[Finder] Quick Look shows HTML files as plain text

What you are showing is NOT Quicklook, even though it suggests Quicklook will probably fail to do what you expected.

Select the file and press SPACE. A Quicklook window opens.

FWIW Quicklook shows a preview oh html pages for me, including images etc.

FWIW, you can call it "Finder Preview" or "Finder Preview Pane". QuickLook is just that. No need to say QuickLook app.

And no, you cannot render HTML files in the Finder Preview Pane.

Use a browser to view html files if you want the file to "render". What you are seeing is the plain text html code. If you want a php file to execute, the php file must be served by a php server otherwise all you'll see is plain text php code.

Hello thulium,

Quicklook is rendering HTML files fine for me. Maybe you have some system modification or internet plug-in that is interfering. Try creating a new local account on your machine and try it there. If it works, then the problem is likely some software or plug-in running locally to your account. If it still doesn't work, then the problem is deeper than that.

PHP really needs a web server. In theory, you could probably make it work. But I don't see Apple or anyone else going to that level of effort for a web development task.

The majority, but not all, of the .html files that I have from older editing sessions that are UTI text/html charset=us-ascii will neither show the resolved HTML page on the icon, nor in Quick Look. The system thinks these are just code.

Those that are UTI text/html charset=utf-8 all display the resolved HTML on the icon, and in Quick Look. All have Safari in common as the default Open With browser. The only browser plug-ins in use are current Adobe Flash, and the Apple default PDF plug-in. No Extensions are used.

Try saving a web page as web archive of Safari. It completely works for me, even for php business sites. Slide bar inside web pages like iframe also works on Quicklook.app, it's funny.

You're welcome. As etresoft mentioned, it could be for performance reasons, i.e. not to slow the Finder down. It could be some other reason.

You can always send Apple feedback. They don't answer but, if enough people request a feature I'm sure they would consider it.

Feedback - macOS - Apple

Hello again thulium,

I don't know anything about a "quick look" app. I was only referring to macOS "QuickLook" feature that displays a preview when you press the space bar. If you have a "quick look" an app installed, I suggest you remove it and see if that fixes the problem. I can get a screenshot, but it is on my High Sierra machine which is in the other room. You'll just have to trust me (and dialabrain) that it works.

PHP files will only show like html files if properly loaded from a server. In most cases, they will require a long list of add-on libraries, databases, and various other resources that are unlikely to exist on your Mac.

I'm totally confused now. Throughout this thread, you have only posted one screenshot of an Apple product and in that screenshot, the preview was correct. Are you saying that you posted the Apple screenshot in error and it is Forklift that isn't working?

You will have to ask the developers of Forklift for help with that. Here is their support page: http://www.binarynights.com/forklift/support

According to your screenshots, QuickLook appears to be working. You keep asking for screenshots. OK. Here you go:

The selected file is the index file from one of my websites. You can see the Finder preview thumbnail in the right hand pane. I have pressed the space bar to display the full QuickLook preview image in a separate window.

On the right, in the Finder Preview pane, is a QuickLook preview of the document. When it does the thumbnail preview, it doesn't appear to include CSS style sheets. I guess it does that for performance reasons, which makes sense. The full preview includes the style sheets.

Could you include a screenshot of your own that shows the feature not working? So far, the only screenshot you have provided is on that shows it is working.

And can you PLEASE clarify what you mean by this 'app "Quick look"'? Do you have an app called "Quick Look" in your applications folder? If so, that is what is causing your problem. Drag it to the Trash and empty.

Luis Sequeira1 wrote:

What you are showing is NOT Quicklook

That is Quicklook. Quicklook has two modes - thumbnail and preview. I assume the thumbnail version doesn't pull in external style sheets for performance.

I am assuming that external CSS style sheets are not used for thumbnails for performance reasons. The Finder can display hundreds or thousands of such thumbnail previews at once. The Finder preview pane is somewhere in-between. It only displays a single file but it does not require a special command, like the space bar, to display it. Given that the preview isn't displayed by default, and HTML files on disk are relatively rare on most users' machines, it seems like the correct choice from my perspective.

I am assuming that external CSS style sheets are not used for thumbnails for performance reasons. The Finder can display hundreds or thousands of such thumbnail previews at once. The Finder preview pane is somewhere in-between. It only displays a single file but it does not require a special command, like the space bar, to display it. Given that the preview isn't displayed by default, and HTML files on disk are relatively rare on most users' machines, it seems like the correct choice from my perspective.

I agree. When I don't feel like launching a browser, I use preview.app. And to look though every file in a certain folder with certain category, once you push a space bar on a first file and resize it, you don't need extra action from the second file. You just push down arrow to preview next file. Another advantage using preview for previewing is that you can scroll contents in a long file. I recommend safari to save html files for that purpose, because web archives are single-all-in-one web file so that you don't come across folders or other messy files, you just push down arrows to see a next file.