Preview opens previous documents automatically

This 'feature' is totally absurd in preview.

It might also be helpful to note that even after clearing that check box, I had to manually close all of the windows that Preview had opened, otherwise when I started Preview up it would still open each of the documents that were there when I quit. However I can now quit Preview with multiple windows open and none of them will resume when I next open the app.

Thanks for the extra information.

The idea behind this new feature sounds great, but it probably needs a little tweeking before I use it. I like knowing that I can type CMD+Q and it will simultaneously close all my windows and it will be the end of them.

I agreee with otto brien - totally absurd to be saving the state of an application for Preview-ing documents.

It appears that you can pick and choose which apps will have a saved state - find the appropriate subfolder in the '~/Library/Saved Application State' folder, delete its contents and then lock it in 'Get Info'.

But for some reason Preview doesn't seem to have a folder for this, so its saving all the junk (sorry, I mean 'saved state') somewehere else.

I am opening documents to show employess and other docs automatically open, these are confidential and I should be able to preview only the document I choose at the time.

HOW do you turn this silly feature off??

Here are the full instructions:

System Preferences > under Personal, click on General > under Number of recent items, click on None for all of them > check the Restore windows when quitting and re-opening apps box.

That worked for me.

I'm fairly novice with Mac. Loved it before I installed Lion. For some reason, before the install, I lost what I had backed up to Time Machine. Now, my Mac is all messed up, and I'm very annoyed. Have to get it fixed. *sigh* Some of the Lion changes are not so hot, such as this issue in this thread. Wish they hadn't messed with all of it.

Brian Gavin wrote:

So, we found one of the first idiots. Who mentioned anything about restarting? Or you never quit and app?

Get in line with the other idiots.

You have no reason to be rude (plus that's a violation of the Terms of Use here).

As posted above, via System Prefs > General, you can change the behavior when quitting apps.

As CT (and many of us have found), even with that changed, it is sometimes preferable to have windows reopen automatically after a restart or power off; there is a separate option when doing either.

What would be really nice here is control at the application level of this feature. I want to have an inclusion list or exclusion list of applications that use this feature. Preview it makes no sense. I have found it a bit clunky in office products too. Maybe I am doing it wrong.

I'm with you on this but you aren't supposed to quit apps anymore. Instead, you are supposed to close windows when you are done with them. If you do it this way, the problem is non-existant. Lion features many of the memory management features of iOS and as such, running programs are supposed to give up their memory or quit when necessary, automagically.

I admit I have not yet adjusted to this. This feature will work well for my wife who never quits any apps.

It appears that you can pick and choose which apps will have a saved state - find the appropriate subfolder in the '~/Library/Saved Application State' folder, delete its contents and then lock it in 'Get Info'.

- but Preview and Textedit don't have subfolders

heey guys!

i ticked all the boxes in general settings, related to reopening etc, to NONE.

But Preview keeps opening allllllll my pictures in Seperate windows.. its really annoying my computer cant handle this..

what to do ?

I've unchecked the option to 'restore windows when quitting and re-opening apps'... but it's still doing it. Sometimes. (I'm at a loss to figure out why it sometimes does and sometimes doesn't.)

Any suggestions?

Thanks much.

-Ignolopi

(10.7.3)

Went to System Prefernces/personal/general

Unticked box witn restore windows when quitting and reopening apps - worked for us

We di dput none in each of the boxes above then changed that back to 5 but don't think that is part of it.

I know you've done it but can only say what we did.

Apple seems not to get customers to test run their products, I mean people who don't know how it all works (us) and have no interest in how it works (us) we just want it to work as in their ad.

Another thing the lettering in ALL their windows like iCal. Addres Book etc is way too small. We have a 27" screen and practically live inside it when I have a health prob that means I have to sit back. Wonderful suystem but numnut designers and no real person testers.! That's my grumble. Cheers

Here is the true solution.

Open Preview (all old annoying files open with it)

Quit the program using CMD + OPTION + Q (NOT JUST CMD + Q)

Re-Open the program. This will purge all current documents.

Then, to avoid this problem in the future, apply the talked about fix through

System Prefs > General > Restore windows when quitting and re-opening apps

Would you be able to tell me exactly how I can turn this feature off?