# \[implemented\] Fast forward and Rewind Thumbnail Preview
**URL:** https://forums.plex.tv/t/implemented-fast-forward-and-rewind-thumbnail-preview/30378
**Category:** Feature Suggestions
**Created:** [March 8, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/implemented-fast-forward-and-rewind-thumbnail-preview/30378 "2013-03-08T21:52:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@londonfire93](https://forums.plex.tv/u/londonfire93)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/implemented-fast-forward-and-rewind-thumbnail-preview/30378/1 "2013-03-08T21:52:21Z")
Im not sure if this was already discussed. A great feature to add would be fast forward and rewind thumbnail previews..This would be extremely useful for devices like the roku to better get an idea where you are at in a movie or tv show.
Keep up the good work. you have inspired me to setup a whole home system
[http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/644055\_2813508314658\_738834760\_n.jpg](http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/644055_2813508314658_738834760_n.jpg)
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### Author:  [@lazybones](https://forums.plex.tv/u/lazybones)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2013, 12:56am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/implemented-fast-forward-and-rewind-thumbnail-preview/30378/2 "2013-03-09T00:56:37Z")
Not a new request, there is actually some support for this in the Roku client, but not in the Plex server directly
[http://forums.plexapp.com/index.php/topic/39150-trick-support-getting-thumbnails-on-ffrwd/](http://forums.plexapp.com/index.php/topic/39150-trick-support-getting-thumbnails-on-ffrwd/)
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### Author:  [@unisonruss](https://forums.plex.tv/u/unisonruss)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/implemented-fast-forward-and-rewind-thumbnail-preview/30378/3 "2013-03-16T21:37:11Z")
I would love to have this as a feature in PMS… I could never get the “trick” support to work.
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### Author:  [@pravka](https://forums.plex.tv/u/pravka)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2013, 2:44pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/implemented-fast-forward-and-rewind-thumbnail-preview/30378/4 "2013-03-18T14:44:09Z")
+1 here, too. bifserver + DuffedPlex works alright, but it would be nice to have support for bif creation built into PMS proper.
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### Author:  [@Big\_Goomba](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Big_Goomba)
#### Post date: [May 29, 2013, 8:11pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/implemented-fast-forward-and-rewind-thumbnail-preview/30378/5 "2013-05-29T20:11:51Z")
I would like to see this feature in the Plex for Android.
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### Author:  [@Clueless-in-Seattle](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Clueless-in-Seattle)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2020, 4:38pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/implemented-fast-forward-and-rewind-thumbnail-preview/30378/6 "2020-01-15T16:38:31Z")
Was this suggestion ever implemented? The link in lazybones post takes me to a page with this message: “Oops! That page doesn’t exist or is private.”
I’m an old guy with poor hearing, so I often need to rewind to replay a passage of dialogue that I didn’t understand, and even turn on the subtitles sometimes during replay.
But in my Roku/Plex setup, the rewind and fast forward functions are “blind.” So I have to guess how long to hold the rewind button.
Will in Seattle
a.k.a. “Clueless”
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### Author:  [@JuiceWSA](https://forums.plex.tv/u/JuiceWSA)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2020, 4:53pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/implemented-fast-forward-and-rewind-thumbnail-preview/30378/7 "2020-01-15T16:53:37Z")
Step One:
Make sure you have PLENTY of space on the drive holding your Plex Database - Video Preview Thumbnails take up space - how much space depends - on the obvious.
Step Two:
Enable Video Preview Thumbnail Generation:
Settings/Library
Step Three:
Generate the Video Preview Thumbnails:
(this could take a few minutes, hours, days, or Months)
(Analyze, at one time, worked for this - Now it may not - but should commence during the Maintenance Cycle - if one enabled that portion of the setting)
Once all that’s done - you’ll have Video Preview Thumbs - automatically.
They work very well on Roku/Plexweb/PMP/New Player/Other - Except FireTV \<–a not so funny joke Plex is playing on FireTV Users.
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### Author:  [@Clueless-in-Seattle](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Clueless-in-Seattle)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2020, 5:44pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/implemented-fast-forward-and-rewind-thumbnail-preview/30378/8 "2020-01-15T17:44:54Z")
Thanks a million, JuiceWSA! I’ll give that a try and let you know how it works.
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### Author:  [@JuiceWSA](https://forums.plex.tv/u/JuiceWSA)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2020, 5:52pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/implemented-fast-forward-and-rewind-thumbnail-preview/30378/9 "2020-01-15T17:52:38Z")
If you’re having trouble starting the generation - enabling Thumbs during the maintenance cycle - then changing the time of the maintenance cycle to… now… should start her up.
You can give the maintenance cycle more time - until it finishes generating thumbs.
The ‘Spinner’ on Dashboard will indicate if Thumbs are being generated.
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### Author:  [@lazybones](https://forums.plex.tv/u/lazybones)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2020, 8:40pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/implemented-fast-forward-and-rewind-thumbnail-preview/30378/10 "2020-01-15T20:40:33Z")
> [@JuiceWSA](#):
>
> Make sure you have PLENTY of space on the drive holding your Plex Database - Video Preview Thumbnails take up space - how much space depends - on the obvious.
Yep, I only allow it to generate chapter thumbnails and not all of my content has those… The last time I did a clean rebuild I stopped doing the full thumbnails as my library is too big and the space requirement for full fast-forward thumbs is too high.
It is a great feature however if you have the space.
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### Author:  [@JuiceWSA](https://forums.plex.tv/u/JuiceWSA)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2020, 9:14pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/implemented-fast-forward-and-rewind-thumbnail-preview/30378/11 "2020-01-15T21:14:37Z")
> [@lazybones](#):
>
> It is a great feature however if you have the space.
I moved my database to a local HDD - long ago.
Can’t do without 'em.
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### Author:  [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2020, 8:47am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/implemented-fast-forward-and-rewind-thumbnail-preview/30378/12 "2020-01-16T08:47:46Z")
Closing this feature suggestion as “implemented”.
The official name of the feature is “video preview thumbnails”. It appears under this name in the documentation.
> **[Video Preview Thumbnails | Plex Support](https://support.plex.tv/articles/202197528-video-preview-thumbnails/)**
>
> Using Video Preview Thumbnails Video Preview Thumbnails (also known sometimes as “media index files” or “BIF” index files) are basically...
If you have a support question, please post it in a different forum section.
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### Author:  [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2020, 8:47am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/implemented-fast-forward-and-rewind-thumbnail-preview/30378/13 "2020-01-16T08:47:50Z")