Extract text from Thumbnail cache files (THUMBS)
To convert THUMBS Thumbnails to another format, you need Jellyfin or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Media Server Metadata" file type, you need software like Jellyfin or a similar tool.
If you have encountered a .thumbs file, you are likely dealing with one of two completely different data structures masquerading under similar names.
1. Jellyfin & DeoVR Video Previews (JSON Data):
The most common modern variant (approx. 52%) is actually a text-based JSON file generated by media servers like Jellyfin or VR players like DeoVR. The Problem: Users expect this to be an image file they can double-click to view. In reality, it is a data map containing timestamps and coordinate references for video scrubbing. It is not an image; it is the instructions for the player on how to display images. The Solution: For inspection, convert or rename this file to JSON or TXT to view the raw data in a text editor.
2. Windows Thumbnail Cache (Binary Database):
The second type (approx. 25%) is the classic Windows Thumbs.db system file, which uses the Microsoft Compound File Binary format. The Problem: These files are notorious for locking directories, preventing you from deleting or renaming folders because Windows Explorer has the file "open." They are binary containers, meaning you cannot open them with Notepad. The Solution: To recover the actual thumbnail images stored inside (useful for forensics or recovering lost photos), you need specialized extraction utilities to convert the cache content into standard JPG or PNG files.
Convert.Guru analyzes your THUMBS file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted DB, THUMB, PHOTO DATABASE, JPG, ITHMB, DAT, ZIP, TXT and EXE files.
If you want to convert THUMBS file to , you can use Jellyfin or similar software from the "Video Preview Metadata" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to THUMBS, try Jellyfin or another comparable tool in the "Video Preview Metadata" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our THUMBS converter.