Double click image in iMessage doesn't open image

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Level 1

9 points

Double click image in iMessage doesn't open image

I'm running macOS Mojave 10.14.6 on a Macbook Pro. Since one of the Mojave updates some time back (3-6 months ago?), opening images in the Messages app via double-click stopped working.

Right clicking the image in the main app message window doesn't show an "open" option, only Tapback, Forward, Copy, Delete and Services. If you open the message thread, with one specific user and right click and image in the message thread then I do see an open option.

Where/how is this controlled? And how can I change it to go back to the previous behavior?

MacBook Pro Retina

Posted on Aug 13, 2019 9:45 AM

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Answer 1

Old Toad

Level 10

215,196 points

Aug 13, 2019 10:52 AM in response to elewis33

Boot into Safe Mode and try from there. Reboot normally and try again.

NOTE: Safe Mode boot can take up to 10 minutes as it's doing some system cache cleaning, volume verifying and directory repairing.

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Answer 2

Old Toad

Level 10

215,196 points

Aug 13, 2019 2:31 PM in response to elewis33

That's what I get: if if Control (right) - click on an image that hasn't been pre-selected I get the Photos Library and Desktop options in the dropdown contextual menu. If the image has been clicked on first and then Control (right) - clicked I don't get those options. Also Quicklook and Open work as expected.

You can report what you're experiencing to Apple via Feedback - Photos - Apple

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Answer 3

Old Toad

Level 10

215,196 points

Aug 13, 2019 3:40 PM in response to elewis33

Double clicking on the image in the message window does the same as the Space bar for Quicklook.

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Answer 4

elewis33 Author

Level 1

9 points

Aug 13, 2019 12:20 PM in response to Old Toad

Tried it and at first it seemed to work and then it just went back to the same broken behavior. This has happened to me in the past, after a reboot. It seemed to start working correctly and then didn't after just a couple image views.

What I'm seeing, more specifically than I described before, is that if an image is already selected from one of the message threads and I double-click it does nothing. When I right click that same pre-selected image I see the popup menu with the Tapback... Forward..., Copy, Delete and Services as I described before.

However, if an image is not pre-selected and I right click it, the image becomes selected then I see the popup with options to Quick Look, Open, Add to Photos Library, Use Image as Desktop Picture, Tapback..., Forward, Copy, Delete... and Services >.

At this point the Quick Look and Open options work as expected. However, it requires a very specific sequence of clicks to ensure it works reliably.

This is getting really annoying. Is there somewhere in the system where you can control this behavior, like setting a configuration with the terminal?

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