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Show preview on hovering icon no longer working for plain text files.
Posted: 05 Jan 2026 14:06
by sl23
I've noticed for the last few weeks now that plain text files no longer show content when hovered. Graphics files are ok, but no text files work. INI, TXT, MD,etc, do not show anything, just a small black box appears. Sometimes I get the right hand scroll bar showing with continue in the black box, but no actual file content appears. Seems to be size restricted, I think.
I tested a fresh install of the 64bit XYplorer portable and it works so I'm at a loss what could be causing the issue? I don't have a complex setup or anything so why am I having trouble with my existing setup? Any ideas why it would be playing up? It was fine until recently.
Is there a way to back up and move settings easily to see if it is my existing settings that is corrupt or something?
Thank you.

Re: Show preview on hovering icon no longer working for plain text files.
Posted: 05 Jan 2026 14:52
by admin
Yes, confirmed!
"I've noticed for the last few weeks now ..." why did you wait so long with the report?

Re: Show preview on hovering icon no longer working for plain text files.
Posted: 05 Jan 2026 15:04
by klownboy
Txt and ini files display for me on hovering the file icon. I'm on Windows 11 Home, 25H2, Build 26200.7462 with beta 28.10.0206.
text get("previewhandler", "txt"); yields
Preview handler for txt files
GUID: {D8034CFA-F34B-41FE-AD45-62FCBB52A6DA}
DefaultName: MonacoPreviewHandle
DisplayName: Monaco Preview Handler
A Windows shell extension that allows you to preview over 150 source code and text-based file types directly within a file manager. Evidently it's included with MS Power Toys, but I'm not actually using Power Toys. Engine: It uses the Monaco Editor, the same engine that powers Visual Studio Code.
Re: Show preview on hovering icon no longer working for plain text files.
Posted: 05 Jan 2026 15:07
by sl23
Sorry, just busy and it is only a minor thing so I left it.
Thanks for confirming
Btw, I have noticed a fresh install seems to work ok, so I have moved my XYplorer.ini, Scripts folder and Icons folder to the new install to see how that goes. I realised that during the initial 64bit beta, I used the new 64bit exe in the old 32bit VS folder, so there may be some corruption. So I am going to start afresh anyway, just in case. Maybe that is what caused my other issue where it keeps crashing when Right clicking, but hasn't happened so much lately.
Will let you know if it is fixed or not.
Re: Show preview on hovering icon no longer working for plain text files.
Posted: 05 Jan 2026 15:22
by sl23
Ok, so after finishing a reinstallation I still get the same issue, no preview on hovering icons of plain text files.
Re: Show preview on hovering icon no longer working for plain text files.
Posted: 05 Jan 2026 15:24
by admin
Fixed in next beta(s).
Re: Show preview on hovering icon no longer working for plain text files.
Posted: 05 Jan 2026 15:27
by sl23
Re: Show preview on hovering icon no longer working for plain text files.
Posted: 05 Jan 2026 15:30
by klownboy
To address my previous post I must have been using certain elements of MS Power Toys without knowing it. It doesn't seem to have affected other viewers like ImageEye for image files or PDF Exchange Viewer for PDFs. I'm not sure if I should mess with it now. I'll have to research it.

- Power Toys File Explorer ADD-ONS.jpg (157.64 KiB) Viewed 234 times
Re: Show preview on hovering icon no longer working for plain text files.
Posted: 05 Jan 2026 15:33
by admin
XY's text preview in the hover box is native.
Re: Show preview on hovering icon no longer working for plain text files.
Posted: 05 Jan 2026 15:38
by klownboy
It may be native, but it looks like Monaco takes over though maybe because native isn't functioning properly. Scroll down on that site to see the yellow high-lighted statement.
Enabling the preview handlers will override other preview handlers already installed - there have been reports of incompatibility between Outlook and the PDF Preview Handler.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windo ... e-explorer
Re: Show preview on hovering icon no longer working for plain text files.
Posted: 05 Jan 2026 15:44
by admin
It also depends on your settings here: Configuration | Preview | Previewed Formats | Categories
If you pack TXT to Documents files, then your preview handlers will take over.
Re: Show preview on hovering icon no longer working for plain text files.
Posted: 05 Jan 2026 15:55
by klownboy
I just checked...

- Preview Handler TXT.jpg (69.12 KiB) Viewed 218 times
Re: Show preview on hovering icon no longer working for plain text files.
Posted: 05 Jan 2026 16:04
by admin
I can guarantee you that no preview handler grabs this out of the hands of XY.
Re: Show preview on hovering icon no longer working for plain text files.
Posted: 05 Jan 2026 16:20
by klownboy
I'm not disagreeing with you, but how can I get this for "preview handler" if that's the case?
And I'm seeing txt and ini files when hovering a file's icon. Could it be because XY's native is currently not working? Just wondering.
Code: Select all
text get("previewhandler", "txt"); // in the address bar yields:
Preview handler for txt files
GUID: {D8034CFA-F34B-41FE-AD45-62FCBB52A6DA}
DefaultName: MonacoPreviewHandle
DisplayName: Monaco Preview Handler
Re: Show preview on hovering icon no longer working for plain text files.
Posted: 05 Jan 2026 16:52
by admin
1) there is a PH but XY is not using it
2) there are conditions for this bug, some files work, some don't