Okay, so I found a resolution at https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apparmor/+bug/2148074 The steps are:

  1. Update AppArmor to version 4.0.1really4.0.1-0ubuntu0.24.04.6.
  2. Notice that the file /etc/apparmor.d/nautilus is missing.
  3. Open Nautilus: thumbnails are no longer displayed.

Manually restore the /etc/apparmor.d/nautilus profile. Open a terminal and use the following command to create the file using nano:

sudo nano /etc/apparmor.d/nautilus

Then, copy the following content into the nano editor. Right click on the nano editor and select Paste from the context menu:

#This profile allows everything and only exists to give the
#application a name instead of having the label "unconfined"

abi <abi/4.0>,
include <tunables/global>

profile nautilus /usr/bin/nautilus flags=(unconfined) {
  userns,
  #Site-specific additions and overrides. See local/README for details.
  include if exists <local/nautilus>
}

Save the file with Ctrl+S. Exit the nano editor with Ctrl+X.

Then reload the profile with:

sudo apparmor_parser -r /etc/apparmor.d/nautilus

A couple of extra steps were needed based on the comment by david6. The next two commands deletes the existing generic thumbnails from the cache and restarts nautilus:

rm -r ~/.cache/thumbnails/fail
nautilus -q

This restores thumbnail display.

Before the update: the "nautilus" profile was present in the AppArmor profile list (see aa-status). After the update: the profile is missing, and thumbnails no longer appear.

Answer from Tanay on askubuntu.com
Top answer
1 of 2
13

Okay, so I found a resolution at https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apparmor/+bug/2148074 The steps are:

  1. Update AppArmor to version 4.0.1really4.0.1-0ubuntu0.24.04.6.
  2. Notice that the file /etc/apparmor.d/nautilus is missing.
  3. Open Nautilus: thumbnails are no longer displayed.

Manually restore the /etc/apparmor.d/nautilus profile. Open a terminal and use the following command to create the file using nano:

sudo nano /etc/apparmor.d/nautilus

Then, copy the following content into the nano editor. Right click on the nano editor and select Paste from the context menu:

#This profile allows everything and only exists to give the
#application a name instead of having the label "unconfined"

abi <abi/4.0>,
include <tunables/global>

profile nautilus /usr/bin/nautilus flags=(unconfined) {
  userns,
  #Site-specific additions and overrides. See local/README for details.
  include if exists <local/nautilus>
}

Save the file with Ctrl+S. Exit the nano editor with Ctrl+X.

Then reload the profile with:

sudo apparmor_parser -r /etc/apparmor.d/nautilus

A couple of extra steps were needed based on the comment by david6. The next two commands deletes the existing generic thumbnails from the cache and restarts nautilus:

rm -r ~/.cache/thumbnails/fail
nautilus -q

This restores thumbnail display.

Before the update: the "nautilus" profile was present in the AppArmor profile list (see aa-status). After the update: the profile is missing, and thumbnails no longer appear.

2 of 2
3

You can install thunar as the temporary workaround til they patch this bug. That's what I did.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install thunar

Many users are just using thunar til they patch this bug

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OMG! Ubuntu
omgubuntu.co.uk › home › news › ubuntu fixes desktop file thumbnails not showing
Ubuntu Fixes Desktop File Thumbnails Not Showing - OMG! Ubuntu
July 3, 2025 - According to a bug report filed in May last year, file thumbnail previews do not show on the Ubuntu 24.04 desktop itself, appearing only as generic file icons. When the ~/Desktop folder is viewed in the Nautilus file manager, the thumbnails do show.
Discussions

Thumbnails in file managers
24.04.2 LTS - Home directory shows NO image thumbnails of any size for any manner of image with Nautilus, Dolphin, Nemo, Krusader - there must be an easy fix for this silliness! More on discourse.ubuntu.com
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0
2
April 10, 2025
Nautilus does not generate thumbnails for mp4 files in Ubuntu 24.04
Files v46.2 on Ubuntu 24.04 does not generate thumbnails for mp4 files after upgrading from a previous version of Ubuntu. I have ffmpegthumbnailer installed and this worked prior to the upgrade I’ve also upgraded one of my laptops and found a similar issue, only this time it’s the .avi ... More on discourse.gnome.org
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14
0
October 11, 2024
After today's update to 24.04 LTS, thumbnails no longer being created
For me this was the solution: Steps to fix it: Relax the security restriction (immediate fix): Open your terminal and run: sudo sysctl -w kernel.apparmor_restrict_unprivileged_userns=0 Clear the "failed" thumbnail cache: This forces Nautilus to retry generating thumbnails for files that previously failed: rm -rf ~/.cache/thumbnails/fail/* Restart the file manager: Close all Nautilus instances to apply the changes: nautilus -q More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Ubuntu
83
38
April 11, 2026
Thumbnails for images aren't appear in the Files manager in Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS?
Have you looked at this? Going to assume this is what you're referring to and/or experiencing, based on the little information you provided. https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apparmor/+bug/2148074 More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Ubuntu
15
2
May 6, 2026
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Ubuntu Community Hub
discourse.ubuntu.com › support and help
Thumbnails in file managers - Support and Help - Ubuntu Community Hub
April 10, 2025 - 24.04.2 LTS - Home directory shows NO image thumbnails of any size for any manner of image with Nautilus, Dolphin, Nemo, Krusader - there must be an easy fix for this silliness!
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Ask Ubuntu
askubuntu.com › questions › 1566244 › image-thumbnails-not-always-showing-in-the-file-manager-or-gnome-image-viewer
nautilus - Image thumbnails not always showing in the file manager or Gnome image viewer - Ask Ubuntu
April 29, 2026 - I have recently returned to Linux after a long hiatus, currently using Ubuntu 24.04.4LTS. I have a large collection of images that I would like to sort and arrange but I am having problems with
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Ubuntu
bugs.launchpad.net › bugs › 2066036
Bug #2066036 “Ubuntu 24.04 not showing image thumbnails on some ...” : Bugs : nautilus package : Ubuntu
After upgrading to ubuntu 24.04 some images don't show thumbnails anymore. ProblemType: Bug DistroRelease: Ubuntu 24.04 Package: nautilus 1:46.0-0ubuntu2 ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 6.8.0-31.31-generic 6.8.1 Uname: Linux 6.8.0-31-generic x86_64 ApportVersion: 2.28.1-0ubuntu3 Architecture: amd64 CasperMD5CheckResult: pass CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME Date: Fri May 17 15:32:57 2024 GsettingsChanges: b'org.gnome.nautilus.compression' b'default-compression-format' b"'7z'" b'org.gnome.nautilus...
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GNOME Discourse
discourse.gnome.org › applications
Nautilus does not generate thumbnails for mp4 files in Ubuntu 24.04 - Applications - GNOME Discourse
October 11, 2024 - Files v46.2 on Ubuntu 24.04 does not generate thumbnails for mp4 files after upgrading from a previous version of Ubuntu. I have ffmpegthumbnailer installed and this worked prior to the upgrade I’ve also upgraded one of my laptops and found a similar issue, only this time it’s the .avi ...
Find elsewhere
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Ubuntu
bugs.launchpad.net › ubuntu › +source › nautilus › +bug › 2047256
Bug #2047256 “Ubuntu 24.04 Some image thumbnails no longer displ...” : Bugs : nautilus package : Ubuntu
DIR=<set> SourcePackage: nautilus UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install) usr_lib_nautilus: file-roller 43.1-1 nautilus- ... Thumbnails are not displayed also for recently created or moved images in jpg, .png and .gif format. On a directory (Pictures) i have some .PDF, .gif, .png and .jpg (images of which I see the thumbnails) I copy the images to a different directory (Documents) and thumbnail are not correctly displayed
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Ask Ubuntu
askubuntu.com › questions › 1565968 › nautilus-not-displaying-thumbnail-previews-of-image-files-ubuntu-24-04-gnome-46
display - Nautilus not displaying thumbnail previews of image files Ubuntu 24.04 Gnome 46 - Ask Ubuntu
April 23, 2026 - I reinstalled Ubuntu 24.04 few weeks ago and have had no issues until today when all of a sudden image files only show generic thumbnail icon instead of image preview thumbnails. Here's what it looks
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Ask Ubuntu
askubuntu.com › questions › 1515862 › after-upgrade-to-24-04-strange-display-in-nautilus
After upgrade to 24.04 strange display in nautilus - Ask Ubuntu
May 30, 2024 - After a difficult upgrade from 23 to 24.04 I have a strange behavior in nautilus (and some other software). Nautilus shown no file names but only the small icon at the beginning of the line: nautilus file names missing
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GitHub
gist.github.com › andrewpayne68 › 1be45afa51977d5a91d51c69eafb9764
After latest April 2026 update to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, thumbnails are no longer being generated · GitHub
June 16, 2026 - Clear the "failed" thumbnail cache: This forces Nautilus to retry generating thumbnails for files that previously failed:
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/ubuntu › thumbnails for images aren't appear in the files manager in ubuntu 24.04.4 lts?
r/Ubuntu on Reddit: Thumbnails for images aren't appear in the Files manager in Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS?
May 6, 2026 -

Hi all, just wondering if there is a way to fix this?. I tried googling this and I did find a couple videos on YT about fixing it but nothing worked.

Top answer
1 of 5
2
Perfect example why ubuntu/linux as desktop will never become mainstream since you need to open a terminal and do shit to fix a simple desktop feature. Update broke it, not showing thumbnails in nautilus anymore for a normal desktop user is pretty big inconvenience that should be top prio to fix, does not appear to be since ok and not an issue in 26.04 all millions of users still using the old can stay deprecated. Shit like this has happened before so i thought, i'm sure there will soon be another update that sorts this out. Weeks passed. Nope. Had to start searching for how to "fix" it. Open terminal You have to create a file called nautilus i.e with vim because who really uses nano. sudo vim /etc/apparmor.d/nautilus #add the below stuff to the file nautilus and save abi , include profile nautilus /usr/bin/nautilus flags=(unconfined) { userns, # Site-specific additions and overrides. See local/README for details. include if exists } then run in the terminal sudo apparmor_parser -r /etc/apparmor.d/nautilus Then remove all the existing old png images under /.cache/thumbnails/fail/gnome-thumbnail-factory Then also remove the folder gnome-thumbnail-factory or rm -rf ~/.cache/thumbnails/fail/* Then kill = restart nautilus in terminal with the command nautilus -q Then it works again.
2 of 5
1
Have you looked at this? Going to assume this is what you're referring to and/or experiencing, based on the little information you provided. https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apparmor/+bug/2148074
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GitLab
gitlab.gnome.org › baobab › #185
Thumbnails not showing on Desktop (Ubuntu 24.04 with Desktop Icons NG) (#185) · Issues · GNOME / baobab · GitLab
July 3, 2025 - Workaround: - Open the Desktop folder in Nautilus - Wait for thumbnails to be generated - Press F5 on the Desktop to refresh - Thumbnails then appear Expected behavior: Thumbnails should be generated and shown automatically on the Desktop without ...
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George's Techblog
blog.georgovassilis.com › 2025 › 06 › 20 › ubuntu-video-thumbnails-in-file-manager
Ubuntu video thumbnails in file manager – George's Techblog
June 20, 2025 - Gnome's file manager Nautilus doesn't display video thumbnails under Ubuntu 24.04. Thankfully this solution still works: https://askubuntu.com/questions/1034595/thumbnails-not-showing-in-video-in-ubuntu-18-04 sudo apt install ffmpegthumbnailer sudo apt install gstreamer1.0-libav rm -r ~/.cache/thumbnails/fail Reboot Done!
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Tux Machines
news.tuxmachines.org › n › 2025 › 07 › 03 › Ubuntu_Fixes_Desktop_File_Thumbnails_Not_Showing.shtml
Tux Machines — Ubuntu Fixes Desktop File Thumbnails Not Showing
According to a bug report filed in May last year, file thumbnail previews do not show on the Ubuntu 24.04 desktop itself, appearing only as generic file icons. When the ~/Desktop folder is viewed in the Nautilus file manager, the thumbnails do show.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/ubuntu › so on ubuntu 24.04 lts, open up nautilus file manager, go to "recent" and scroll down a bit and open any pic or vid you like, now you'll notice it has thrown you all the way back to the top, it doesn't remember your spot. this is obviously a bug. i know for a fact this didn't happen on ubuntu 22.04
r/Ubuntu on Reddit: So on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, open up Nautilus file manager, go to "Recent" and scroll down a bit and open any pic or vid you like, now you'll notice it has thrown you all the way back to the top, it doesn't remember your spot. This is obviously a bug. I know for a fact this didn't happen on Ubuntu 22.04
October 4, 2025 -

So yeah as I said, in Nautilus file manager, go to Recent and scroll down a bit and open any file you like, like a pic or vid, and now listen, you'll notice it has thrown all the way back to the top, and it will do this every single time! So it will not remember your spot. This is clearly a bug cause this didn't happen on Ubuntu 22.04, I know for a fact this didn't happen on 22.04

When I scroll down and click on something, it should not throw me all the way back to the top, this is very annoying, it's why I don't even go and browse through "Recent" anymore, and now here I am complaining about it, so someone please fix this? It needs to remember your spot and NOT throw you all the way back to the top.

I can't browse through Recent when it constantly throws me all the way back to the top.

Please fix this?

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Server Host
serverhost.com › home › how to fix missing desktop file thumbnails in ubuntu
How to Fix Missing Desktop File Thumbnails in Ubuntu - ServerHost Hosting Solutions Blog
June 18, 2026 - An update is currently in the noble-proposed repository and includes fixes to enable thumbnail previews. Once it passes checks, it will be available for all Ubuntu 24.04 LTS users via the Software Updater.