NEF files can no longer be seen in Preview. How can I restore this?

Ever since getting the Nikon Z9 (and now the Z8) cameras, the Preview option on my Macbook Pro 16" (2021) has been broken, only showing a generic NEF icon in place of the previewed photo. This has been an issue for months. I also have the same issue on my Macbook Air (M2). There are a handful of pages that come up when searching for help on this, but so far there is nothing I'm finding that actually solves this issue. Preview worked fine with files from my Nikon z7ii and earlier cameras. While I'm not a camera engineer, it doesn't make much sense that the previous mirrorless camera files worked fine in Preview, but the newest camera files are not working in Preview. Any help would be greatly appreciated. For now, I use a 3rd party app to cull through the thousands of photos I end up with. But it sure would be nice if my expensive Apple gear would actually work properly as it used to. Thanks!

MacBook Pro (2021)

Posted on Jul 13, 2023 3:46 PM

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VikingOSX

Level 10

123,218 points

Posted on Jul 14, 2023 1:46 PM

MacOS Ventura 13.4.1 only supports the Z9 images if they are in lossless RAW format and the Z8 is not yet supported in Ventura. See Digital camera RAW formats supported by iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura - Apple Support

It is entirely up to Nikon to provide Apple with current camera support data, and even when they do that, it is a matter of Apple choosing the point release of the current operating system, adding and testing the camera support, and then getting it scheduled for subsequent releases of Ventura, or deferring to Sonoma at this late date.

In the meanwhile, you can use the free, third-party XnView MP to view the .NEF images, or Adobe's Digital Negative Converter to transform the .NEF images into .DNG which are viewable in the Finder, Preview, and Quick Look.

Since the Apple product teams do not participate in these user-supported communities, no one knows when full support of the Z8 and Z9 cameras will occur. If that arrives in Sonoma, Apple will not make that support retroactive to Ventura or earlier operating systems.

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NEF files can no longer be seen in Preview. How can I restore this?

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