How to Fix File Icon Preview Thumbnails Not Showing on MacOS

Trying to repair the file icon preview thumbnails not displaying on macOS?

A thumbnail is a small-size visible illustration of a file, doc, image, and so forth., that permits a consumer to peek into its content material. You can manage and find any file using this characteristic on Mac.

However, it may be fairly troublesome if the thumbnails all of the sudden disappear and also you solely see the default icon. This may be brought on by varied causes, resembling a disabled icon preview or an outdated macOS.

In this text, we are going to dive into a number of troubleshooting strategies to repair File icon preview thumbnails not displaying on MacOS. So, let’s start!

1. Ensure That the Entire File is Downloaded.  

If the icon preview of a file isn’t displaying on the Finder menu, the very very first thing that you must do is examine whether or not the complete file is downloaded or not. Regardless of the browser you’re using, if the file or media continues to be downloading, its thumbnail gained’t present on Finder until the obtain course of is full. 

However, if you happen to’re certain that the information are totally downloaded however the file icon preview thumbnails are nonetheless not displaying on macOS, head to the following technique from this information to repair it. 

2. Enable Icon Preview. 

The older macOS variations displayed a easy file icon moderately than thumbnail images. But with the newer OS X variations, Apple has enabled the file icon preview thumbnails by default. So, if you happen to’ve by chance tweaked this characteristic off, it could be the rationale behind the File icon preview thumbnails not displaying on macOS. 

Here’s how to toggle on the icon preview characteristic on Mac: 

1. Click on Finder from the dock.
2. Go to View from the menu bar on the prime of the display screen.
3. Then, choose Show View Options from the record.

4. Click on the Show icon preview field to allow it.

After that, return to the Finder menu to see the file icon preview thumbnails. 

3. Force Quit and Relaunch Finder. 

Sometimes, a brief error or glitch could come up within the Finder app, which can trigger the File icon preview thumbnails to not present on macOS downside. So, if you happen to’ve enabled the icon preview choice however nonetheless can’t see file thumbnails on Finder, contemplate force-stopping the Finder app. Then, relaunch it after a number of moments to repair the difficulty. 

Here’s how to do it:

1. Click on Finder in your Mac.
2. Then, go to Applications.
3. Locate the Utilities folder and double-click on it.
4. From there, launch the Activity Monitor by double-clicking on it.

5. Go to view from the Activity Monitor’s menu bar.
6. Now, click on on All Processes.
7. Search for ‘com.apple.quicklook.ThumbnailsAgent’ within the search bar positioned on the prime proper nook and press the Enter key.
8. Click on the outcome and choose the X icon on the taskbar.

9. A dialog field will seem. From there, click on on the Force Quit button.
10. After that, go to the Apple menu and click on on Force Quit Activity Monitor.
11. Choose Finder from the record of purposes and choose Relaunch.

Now, you must be capable of see the file icon preview thumbnails within the Finder menu. If not, transfer to the next technique to resolve your downside. 

5. Ensure You Have an Active Internet Connection. 

A steady web connection is vital for 2 issues when viewing the file thumbnails on macOS. Firstly, it’s required to fully obtain the file or media from the web browser to see its icon preview. 

Secondly, if you happen to’re making an attempt to preview thumbnails of cloud storage information saved on Finder, resembling Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, and so forth. These cloud storage apps on Mac are built-in with the Finder app. So, they present you the file icon preview thumbnails solely when you’ve an lively web connection since these information should not downloaded in your system. Hence, you need to have a powerful web connection in your Mac. 

You could examine your web velocity and swap to a 5Hz frequency band in case the Wi-Fi indicators are poor. This ought to repair the File icon preview thumbnails not displaying on macOS problem. 

6. Regenerate Finder PLIST File. 

The Finder PLIST information on Mac save your app preferences for later use. However, these information sometimes change into defective or corrupted and need to be deleted to repair the Finder app malfunctions. 

So, if the File icon preview thumbnails should not displaying on macOS, delete the Finder PLIST file by following the steps talked about under:

1. First, launch Finder in your Mac.
2. Next, choose Go from the menu bar.
3. Click on Go to Folder from the record of choices.

4. Then, enter the next command:

~/Library/Preferences.

5. Look for the ‘com.apple.finder.plist’ file and right-click on it.
6. Select the Move to Bin choice.

7. After that, press Command + Shift + Delete to empty your Mac bin.
8. A affirmation field will seem on the display screen. Click on the Empty Trash button to verify.
9. Lastly, reboot your Mac. The rebooting course of will regenerate the Finder PLIST File.

Once finished, examine if you happen to can see the icon preview thumbnails for information on the Finder menu. 

7. Activate Safe Mode. 

Another troubleshooting technique which will assist resolve the file icon preview not working is in addition your Mac in Safe Mode. This means, you possibly can decide if the difficulty was brought on by any apps which will have interfered with the Finder app performance. 

Simply comply with the steps under to activate Safe Mode. For an Apple Silicon Mac:

1. First, go to the Apple menu, then choose Shut Down to energy off your Mac.

2. Once the Mac is totally shut down, press and maintain the Power button to show in your Mac.
3. Let go of the Power button when you see the Startup choices seem on the display screen.
4. Then, select your Startup disc.
5. Press and maintain down the Shift key as you click on on Continue in Safe Mode.

6. Finally, sign up to your Mac.

For an Intel Processor Mac:

1. Press the Power button to show in your Mac.
2. As your Mac restarts, press and maintain down the Shift key.

3. Once the Login window seems, let go of the Shift key and sign up to your Mac. You have now activated Boot Mode.

Once in Safe Mode, examine if you happen to can preview thumbnails of information on macOS. If not, transfer to the following technique talked about on this information. 

8. Clear Cache by way of Terminal Command. 

If the file icon preview thumbnails are lacking for each the Finder and Mac docks, the difficulty could also be widespread. For this cause, contemplate clearing the cache by way of the Terminal instructions to shortly resolve the issue. 

1. First, press the Command + Space shortcut keys out of your keyboard to launch Terminal.
2. Run the next instructions one after the other:

qlmanage -r cache

qlmanage -r

killall com.apple.quicklook.ThumbnailsAgent

killall Dock

Make certain to press Enter after every command to run it. This will clear the cache and repair the File icon preview thumbnails not displaying on macOS.

9. Update macOS. 

Occasionally, Apple releases patch updates to introduce new options and eliminates varied bugs. So, if you happen to’re dealing with the File icon preview thumbnails not displaying on macOS problem, contemplate checking if there’s a macOS update. If there’s one out there, update your Mac and see if it fixes the issue. 

1. Go to the Apple menu on the prime left nook of the display screen.
2. Next, click on on System Preferences.

3. Once the window opens, choose Software Update.
4. If there may be any pending update, click on on Upgrade Now.

Since updating your macOS could take some time, we recommend you totally cost your Mac and connect with a powerful web connection earlier than beginning the downloading course of.

This sums up our information on how to repair File icon preview thumbnails not displaying on macOS. If you’ve any queries, be happy to make use of the feedback part under. We’ll be comfortable to help you additional.