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User profile for user: jhkellyau
jhkellyau Author
User level: Level 1
6 points

Thumbnails not generating for video files in finder

I've been doing some video editing for work recently and have noticed that thumbnails are not generating for all video files within different folders in finder. This is particularly evident when working with larger folders (1000+ files), where thumbnails are generated to a certain point when scrolling down before stopping. This is occurring on my older Macbook Pro 2015 as well as my newer iMac 2019, both running the latest version of Big Sur and desktop HDD for video storage. Video files are all mp4s (not mkvs). Have tried clearing finder preferences and relaunching, but will always stop generating thumbnails after a certain point. Is this a general issue on current macOS or is there a limit for the number of thumbnails that can be produced in a folder at one time?

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.4

Posted on Jul 8, 2021 11:44 PM

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1 reply
User profile for user: chris_g1
chris_g1
User level: Community Specialist

Jul 10, 2021 6:01 AM in response to jhkellyau

Hello jhkellyau,


Thanks for reaching out to us for support. It's never fun when thumbnails are not generating video files within Finder, and we are going to do everything we can to help you. When you have a free moment, can you please tell us when you first encountered this issue and if you have made any changes to the settings on your Mac? Also, please check out the link below for steps that can potentially help you to resolve your issue, and if they are unsuccessful, please provide us with some specifics on what you’re seeing for more help.


Rebuild the Spotlight index on your Mac


Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities.


Cheers!

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Thumbnails not generating for video files in finder

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