When trying to preview image in Messages, a blank image pops up

Hi,

Check the pic is in ~/Library/Messages/Attachments.

You will find many seemingly random names on the files so the Modification Column if shown is likely to give clues to the dates.

Even then the actual pic is still several sub folders deep.

In the Finder > View Menu is > Show Path Bar and this make the Path or route to the folder/file get shown across the bottom of the window.

The Modification option is also in the Finder > View Menu > Show View options

Once you know you can se the place(s) the pics are right click one and select Get Info

It should open an Info Panel and at the bottom is the Read and Write Permission.

Your Short Name (The same as the Little House Icon) should be listed.

You should have Read and Write permissions.

Highlight your Name and Unlock the padlock then use the little cogwheel type icon under the list.

This should read "Make yourShortName (Me) the Owner in greyed out text (already done).

Now right click and select Get info and repeat for all the folders back to the Library (I.e. the folder 00 in this case then Attachments then Messages)

If you don't have Read and Write Permissions to the folders then it may not be writing new pics to the folder.

10:09 pm Wednesday; April 29, 2015

Hi,

What about the attachments folder itself and the ones that contain that folder (messages and the Library itself) ?

As you transferred some items you can already access then I would expect you to Own the lower folders sand have Read and Write permissions.

The issue is whether the 'new" items are being saved.

Also go to ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.iChat/Data/Library/Messages and the Alias for the attachments folder (This is the actual Read and Write route used during the app's operation).

The Alias should open the real Attachments folder.

You should have Read and Write permissions to all the containing folders.

7:29 pm Thursday; April 30, 2015

Hi,

I found that I didn't have the Ownership of the ~/Library/Messages/Attachments.

However changing this has not improved things for me.

In a related issue I have been looking for where the list and the text of the visible chats is stored and I cannot find this either.

The New Attachments should be stored in ~/Library/Messages/Attachments.

The long path has a Alias at the end which then point to the Attachments folder.

If you are seeing new pictures or files in there then that part works.

In the Chats/Conversations I have "Open" in the main Messages window the double click of a pic does reveal it so I can stretch it larger or open it in another app (It offers me Preview).

However in one Chat I did find two attempts to send me a Pic.

The Attachments folder shows the attempt but no Content.

It shows zero Bytes for the folder and the folder has nothing in it.

This is somewhat closer to your original question in that it refers to a specific picture.

I am still struggling to find a replica of your situation where the pic appears to be "Saved" as an attachment but fails to be double click-able (my situation above was found by trying to double click the items).

8:58 pm Thursday; April 30, 2015

Hi,

What I do get on the ones that work is a Name across the top rather that further down like your first post pic.

I also get an option to Open with and it shows Preview.

If you Right Click the picture it offers a Contextual Menu and this has Quick Look as an option and this is the same as a Double Click.

Do you get the same options and the same result ?

If so can you select Quick Look of other pictures such as Screen Shots on the Desktop or items in the ~/Pictures folder ?

i.e. is Quick Look working ?

7:15 pm Friday; May 1, 2015

Hi,

Thanks for the detail.

Try this.

In Applications/Utilities open the Disk Utility.

Highlight the Boot Drive by the name that appears on the Desktop (normally Macintosh HD)

Use the First Aid tab on the right hand pane.

Use the Repair Permissions option at the left of the bottom of the right hand pane.

This will take a little while.

It does not change anything in your Home Folder (or any other User's folder)

It uses the updated database (from Updates and Installs) as to what the permissions are supposed to be.

This may re-establish the link between Messages and Quick Look.

If that does not work Install the COMBO version of the 10.10.3 Update over what you have

OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 Combo Update

8:44 pm Friday; May 1, 2015

HUMM,

I am very reluctant to suggest it but a reinstall seems all that is left.

9:19 pm Friday; May 1, 2015

I just solved this problem for myself.

The issue was that (for some reason) the symlink ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.iChat/Data/Library/Messages/Attachments was pointing to /Library/Messages/Attachments and not ~/Library/Messages/Attachments.

Changing the symlink to point to the correct folder solved the problem.

To do this, open up the terminal application and run the following command:

ln -sf ~/Library/Messages/Attachments ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.iChat/Data/Library/Messages/Attachments

Which means "Create a symlink called ~/Library/Messages/Attachments that points to ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.iChat/Data/Library/Messages/Attachments, and overwrite it if it already exists"

Good luck.

Hi,

As the Attachments folder was in the "right' place I am surprised you didn't just replace the Alias.

However the info is useful and points to a possible place to look.

Have you any idea how your Alias got moved or the Symlink itself was changed originally ?

9:08 p.m. Wednesday; August 19, 2015

I was trying to fix an issue with Messages where pictures were not showing up at all. As I recall, the correct solution was to change a specific file to a folder and set the appropriate permissions. However, I tried a few things before that, and I believe that this was one of the things I tired. Now, I believe I was following another guide online about how to fix the missing image issue. It could be that I fat-fingered one of the commands that guide listed, or that guide could have had a typo in it. It's been a few months since I fixed the issue, so I don't remember exactly what happened. I do remember that I was the one messing around with the symlink in the terminal though.