When I open the File menu, and then select Open, I used to get a preview image of any Inkscape file that I clicked on, on the right hand side of the open dialog box.

Now all I get is an Inkscape icon with an F underneath it, and the file size under that.

How do I switch the it back to give me the file preview?

I can preview PNG files, buy not SVG files.

I'm using Inkscape 0.91 on Windows 7.

Not sure what went sideways, but you should look out for an extension which enables svg thumbnails.
Different approach, but equally comfortable.

Probably a known bug, though I could only find this.

I'm not sure if that's the old Renesis plugin, or some derivative of that, or if someone else has picked it up and renewed developement of it. Or maybe it's something brand new? But that appears to be to allow SVGs to be previewed in Windows Explorer.

I used to recommend to Windows users to use the Inkscape Open dialog to preview SVGs, so I don't know what happened. I also searched for a bug report, but found none (big surprise). But this seems important enough to me, that I'm going to make a new bug report. Probably someone will show me where it's already been reported. But until they fix up that awful search ability at LP, I don't see where we have much choice.

I'll post back when I have some results

brynn wrote:I used to recommend to Windows users to use the Inkscape Open dialog to preview SVGs, so I don't know what happened. I also searched for a bug report, but found none (…)

Please follow the link to the existing bug report posted by Lazur just above your comment (it's a known issue):

• Bug #802904 “no svg file preview on Windows (rev >= 10326)”

Ok, so you can just delete the report I just made. (When I first read the original report, I thought it was about Inkscape files having the Explorer icons, which is a whole different thing).

For the OP, if you switch Inkscape Preferences > Interface > Windows > Desktop Integration from "Native Open/Save dialogs" to "GTK Open/Save Dialogs" you can have the preview. However, the preview is absolutely TINY, and you have to put up with the pink list of files, instead of your own system theme colors! I wouldn't call it a great solution, but I guess, better than nothing.