--- {"title": "Icaros vs Microsoft PowerToys in 2026", "description": "Compare Icaros, Microsoft PowerToys, and SageThumbs 2K for Windows thumbnail and preview needs, with pricing, setup and questions to ask.", "url": "https://2dex.com/icaros-vs-microsoft-powertoys/", "date": "2026-10-09"} --- Compare Icaros, Microsoft PowerToys, and SageThumbs 2K for Windows thumbnail and preview needs, with pricing, setup and questions to ask. Icaros is described as a collection of lightweight, high-quality Windows Shell Extensions, which are add-ons for Windows. [^1] It can give Explorer thumbnails for essentially any video format that the FFmpeg video library supports. [^2] Microsoft PowerToys says it has over 30 utilities for customizing and optimizing Windows. [^3] SageThumbs 2K adds Explorer thumbnails for 363 file types, including camera RAW, PSD and HEIC/AVIF. [^4] | Option | Personal use fee | Commercial fee | |---|---|---| | Icaros | not published | not published | | Microsoft PowerToys | not published | not published | | SageThumbs 2K | Free for personal, noncommercial use under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0. [^5] | Commercial use needs a per-installation licence: US$2.99 a month, or US$49 once for a perpetual licence with 12 months of updates. [^6] | ## The short answer In plain words, Icaros is a collection of lightweight Windows Shell Extensions, which are add-ons for Windows. [^1] For a designer, it gives Explorer thumbnails for video formats that the FFmpeg video library supports. [^2] Over 30 Windows utilities [^3] SageThumbs 2K shows thumbnails in File Explorer for 363 file types that Windows cannot draw on its own. [^4] It also reads the built-in preview inside Photoshop, Affinity, AutoCAD DWG and CorelDRAW files. [^7] ## What Icaros and Microsoft PowerToys are built for Icaros first. Its page calls it a collection of lightweight, high quality Windows Shell Extensions. [^1] It gives Explorer thumbnails for video formats that the FFmpeg video library supports. [^2] It gives Explorer thumbnails for video formats FFmpeg supports, plus Explorer properties. [^2] [^8] Icaros can register filetypes supported by FFmpeg along with a number of other filetypes it supports natively. [^9] Its shell extensions have no dependencies. [^10] Microsoft PowerToys is described on its page as over 30 utilities to help you customize and optimize your Windows experience. [^3] It is licensed under the MIT license. [^11] The application logs basic diagnostic data (telemetry). [^12] The PowerToys facts here do not say anything about thumbnails, so a designer who wants thumbnails should check its utility list for that need. ## What SageThumbs 2K is built for SageThumbs 2K is made by the team that publishes this site. It adds File Explorer thumbnails for 363 file types that Windows can't render natively, including camera RAW, Photoshop PSD, HEIC/AVIF, and video. [^4] For design work, it pulls an embedded preview directly out of design and CAD files such as Photoshop, Affinity, AutoCAD DWG, and CorelDRAW with no rendering needed. [^7] Images carrying an embedded ICC profile or wide-gamut tag (Display P3 / Adobe RGB) are converted into sRGB before display. [^13] Thumbnails also work in OneDrive and Synology Drive folders, and it never downloads online-only files just to draw a thumbnail. [^14] From the right-click menu you can convert images, resize them, rotate or flip them losslessly, and combine images into a PDF or CBZ. [^15] It adds image dimensions, EXIF camera details and audio tags to Explorer's Details pane, hover tooltips, and sortable columns for formats Windows can't read itself. [^16] SageThumbs 2K says a corrupt or malicious file can't crash File Explorer, because it runs separately from Explorer and reads files in a sandbox. [^17] ## Pricing and fees Icaros: its price is not published in the facts supplied for this page. Microsoft PowerToys: its price is not published in the facts supplied either. It is licensed under the MIT license. [^11] SageThumbs 2K is free for personal, noncommercial use under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0. [^5] Commercial use needs a per-installation licence: US$2.99 a month, or US$49 once for a perpetual licence with 12 months of updates. [^6] Business installs get a 7-day evaluation with every feature, after which thumbnails and previews stop until a licence key is entered. [^18] The licence is the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0, and it is source-available. [^19] No card processing fee is published in the sources for any of the three. ## Getting started and everyday use Icaros works on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, Windows 10 and Windows 11. [^20] Icaros 3.0.3 and earlier versions work partially on Windows XP, with thumbnails only. [^21] Its page also says the settings window, IcarosConfig, requires .NET Framework 4. [^22] Microsoft PowerToys can be installed from the Microsoft Store. [^23] It runs on Windows 11, with separate installers for x64 and ARM64. [^24] You can use a portable zip that needs no admin rights.[^25] The right-click menu can be trimmed, reordered and regrouped by dragging [^26]. Multi-file jobs such as resize, rotate, strip and combine-to-PDF are spread across every CPU core. [^27] ## Things to check before you choose Start with your files. Which formats do you need to see as thumbnails: video, camera RAW, PSD, HEIC, or CAD drawings? Compare that list with what each source says. Check your Windows version. Icaros and SageThumbs 2K state different supported versions, so match yours to the list. [^20] [^24] Check how you will use the tool. Do you only need thumbnails, or also image conversion, resizing and file details in Explorer? Check the licence for your work. If you earn money from design, ask whether the tool's licence covers commercial use and what it costs. Check what the tool needs installed first. Its page also says the settings window, IcarosConfig, requires .NET Framework 4. [^22] Finally, for PowerToys, look through its utility list and ask whether any of them handles thumbnails for your file types. ## How to choose If your need is Explorer thumbnails for video files, Icaros gives thumbnails for video formats that the FFmpeg video library supports. [^2] SageThumbs 2K also lists video among its 363 thumbnail file types. [^4] If you want previews of Photoshop, Affinity, AutoCAD DWG or CorelDRAW files, SageThumbs 2K says it pulls the embedded preview out of them. [^7] If you want to convert, resize or rotate images from the right-click menu, SageThumbs 2K lists those actions. [^15] If you want camera and image details in Explorer's Details pane, SageThumbs 2K lists those too. [^16] If you want a wide set of Windows customization tools, PowerToys says it includes over 30. [^3] If you want a tool installed from the Microsoft Store, PowerToys says it can be. [^23] ## Frequently asked questions ### Does Icaros create Windows Explorer thumbnails for videos? Icaros gives Explorer thumbnails for video formats that the FFmpeg video library supports. [^2] A designer with video folders can compare that statement with the formats they actually keep and see whether they match before installing anything. ### Can Microsoft PowerToys replace a thumbnail extension? Its page describes over 30 utilities to customize and optimize Windows. [^3] The facts supplied do not describe a thumbnail feature, so a designer should check the utility list for their file types before relying on it for that. ### What file previews does SageThumbs 2K provide? It adds File Explorer thumbnails for 363 file types that Windows can't render natively, including camera RAW, Photoshop PSD, HEIC/AVIF, and video. [^4] It also pulls embedded previews from Photoshop, Affinity, AutoCAD DWG, and CorelDRAW files with no rendering needed. [^7] ### Is SageThumbs 2K free to use? It is free for personal, noncommercial use under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0. [^5] Commercial use needs a per-installation licence: US$2.99 a month, or US$49 once for a perpetual licence with 12 months of updates. [^6] ### How to choose between Icaros, PowerToys, and SageThumbs 2K? Match the tool to the job. Icaros gives thumbnails for video formats that the FFmpeg video library supports. [^2] SageThumbs 2K lists thumbnails for 363 file types plus right-click image actions. [^4] [^15] PowerToys says it has over 30 Windows utilities. [^3] It is free for personal, noncommercial use under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0. [^5] - [Visit SageThumbs 2K](/go/icaros-vs-microsoft-powertoys) ## Sources [^1]: Icaros, github.com/Xanashi/Icaros, read 2026-10-07 (https://github.com/Xanashi/Icaros) [^2]: Icaros, github.com/Xanashi/Icaros, read 2026-10-07 (https://github.com/Xanashi/Icaros) [^3]: Microsoft PowerToys, github.com/microsoft/PowerToys, read 2026-10-07 (https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys) [^4]: SageThumbs 2K's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) [^5]: SageThumbs 2K's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) [^6]: SageThumbs 2K's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) [^7]: SageThumbs 2K's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) [^8]: Icaros, github.com/Xanashi/Icaros, read 2026-10-07 (https://github.com/Xanashi/Icaros) [^9]: Icaros, github.com/Xanashi/Icaros, read 2026-10-07 (https://github.com/Xanashi/Icaros) [^10]: Icaros, github.com/Xanashi/Icaros, read 2026-10-07 (https://github.com/Xanashi/Icaros) [^11]: Microsoft PowerToys, github.com/microsoft/PowerToys, read 2026-10-07 (https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys) [^12]: Microsoft PowerToys, github.com/microsoft/PowerToys, read 2026-10-07 (https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys) [^13]: SageThumbs 2K's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) [^14]: SageThumbs 2K's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) [^15]: SageThumbs 2K's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) [^16]: SageThumbs 2K's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) [^17]: SageThumbs 2K's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) [^18]: SageThumbs 2K's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) [^19]: SageThumbs 2K's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) [^20]: Icaros, github.com/Xanashi/Icaros, read 2026-10-07 (https://github.com/Xanashi/Icaros) [^21]: Icaros, github.com/Xanashi/Icaros, read 2026-10-07 (https://github.com/Xanashi/Icaros) [^22]: Icaros, github.com/Xanashi/Icaros, read 2026-10-07 (https://github.com/Xanashi/Icaros) [^23]: Microsoft PowerToys, github.com/microsoft/PowerToys, read 2026-10-07 (https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys) [^24]: SageThumbs 2K's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) [^25]: SageThumbs 2K's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) [^26]: SageThumbs 2K's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) [^27]: SageThumbs 2K's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)