Preview renders PDF pages white

Have you installed and run any "cleaning", "optimizing", "speed-up", anti-virus or VPN apps on your Mac?

Give this a try: boot into Safe Mode according to How to use safe mode on your Mac and test to see if the problem persists. Reboot normally and test again.

NOTE 1: Safe Mode boot can take up to 3 - 5 minutes as it's doing the following; 

• Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed

• Loads only required kernel extensions (prevents 3rd party kernel/extensions from loading)

• Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically

• Disables user-installed fonts 

• Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files

NOTE 2: if you have a wireless keyboard with rechargeable batteries connect it with its charging cable before booting into Safe Mode. This makes it act as a wired keyboard as will insure a successful boot into Safe Mode.

Apple's Preview does not handle all PDFs and if the same PDF opens and displays properly in the current Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, then it emphasizes Adobe's ability to keep their application PDF handling more capable and current than Apple.

If your particular PDF behaves identically in the Adobe PDF Reader, then the problem is within the PDF itself.

DaSilva36 wrote:

Hullo,

when looking at PDFs Preview renders pages white; this seems to befall the full page as well as the thumbnails; it also seems to random re which page is concerned. Sometimes it seems as if for a moment the pages content is visible only to turn white quickly.

How to avoid this?

Thank you.

Try a true PDF editor and see if the view changes for you...

there are many, here are a few examples:

Acrobat Reader / Adobe Acrobat DC

https://get.adobe.com/reader/

PDFpen / Nitro

https://pdfpen.com/pdfpen/

pdfExpert

https://pdfexpert.com/

Master PDF Editor

https://code-industry.net/masterpdfeditor/?-about&ver=5832

Foxit Reader / Editor

https://www.foxit.com/

you can file a bug report /submit your Apple Feedback here: Product Feedback - Apple

VikingOSX wrote:

Both Apple's Preview, and Adobe's current Acrobat Reader DC display PDF pages in white. There is no dark page or thumbnail feature in either application by design.

I could be wrong but the way I read the OP is the pages and thumbnails are blank, i.e. have no content. Or they do for a second then disappear.

Both Apple's Preview, and Adobe's current Acrobat Reader DC display PDF pages in white. There is no dark page or thumbnail feature in either application by design.

You're welcome.