My understanding of this problem is that a file location is on a Windows system.
The file type should be among those that allows the explorer.exe application to access the document content and display it in the preview pane.
Given that Open Office [.od~] files open in the relevant program on Windows, it naturally follows that their compatibility in the system with the suite installed, should mean that a preview is possible in the explorer.exe or File>Open dialogue within the program itself.
Ideally, the [suite] launcher is not required, as explorer.exe is the most comprehensive way to regard those files in terms of detailed view and preview pane content. The whole file should be accessible too, not just a first page and as all the possible media a page can contain includes images and links, etc., so it’s likened to a .pdf file for which there is no associated problem.
What I see in this matter arising is the instance of data recovery benefitting most, as a backup folder could contain hundreds, thousands of [or more] files, so that the preview is invaluable because some of the files are simply not relevant to the user in the first instance, while others are immediately identifiable in preview and can be saved posthaste.
Having to open a file to see the content is tedious & very slow by comparison, and with a preview being possible with so many other file types, this format of file ought not present a problem with that - it should at least be able to present the text content and layout with other media shown where anchored if not displayed, and external links disabled at least as a toggled preference.
I’m regarding this topic because of personal interest, and have to say the preview not being available is a shocking slight to/from all concerned - the installation of programs on systems should be assuring a comprehensive means of access and editing - [file manager/] explorer.exe is a keystone in Windows operating systems, and all applications capable of running in the environment should be handled as close to native software as possible - there’s no call for everyone in the world to use MS Office as a paid & licensed product, and it should not be pursued to that end. The alternatives on offer, like Open/Libre Office, et al, have been around long enough for this simple element to their functionality to be considered normal usage.
Ultimately the end-user is not to be tasked with changing things in the operating system or application settings to get these sort of results - it is a natural predisposition of the software being used to run/open in all aspects of the environment - the Windows file browsing utility has a preview pane, the Office suite installation provides compatibility with the file types.
In fact, all means of opening such a file should preview it - so this would include an online location like Google Drive or Dropbox too, there’s no reason to suppose Windows is solely responsible for the issue; but if in the case of recovering a few thousand odt files that have been put in as many folders - there’s no click and drag, even from search results that collate them all together, to put them there in a single transfer operation either. What could be useful to someone on home wifi, so the computer they try support is easily accessed another way, falls short of this fundamental expectation.
The fact the last reply in the topic was four years ago illustrates how seriously it is being taken.