. See Microsoft’s thumbnail-handler documentation.
• The command fails: Confirm that you ran tageditor-cli.exe, not the GUI executable; check each path and quote; and make sure the video container is supported. The project’s README includes the current CLI syntax and supported formats.

This process embeds portable cover art where the video’s container supports it. It is useful for compatible media apps and workflows, but Windows 10 File Explorer may continue to show its own generated video thumbnail.