How to Disable Automatic Link Previews in MacOS Ventura

After using this for a few hours, I realized that it affected many things including photos being sent and received. Although it works with hiding link preview, it impairs other functions. We still need an on/off option for link preview.

There is another Mail problem too: adding an image.

If I have a jpeg image somewhere (e.g. desktop) and then:

(1) if drag it into a mail message, Mail makes it into a tiff, and many of my recipients cannot see it;

(2) if I use Attach Files (⇧⌘A), select the file, then it remains a jpeg.

What a mess.

It used to be possible to click in the upper right corner and tell it to convert to a normal link. I just spent 10 minutes trying to get this to work, and I can’t figure it out now. So I’m trying to send someone an email from my business and rather than show a simple text link. I’ve got an image going all the way across the entire screen. Super unprofessional. Maybe I need to look at third-party mail apps imstead of the default one built into iOS. Is a major disappointment.

Todd

Are the recipients of your emails with these links seeing the same thing? Changing it o your Mac only changes it for your Mac. It depends on the receipients email client and settings as to how they view it. So changing it on your Mac doesn't necessarily carry over to the receipients computer.

In a corporate environment, link preview doesn't work because lots of URLs require SSO authentication to display which the mail app does not perform. So instead of just being annoying, it actually degrades functionality in this use case.

We need a setting to turn off link previews.

Original message is from Nov 2022 and auto hyperlink preview is not disabled yet? Seriously?!

Apple, please: make things that complicate life an option, not a default. This "feature" and other annoyances such as the removal of templates will make me abandon Apple Mail very soon.

ConradvSchubert wrote:

Apple, please: make things that complicate life an option, not a default. This "feature" and other annoyances such as the removal of templates will make me abandon Apple Mail very soon.

As has been noted repeatedly, Apple doesn't read here in this user-to-user forum for feedback or suggestions. You can, however, let them know your concerns here:

Product Feedback - Apple

I would point out that Apple probably doesn't care wheter or not you use their Mail app. In fact, if you decide to go with an app costs money and you buy it throught their App Store, that is of greater benefit to them.

You're my hero tonight. I was having this problem in iOS mail. Not the exact problem that the original person wrote about. I don't mind toggling between the two link types.

However, I am repeatedly not getting the toggle option at all, and you solved it for me. You can even remove the period after doing this and the link stays plain.

iOS 17 is a garbage update. There is so much wrong with it that this may be my very last iphone if they don't do something about it very soon.

Am moving over to Microsoft Outlook tonight even though I never thought I would write those words. Have been using Macs since, well, the Apple II. The idea that Apple wants to preview every one of my links in an email, whether I want to or not, is asinine. You've lost a lifelong customer to Microsoft (I can't believe it but here we are). Apple has lost its way. Received my settlement check for the iPhone thing last week, and today I'm still using an iPhone 8 even though you've deprecated iOS for it.

I guess having a market cap of over $2 trillion isn't enough? And I guess you don't have enough resources to make the products better? As someone who has supported your bottom line year after year, and evangelized the products, I have to say I'm rather disappointed.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

Did you read Chiefs2024's post made immediately before yours?

You must be kidding! Did you ever encounter a case where someone actually READ the thread they posted to before posting? (Of course, if they did they probably wouldn’t have posted, because they would have already found the answer; so I’ve answered my own question.)

It must be because Apple has a business model behind tracking server-calls on the images within our inboxes.

I click "convert to plain link" from your drop-down menu +20 times a day.

Please, Apple. STOP your persuasive image-preview.

peterlovs wrote:

Please, Apple. STOP your persuasive image-preview.

Are you using Sonoma? If so, the issue appears to have been resolved. You can read the post that was published immediately before yours for details.

Also, Apple doesn't read here for feedback or suggestions. You can, however, let them know your thoughts here:

Product Feedback - Apple

peterlovs wrote:

It must be because Apple has a business model behind tracking server-calls on the images within our inboxes.

I click "convert to plain link" from your drop-down menu +20 times a day.

Please, Apple. STOP your persuasive image-preview.

It must be because you don’t bother to read a thread before adding to it that you don’t know how to turn the feature off.

You don't like it, you can turn if off.

As has been show already in this thread, this is a one-liner in Terminal.

You just have to do it once, and these previews will never bother you again.

As to the "security risk", as others have pointed out, perhaps you'd care to explain why you say so.

There IS a way to turn it off... and it was mentioned more than once.

Here it is... again!

defaults write com.apple.mail DisableInlineAttachmentViewing -bool yes

I can understand that a preference setting would be better, but once you know the solution, please don't keep saying that it does not exist.