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Finder Preview Inconsistent with Microsoft Word Docs

I have noticed that when I press the space bar or CMD+Y for lookup in the finder app, as I start moving the selection down through the file list (with down arrow key) from the top, initially I get full sized previews for microsoft word documents. But if I keep scrolling down, I eventually get to one word document that only shows a thumbnail. If I then try to move back up (up arrow key) to the previous ones that I just saw full-sized previews for, I start to see thumbnails for those files. It always works fine for pdfs.


It's so strange and of course inconvenient (I want those large full sized previews that can actually show me the text content for all the files) and I can't seem to figure out what's going on.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 11.3

Posted on Sep 10, 2021 8:00 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 10, 2021 11:13 PM

I'm not sure if macOS has a limit of number of thumbnails generated in the system.

Are these Word Docs Encrypted / Password protected?


I would suggest you to check with MS Office forums / Support.


Safe mode can be helpful to troubleshoot.

How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support

NoteSafe mode prevents your Mac from loading certain software as it starts up, including login items, system extensions not required by macOS, and fonts not installed by macOS. It also does a basic check of your startup disk, similar to using First Aid in Disk Utility. And it deletes some system caches, including font caches and the kernel cache, which are automatically created again as needed.

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 10, 2021 11:13 PM in response to nat16_1

I'm not sure if macOS has a limit of number of thumbnails generated in the system.

Are these Word Docs Encrypted / Password protected?


I would suggest you to check with MS Office forums / Support.


Safe mode can be helpful to troubleshoot.

How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support

NoteSafe mode prevents your Mac from loading certain software as it starts up, including login items, system extensions not required by macOS, and fonts not installed by macOS. It also does a basic check of your startup disk, similar to using First Aid in Disk Utility. And it deletes some system caches, including font caches and the kernel cache, which are automatically created again as needed.

Finder Preview Inconsistent with Microsoft Word Docs

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