--- {"title": "Microsoft PowerToys vs XnView MP in 2026", "description": "Microsoft PowerToys and XnView MP compared with SageThumbs 2K for Windows thumbnail needs.", "url": "https://2dex.com/microsoft-powertoys-vs-xnview-mp/", "date": "2026-10-10"} --- Microsoft PowerToys and XnView MP compared with SageThumbs 2K for Windows thumbnail needs. Microsoft PowerToys is a set of more than 30 small tools that help a designer adjust and tune Windows. [^1] XnView MP is a free image viewer, photo management and image resizer software. [^2] SageThumbs 2K adds File Explorer thumbnails for 363 file types that Windows can't render natively, including camera RAW, Photoshop PSD, HEIC/AVIF and video. [^3] | Option | Price | License | What it does | Install or platforms | |---|---|---|---|---| | Microsoft PowerToys | Not published | MIT license [^1] | Over 30 Windows utilities [^1]; collects basic usage data [^1] | It can be installed from the Microsoft Store or with a downloaded installer file. [^1] | | XnView MP | Described as free [^2] | Not published | More than 500 image formats [^2]; export to about 70 formats [^2]; batch convert [^2]; batch rename [^2]; color profiles [^2]; compare up to four images [^2]; duplicate finder [^2] | Windows, macOS and Linux [^2] | | SageThumbs 2K | Free for personal use [^3]; commercial US$2.99 a month or US$49 once [^3] | PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0 [^3] | Explorer thumbnails for 363 file types [^3] | Windows 11, x64 and ARM64 [^3] | ## The short answer PowerToys includes over 30 utilities for customizing and optimizing Windows. [^1] XnView MP is a free image viewer, photo management and image resizer software. [^2] SageThumbs 2K shows File Explorer thumbnails for 363 file types that Windows can't render natively. [^3] XnView says it is a free image viewer, photo management and image resizer. [^2] ## What Microsoft PowerToys and XnView MP are built for **Microsoft PowerToys.** PowerToys includes over 30 utilities for customizing and optimizing Windows. [^1] **XnView MP.** Its page calls XnView a free image viewer, photo management and image resizer software. [^2] It includes a duplicate file finder. [^2] It also supports embedded color profiles. [^2] ## 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. [^3] For design and CAD files such as Photoshop, Affinity, AutoCAD DWG and CorelDRAW, it pulls out the preview stored inside the file with no rendering needed. [^3] Thumbnails also work in OneDrive and Synology Drive folders, and it never downloads online-only files just to draw a thumbnail. [^3] The right-click menu lets you convert images, resize them, rotate or flip them losslessly, and combine images into a PDF or CBZ. [^3] Images carrying an embedded ICC profile or wide-gamut tag (Display P3 / Adobe RGB) are converted into sRGB before display. [^3] It also adds image dimensions, EXIF camera details and audio tags to Explorer's Details pane. [^3] 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. [^3] ## Pricing and fees **Microsoft PowerToys.** It is licensed under the MIT license. [^1] No price is stated. **XnView MP.** Image viewer, photo management and resizer [^2], described as free. No other price or fee is stated. **SageThumbs 2K.** It is free for personal, noncommercial use under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0. [^3] 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. [^3] Business installs get a 7-day evaluation with every feature, after which thumbnails and previews stop until a licence key is entered. [^3] ## Getting started and everyday use **Microsoft PowerToys.** Its page says it can be installed from the Microsoft Store. [^1] **XnView MP.** It lists support for Windows, macOS and Linux. [^2] Its facts say nothing more about setup. **SageThumbs 2K.** It runs on Windows 11, with separate installers for common 64-bit processors and ARM processors. [^3] You can use a zip you unpack and run without admin rights. [^3] Multi-file jobs such as resize, rotate, strip and combine-to-PDF are spread across every CPU core. [^3] The right-click menu can be trimmed, reordered and regrouped by dragging. [^3] ## Things to check before you choose Ask these of any of the three tools. - Does it show thumbnails in File Explorer for the file types you handle, such as PSD, Affinity or DWG? - Does it handle colors when a file carries a profile for a wide color range? - Which Windows version do you run, and does the tool support it? - Does your work count as commercial use, and what does the license say about it? - Do you need batch resizing, renaming or conversion, and how will you start the tool? - Does the tool collect any usage or diagnostic data, and are you comfortable with that? - Does the tool run on the same computers your team uses, including computers with ARM processors? ## How to choose If you want utilities for customizing and optimizing Windows, PowerToys includes over 30 utilities for that purpose. [^1] If you want one program to view, organize and resize images, XnView MP is described as an image viewer, photo management and resizer. [^2] If you want a macOS or Linux version too, XnView lists support for both. [^2] If you want design and CAD files to show thumbnails in Explorer, SageThumbs 2K pulls an embedded preview from files such as Photoshop, Affinity, AutoCAD DWG and CorelDRAW. [^3] If you want right-click conversion, SageThumbs 2K offers that as well. [^3] ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Microsoft PowerToys free? It is licensed under the MIT license. [^1] No price is stated. Check the PowerToys page for current terms before relying on it for client work. ### Is XnView MP free for designers? Its page describes XnView as a free image viewer, photo management and image resizer software. [^2] No other fee is stated in its facts. If you use it commercially, read its license terms to confirm what applies to paid work. ### Which operating systems does XnView MP run on? Its page lists support for Windows, macOS and Linux. [^2] Check the page for the version you download, and for anything about ARM computers, which its facts do not mention. ### Can Microsoft PowerToys be installed from the Microsoft Store? Its page says PowerToys can be installed from the Microsoft Store. [^1] ### What does SageThumbs 2K cost for commercial use? 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. [^3] Business installs get a 7-day evaluation with every feature, after which thumbnails and previews stop until a licence key is entered. [^3] Personal, noncommercial use is free. [^3] It is free for personal, noncommercial use under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0. [^3] - [Visit SageThumbs 2K](/go/microsoft-powertoys-vs-xnview-mp) ## Sources [^1]: Microsoft PowerToys, github.com/microsoft/PowerToys, read 2026-10-07 (https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys) [^2]: XnView MP, xnview.com/en/xnviewmp, read 2026-10-07 (https://www.xnview.com/en/xnviewmp/) [^3]: SageThumbs 2K's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/microsoft-powertoys-vs-xnview-mp)