How to Fix No Preview Available on Google Drive [12 Solutions]

If you are troubled by being unable to preview a file in Google Drive, don't worry. Read this article to figure out the possible reasons and some effective solutions to this issue easily.

Why is There No Preview Available on Google Drive?

If you've ever seen the message “this file can't be previewed because of an error” in Google Drive, you're not alone. This issue can happen with images, documents, or other file types and often appears alongside similar errors like “no preview available” or “there was a problem displaying this file.” In this section, we’ll break down the most common causes behind this problem and explain why each one might trigger the preview error. Understanding these reasons is the first step toward fixing the issue.

Now that you know the common causes behind the “couldn't preview file Google Drive” issue, it’s time to take action. In the next part, we’ll guide you through several practical solutions—each one tailored to address a specific cause—so you can fix the problem and preview your files in Google Drive without any hassle.

How to Fix the "Unable to Preview File on Google Drive" Issue

More often than not, the Google Drive file preview error might have something to do with the browser. Therefore, you can try some effective solutions below to solve the Google Drive no preview available issue.

➤ Solution 1. Convert Files to a Compatible Format

➤ Solution 2. Check Sharing Permissions

➤ Solution 3. Clear Browser Cache and Cookies

➤ Solution 4. Turn Off the Browser Extension

➤ Solution 5. Rename Files or Folders to ASCII-Only (macOS-Specific)

➤ Solution 6. Adjust Antivirus/Firewall/Proxy Settings

➤ Solution 7. Reduce File Size

➤ Solution 8. Update Your Browser or Use a Different App

➤ Solution 9. Use One Google Account or Switch Browser Profile

➤ Solution 10. Sign Out and Sign Back into Drive

➤ Solution 11. Check Google Drive Service Status

➤ Solution 12. Open with Google-Supported Apps

Solution 1. Convert Files to a Compatible Format

When Google Drive shows “this file cannot be previewed,” it’s often because the file format isn’t supported. Drive previews common types like PDFs, JPGs, MP4s, and Google Docs files, but unsupported formats such as .PSD, .MKV or .EXE won’t display.

Here are the file formats supported for preview on Google Drive:

• Audio: MP3, M4A, WAV, and OGG
• Microsoft Office: DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, PPT, and PPTX
• Text: TXT
• Pictures: JPEG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, WEBP, and GIF
• Video: WMV, AVI, MOV, OGG, MPEG, MPEG4, and FLV
• Adobe: PDF, PSD, and AI

To fix this, convert your file to a compatible format using an online converter or software (e.g., .PSD to .PNG, .MKV to .MP4). Then upload the converted file—this should restore the preview functionality.

Follow the steps to fix Google Drive not showing previews by converting the files:

Step 1. Right-click on the incompatible file in Google Drive and select the "Open with" option. Then choose to open it using a table, document, or slide.

Step 2. This will create a second copy of the spreadsheet, document, or presentation in a compatible native format, which you can preview in Google Drive.

Solution 2. Check Sharing Permissions

If you couldn't preview files on Google Drive, one common reason is that you don’t have the necessary permissions to access them. Google Drive won’t display previews for files that aren’t shared with you or when your access is restricted.

To resolve this, request the file owner to grant you “Viewer” or higher permission. You can also check your access by clicking the Share button on the file and reviewing your permission level. Once your permissions are updated, you should be able to preview the file without issues.

Solution 3. Clear Browser Cache and Cookies

When there is no preview of a file on Google Drive or when you're seeing issues like Google Drive thumbnails not showing, your browser's cache or cookies may be to blame. Over time, stored data can become outdated or corrupted, causing problems with how Google Drive loads previews and image thumbnails.

In this section, we’ll use the Chrome browser as an example to show you how to clear cache and cookies to fix the issue of thumbnails not loading in Google Drive:

Step 1. Open Chrome and click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.

Step 2. Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data.

Step 3. Select “All time” as the time range, then check “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files.”

Step 4. Click Clear data, then restart Chrome and revisit Google Drive.

Solution 4. Turn Off the Browser Extension

When the message “this file can't be previewed because of an error” appears in Google Drive, one overlooked cause might be browser extensions interfering with the page’s functionality. Extensions like ad blockers, script managers, download helpers, or PDF viewers often alter how websites behave, sometimes unintentionally breaking features like file previews or image thumbnails.

Follow these steps to disable the browser extensions: 

Step 1. Open Firefox. In the upper-right corner of the window, click the Open Menu icon.

Step 2. In the menu, click the Add-ons icon in Firefox.

Step 3. On the left side of the Add-on Manager tab, click Extensions.

Step 4. Under Manage Your Extensions, locate the extension you want to disable or remove and click the blue toggle switch Firefox toggle off so it turns gray Firefox toggle off.

Solution 5. Rename Files or Folders to ASCII-Only (macOS-Specific)

On a Mac, Google Drive not showing previews can sometimes be caused by special characters in file or folder names. macOS allows symbols, emojis, and accented letters, which can confuse Drive’s preview system.

To fix it, rename files and folders using only ASCII characters (letters, numbers, hyphens, underscores). Avoid non-English symbols and special characters. After renaming, re-upload or sync the file to Drive. This often resolves preview issues caused by unsupported characters in the file path.

Here are some examples of Problematic vs. Fixed File Names:

Solution 6. Adjust Antivirus/Firewall/Proxy Settings

Encountering the "no preview available" error on Google Drive can result from antivirus, firewall, or proxy settings blocking essential connections. These security tools sometimes restrict scripts, ports, or domains that Drive relies on to display file previews properly.

You can perform the following operations to troubleshoot this issue:

➤ Temporarily disable your antivirus software and refresh Google Drive. When previews appear, add Google Drive (https://drive.google.com) to your antivirus whitelist before re-enabling protection.

➤ Review your firewall settings to ensure Drive is not being blocked. Allow access to official domains.

➤ For users behind a proxy server, verify that it does not filter or block Google Drive content. Disable the proxy temporarily or configure it to allow full access to Google services.

Solution 7. Reduce File Size

Large files can often lead to the no preview available error in Google Drive, and that's mainly because there are limits on file sizes for previews.

When you try to upload things like high-resolution images, long videos, or hefty PDFs that go beyond these limits, Drive has a tough time processing and displaying them quickly, which results in the preview not working. To make things easier for Drive, try reducing the file size:

• ✅ Compressing images or PDFs using tools like Adobe Acrobat or online compressors.
• ✅ Lowering the resolution of videos before uploading.
• ✅ Splitting large files into smaller parts, if possible.

Solution 8. Update Your Browser or Use a Different App

When Google Drive not showing previews, an outdated browser may be the culprit. Browsers release updates to fix bugs and improve compatibility with web apps like Google Drive. Ensuring your browser is up to date can help resolve preview issues.

If updating doesn’t work, try opening Google Drive in a different browser or using the Google Drive mobile app. Switching apps often fixes preview problems caused by browser-specific glitches or conflicting extensions.

You can update the Chrome browser with the following steps:

Step 1. Click Help in the menu bar, and then click About Google Chrome.

Step 2. On this page, the browser will automatically help you check whether there is an updated version and download it.

Step 3. After the update is complete, click Relaunch, restart the browser, and then continue to complete the file download operation.

Solution 9. Use One Google Account or Switch Browser Profile

Having multiple Google accounts logged in at the same time can sometimes lead to issues with Google Drive not showing previews. Conflicting account sessions or different browser profiles might mess with how files load and how previews work.

To fix this, you can sign out of all your Google accounts except the one you mainly use for Drive. You could also switch to a different browser profile or open an incognito/private window. This will help isolate your session and often clears up those pesky preview problems caused by account conflicts.

Solution 10. Sign Out and Sign Back into Drive

A quick way to fix Google Drive not showing thumbnails is to sign out of your Google account and then sign back in. Session-related glitches or temporary sync issues can sometimes prevent thumbnails from loading correctly.

Follow these simple steps to refresh your session and resolve minor preview errors instantly:

Step 1. Click your profile icon in the top-right corner of Google Drive and select “Sign out.”

Step 2. Sign back in with your Google account, reload Drive, and check if the thumbnails appear correctly.

Solution 11. Check Google Drive Service Status

Sometimes, preview issues in Google Drive are caused by temporary service outages or disruptions on Google’s end. When this happens, no troubleshooting on your part will fix the problem until the service is restored.

To verify, visit the Google Workspace Status Dashboard and check the status of Google Drive. If there’s a reported issue, you’ll need to wait until Google resolves it. These outages are usually rare and fixed quickly by Google’s support team.

Solution 12. Open with Google-Supported Apps

Some files won’t preview properly in Google Drive unless opened with an app that supports the format. For example, Docs, Sheets, and Slides work best with Google’s apps. Trying to open a file with an unsupported tool can lead to preview issues.

To fix this, right-click the file in Google Drive, select “Open with,” and choose a Google-supported app. Using the correct app improves compatibility and helps avoid preview errors.

Bonus Tip: Use CBackup to Avoid Google Drive Preview Issues

When you see errors like “couldn't preview file Google Drive,” it can interrupt your workflow or block access to important content. With CBackup, you can easily back up your Google Drive files to another cloud like OneDrive, Dropbox, or even a combined cloud space.

This ensures that when preview issues occur in Google Drive, you can still access and manage your files elsewhere. CBackup also offers secure cloud-to-cloud sync, scheduled backups, and PC-to-cloud backup, helping you avoid file access problems and keep your data safe.

CBackup offers many useful features like Scheduled Backup, Email Notification, File Filter, etc., that can improve your backup efficiency. Furthermore, it has a clear interface and user-friendly design, so you can figure it out quickly and easily.

Follow the steps below to switch Google Drive to another cloud storage via CBackup with ease:

Step 1. Just go to the website of CBackup, type your email, password, and name to create an account, and sign in.

Step 2. Now, you are on the main page of CBackup. Click + Add Cloud under the My Storage tab to select the clouds you want to add, and click on Add. Then, you will be led to sign in to your public cloud storage account and authorize CBackup to access your account.

Step 3. To backup data, click on the Sync Tasks tab, then click the New Task button to create a backup task.

Step 4. Name your backup task to distinguish. Click the Add Source button to add Google Drive (you can choose the entire cloud storage or just certain files in this cloud storage) as the backup source. Click Add Destination to another cloud as a backup destination and click Start Backup.

Conclusion

The no preview available Google Drive error interrupts your work and causes inconvenience. This post explained common causes and offered effective solutions, such as converting files to compatible formats, checking sharing permissions, clearing browser cache, disabling browser extensions, and updating your browser. You can also reduce file size, sign out and sign back in, and verify Google Drive’s service status.

For extra security and easy access, use a backup service like CBackup to prevent preview problems and keep your files safe. Follow these steps to fix preview issues and regain smooth file access on Google Drive.

FAQs About No Preview Available Google Drive

Now that you know the common causes and solutions for the no preview available Google Drive error, you might still have some questions. To help you better understand this issue and troubleshoot it effectively, we’ve gathered answers to the most frequently asked questions below.

1. How to Fix No Preview Available Google Drive on iPhone?

Seeing no preview available on Google Drive on your iPhone can be frustrating, especially when you need quick access to your files. This issue often happens due to network problems, outdated apps, unsupported file formats, or temporary glitches within the Google Drive app.

To fix this problem, try the following steps:

• Make sure your iPhone has a stable internet connection.
• Update the Google Drive app to the latest version from the App Store.
• Sign out of your Google account in the app, then sign back in to refresh access.
• Restart your iPhone to clear temporary bugs.
• Reinstall the Google Drive app if issues persist.
• Verify that the file format is supported for preview on Google Drive.
• Free up storage space on your device to improve app performance.

Following these steps should help you resolve preview issues on your iPhone and regain smooth file access.

2. Why Can't I Preview a JPG in Google Drive?

You might not be able to preview a JPG in Google Drive for several reasons. Common causes include corrupted or damaged files, unsupported file versions, or temporary glitches in the browser or app. Sometimes, browser cache issues or slow internet connections can also prevent JPG previews. Additionally, if the file is too large or stored in a shared folder with restricted permissions, Google Drive may block the preview.

To fix this, try clearing your browser cache, checking your internet connection, ensuring the file isn’t corrupted, and verifying sharing permissions.

3. What Does “No Preview Available” Mean in Google Drive?

The message “No Preview Available” means Google Drive cannot show a quick view of the file within the app or browser. This indicates the file cannot be opened directly for viewing due to its type, size, or permission settings. Simply put, it means Google Drive cannot display the file’s content without downloading or using another app.