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Quick Look in finder only shows a small image

After installing MacOS Monterey Quick lock in finder just showing a small image. I often use space bar to have quick look at image but with macOS Monterey I only get a small image, the same size that I already have in finder. This is useless. I tried different modifiers and with Option I get an image that is a little bigger but not as big as before.


How do I get the old Quick Look function back?

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Oct 31, 2021 8:47 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Nov 14, 2021 12:30 PM

Clint32 wrote:

Relaunching Finder fixed this issue for me without rebooting.

Press Option (⌥) while two-finger clicking (or right click, or control-option-click) on Finder in the Dock; select "Relaunch" and try Quick Look again.

Thank you, that is the right solution to restore Quick Look.

41 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Nov 14, 2021 12:30 PM in response to Clint32

Clint32 wrote:

Relaunching Finder fixed this issue for me without rebooting.

Press Option (⌥) while two-finger clicking (or right click, or control-option-click) on Finder in the Dock; select "Relaunch" and try Quick Look again.

Thank you, that is the right solution to restore Quick Look.

Mar 7, 2022 11:12 AM in response to TheTrappistMonk

Reiterating what @TheTrappistMonk found in Dropbox, now for OneDrive: When I first open a synced folder and try to preview a pdf file with Quick Look, it shows only a thumbnail of the first page. But if I open the same file in Preview, then close it, and again try Quick Look, it now shows the usual sneak peek of the whole file, with all its pages.


My guess is that the file was actually being indexed on cloud storage, but after opening it there's a cached local version, and it's that cache that Quick Look is actually consulting to build its display. But that's pure guesswork, not informed by any knowledge of the underlying code.


Feb 3, 2022 6:55 AM in response to Stefan Gadnell

Hmm … can not find quick lock at the location you told. Restart doesn't help. it is just not there. Only Core Sync Helper is available - nothing else.


So Quick Look is out of order for EPS, PDF etc. as well. Even the preview of EPS, PDF etc. in a standard folder doesn't work … feels like a windows computer now painful ^^ hopefully apple will fix this (for me huge) problem with 12.2 very very fast. i really need the preview of EPS files :/


in one folder i have more than 300 EPS files. all now with the same icon - no previews. yay -.-

Feb 3, 2022 9:09 AM in response to mouseless

i had tested several ways. as well clearing quick look cache at library, settings, press option-space … it is crazy but nothing works for EPS and PDF here. Files on Server and Files on Desktop - all the same. Only for JPGs and PSDs it is working but not for any PDF or EPS. Icons of files, preview in folder and quick look via space or option-space … have no clue anymore what to do. hopefully my new mac arriving in april will do it. my bad i updated way to early at 12.1 … normally i wait until .3 or .4

Feb 13, 2022 8:32 AM in response to mouseless

Nothing works for me.

There is no option of Quick Look in Extensions, the above keystroke combination does nothing etc. I have tried all the fixes suggested on this and other forums, and nothing helps.

What I have realised, though, is that files stored on my laptop itself can be previewed with Quick Look, but but I keep my main work in Dropbox as it needs to be accessed by my home laptop and office iMac. The ones in Dropbox (ie stored in the cloud/with a third party etc) do not preview correctly and only show a thumbnail preview.

Apple: can you please look into this? It is a major shortcoming/bug in this system update and needs to be fixed PDQ.

Feb 15, 2022 12:58 AM in response to TheTrappistMonk

Select > Command > Option | not working for me

or relaunching Finder | did not fix it for me

or Preferences -> Extension | there is no extension called Quick Look or something else


and it is not only Quick Look while pressing space bar. its all the icons of some files in folder on desktop or on server. main files without any preview are mp4 and EPS. Sometimes PDF, PSD, and AI as well.


Agree with TheTrappistMonk … please fix it very soon. working is more complicated now. and after some weeks it's really annoying …


all the recommendations in this thread or these on other websites are not working.

Quick Look in finder only shows a small image

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