How do I change the thumbnail on my Android music?

The thumbnail image that shows up next to a song or album in a music player app is generated automatically from the music file’s metadata. However, sometimes the autogenerated thumbnail may be low quality, unappealing, or not match the visual aesthetic you want for your music library. Users may want to change the thumbnail image to something more visually striking or representative of the album art.

Custom thumbnails can make it easier to identify songs and albums when scrolling through your library. An eye-catching thumbnail can also enhance the overall experience of listening to music on your device. Changing the default thumbnail allows you to curate a more aesthetically pleasing music library that matches your personal taste.

Locate the Thumbnail File

Android stores thumbnails for music albums separately from the actual music files. The thumbnails are small image files that are displayed in the music library or album cover art. By default, Android music thumbnails are usually stored in the “.thumbnails” folder located at:

/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.android.providers.media/albumthumbs/

This hidden folder contains a thumbnail image for each music album scanned and added to your Android music library. The thumbnail filename corresponds to an alphanumeric hash value rather than the actual album or song name. You’ll need a file manager app to access this folder and be able to view and edit the thumbnail files.

Some Android devices may use a different default folder path for storing music thumbnails, so you may need to search around if the default path is empty. The key is knowing that the thumbnails exist as separate image files that can be modified independently of the music files themselves.

Use a File Manager App

One of the easiest ways to locate and edit the thumbnail image file is by using a file manager app on your Android device. File managers provide access to the file system and allow you to browse, open, edit, move, and manage files and folders on your phone.

Some of the most popular Android file manager apps include ES File Explorer, Astro File Manager, Files by Google, and FX File Explorer. These apps allow you to navigate to the folder where your music thumbnail images are stored. The exact location may vary by device and Android version, but it is usually in a folder like DCIM, Pictures, Music, or AlbumArt.

Once you locate the image file for the album or song you want to change, you can open it in the file manager app’s built-in image editor or in a separate photo editing app. Edit the image as desired, save changes, and the updated thumbnail should then display in your music library after refreshing it.

Using a file manager app provides direct access for finding and replacing thumbnail images and doesn’t require any advanced knowledge. The process is quick and easy on most Android devices.

Edit the Image File

To modify the thumbnail image itself, you’ll need to use an image editing app on your Android device. There are many great options available on the Play Store, such as Photo Studio, Snapseed, and Square Quick. These apps allow you to crop, resize, filter, and edit images to create the perfect thumbnail.

A good approach is to open the original thumbnail file in the editor, and then modify it to your liking. Most editors provide tools to crop the image to a square aspect ratio, ideal for music thumbnails. You can also apply filters to change the look and feel. Resize the image if needed to meet the thumbnail specifications. When done editing, save the changes to the image file.

Using a dedicated image editing app gives you full control over the thumbnail appearance. You can customize it to match the album art or theme of your music. Just make sure to save the edits over the original file so that the modified version is picked up when refreshing the music library.

Replace the Thumbnail

Once you have edited or created a new thumbnail image, you will need to save it to overwrite the original thumbnail file. Here are the steps to replace the existing thumbnail:

1. Open your file manager app and navigate to the folder containing your music files.
2. Find the thumbnail image file you want to replace. It will likely be a small image file named something like “albumart.jpg” or “cover.png”.
3. Copy the new thumbnail image file you created and paste it into the music folder, overwriting the existing thumbnail file.
4. Make sure the new thumbnail image has the exact same file name as the original.
5. You may need to refresh the music library on your device for the changes to take effect. On Android, go to Settings > Apps and clear the cache for the music app.

By overwriting the original thumbnail file with your new image, you ensure your edited thumbnail will now display for that music file. Just make sure the image dimensions and file type match the original for best results.

Refresh the Music Library

Once you’ve replaced the thumbnail image file for a song or album, you need to get Android to re-scan your music library in order to update the thumbnails. Here are a few methods to refresh your music library on Android:

Use a file manager app like Files by Google to navigate to the folder where your music files are stored. Long press the folder and select “Scan folder to update music index.” This will force a rescan of that folder.

In Google Play Music, go to Settings > Refresh and select “Refresh my library.” This will initiate a full rescan of your music files and update the thumbnails.

You can also use an app like Rescan Media to quickly initiate a rescan of your full music library or specific folders. This app can schedule periodic rescans as well.

After refreshing the music library, you may need to restart or reload your music player app to fully update the thumbnail images.

Overall, forcing Android to rescan your library is the key to seeing updated thumbnails after you’ve manually replaced the image files. File manager apps and specialty apps like Rescan Media make this process easy.

Automate with Apps

Some apps can batch edit or download thumbnails to help automate changing music thumbnails on Android. Here are some options:

Music Manager by Heydarii is an Android app that can batch edit music metadata, including thumbnails. You can select multiple songs and change the thumbnail for all of them at once.

MediaMonkey is another Android app that lets you manage large music collections and sync metadata across devices. You can use it to batch edit thumbnails as well.

These apps provide automation capabilities to help update multiple thumbnails efficiently. They can save you time compared to editing one song at a time.

On iPhone

To change the thumbnail for music albums on iPhone, you need to go through the Photos app instead of the Music app. Here’s an overview of the process:

First, open the Photos app and navigate to the album whose thumbnail you want to change. Tap and hold on the current thumbnail photo until a popup menu appears.

Next, select “Make Key Photo” from the menu. This will set the selected photo as the new thumbnail image for that album.

You can also edit the image file directly to create a custom thumbnail. Open the photo you want to use in the Photos app’s editing screen, make your edits, and save it as a new file. Then go back to the album, tap and hold the old thumbnail, and select the edited photo as the new key photo.

After setting the new thumbnail, you may need to restart the Music app or device for it to refresh with the updated artwork. The change should then propagate to music players and apps on your iPhone so the new thumbnail is consistently displayed.

For more details, see this helpful guide: [1]

[1] https://www.makeuseof.com/how-to-change-albums-cover-photo-iphone/

On Windows

On Windows PCs, there are a couple ways to change the thumbnail image for music files:

Using Windows Media Player:

• Open Windows Media Player and navigate to the album you want to change the thumbnail for.
• Right click on the album and select Properties.
• Click on the Album tab and then click on the graphic that says “Change image.”
• Browse your computer and select the image you want to use as the new thumbnail.
• Click Save to set the new thumbnail image.

You can also change thumbnails using File Explorer:

• Navigate to the folder containing the music files in File Explorer.
• Right click on the folder and select Properties.
• Click the Customize tab and then click “Choose image” to select a new thumbnail.
• Click Save to update the thumbnail.

After changing the thumbnail, you may need to refresh your music library in Windows Media Player to see the updated art.

Some third party apps like MP3TAG also allow editing music metadata including thumbnails on Windows.

Conclusion

In summary, replacing the thumbnail on Android music is straightforward by finding the album art file, editing it with a photo editing tool, and refreshing the media library. There are a few options for locating the thumbnail file, including using a file manager app or connecting to a computer. Once the image file is replaced with a new one, the music library needs to be rescanned to update the thumbnail. While doing this manually takes a few steps, there are automated apps that can make replacing thumbnails much easier, requiring just a few taps. Both Android and iPhone users have access to convenient tools to customize their music thumbnails with minimal effort.

Overall, album art remains an important part of the music experience, as it connects visual aesthetics with the audio. With the ability to easily edit music thumbnails, users can truly personalize their music libraries.