Sierra Finder crash on web link quickview

I just updated to Safari 12.0.2 in Sierra 10.12.6 and the fix is NOT in – as noted by Rossi Paolo. Hitting spacebar to invoke a web preview of a .webloc file still hideously wipes out all Finder windows and then brings them back. Apple, surely you must know this needs to be fixed now. I remain embarrassed for Apple.

I also started having these problems a few weeks ago – don't know for sure if it started with a system update. Anyway, I noticed Spotlight was crashing regularly, so I blamed it at first. I'm always a bit wary using Spotlight, and we've never been friends... But as I found myself whipping up Finder windows too often to search for something simple, I thought I'd just dig into this issue and find the cause and maybe a solution. I already re-indexed Spotlight's database to be sure, but it didn't work (of course).

And then I noticed Spotlight isn't the cause – it just suffers from a more deeper problem, while trying to access and preview those darned webloc files and browser's favorites and history! (Switching off Spotlight's Search preferences for web related stuff helps getting it to act properly again.) I quickly also noticed the QuickLook feature and certain Finder's window view options were even crashing the Finder when accessing these resources.

Now, let's have a look at the real problem: those webloc files.

In order to set a better diagnose, I tested another user account on the same system. That user (which I often use for presentations or giving courses) didn't have the problem, so that narrowed possible causes to some specific user component. So reinstalling the system probably won't solve a thing, although a newer system element might be related to the real cause.

While stress-testing it, I even created an almost insolvable situation: I opened a Get Info window for a webloc file, with the Preview section opened, so the Finder crashed. But somehow this window status became permanent, so my Finder couldn't restart anymore ! I couldn't bypass the re-opening of windows anymore, so I had to boot-up from a different disk to delete some SavedState file from my User Library folder...

So I'm pretty sure it is caused by a stingy file or preference in my User Library for my default user. And it's probably a combination of two seemingly unrelated causes (as complex problems often turn out to be).

Hope this helps other to at least be able to use Spotlight again (although without those web resources) and maybe to find the true culprit in this matter.

BTW: I'm also still on Sierra, because I still have to use some pretty old versions of some applications.

My two responses to Chris Alvarado were deleted by a moderator:

"We removed your post “Sierra Finder crash on web link quickview” because it discussed inappropriate activities. We understand wanting to share experiences, but these forums are meant for technical questions that can be answered by the community."

We sometimes learn by "inappropriate activities." I did. I thought I posted an "appropriate" way to roll back to Safari 10 to resolve "Sierra Finder crash on web link QuickLook preview" – by reinstalling Sierra from the Recovery Partition. I do not think my comments should have been removed. Will this comment be removed, too?

I guess your mention (and use) of that specific utility set off some bells and whistles at the moderation desk. Well, in a way, it's maybe better that users learn to use such tools sparingly...

On the other hand, your crucial warning for that typo ("qlmanage" in stead of "qlmaange") has also been removed. If they remove your recent comment (and maybe mine as well) then I do hope that the moderator (or Chris) will also correct this typo !

I also mentioned turning off SIP which is usually a no-no. I don't see how Chris Alvarado could have made his own "inappropriate" changes to Web.qlgenerator without deactivating SIP.

These are desperate measures for desperate times. Apple seems to be ignoring the importance of fixing this Finder crash in Sierra. I am not upgrading to High Sierra or Mohave anytime soon because I am a graphic, video and sound designer who needs a stable system. Sierra has been my happy resting place for the time being. Our own local guru – Ed at Central Coast Solutions – advises the Twin Cities Creatives Group not to upgrade beyond Sierra until all the bugs have been eradicated from OS 10.13.x and 10.14.x.

In the meantime, I accidentally noticed that previewing .webarchive files does NOT result in a Finder crash. They reveal their content effortlessly in Quicklook, Info panels and Column view. So it might have something to do with the actual summoning of the web services, instead of the need for Quicklook to display web-related content. Maybe this helps pinpointing the culprit...

Too bad you just can't change the default application for webloc files in the Info panel, to close in on a better diagnose. The System Preferences can set the default browser to e.g. Chrome, but that still doesn't affect the Open With setting in the Info panel, and still results in a crash of Finder...

Petertje: I received an email notice that you posted a followup note at 1:18 PM CST on 1/4/2019 (quoted in full in the email). But it is nowhere to be found here. Did they censor it? I saw nothing "Inappropriate." Or did you delete it yourself? – edit: Never mind. I see it now. Must have been a time delay.

As a followup to my travails, I did have momentary relief from Finder crashing. It lasted about a day. I had reinstalled Sierra from scratch (via Recovery Partition). That gave me Safari 10 which did NOT result in .webloc files crashing Finder when invoking QuickLook. When Safari 10 mysteriously did not allow me to log into a couple of my WordPress websites (as admin), I caved into the App Store prompt to upgrade to Safari 12.0.2. Lo and behold, no more .webloc files crashing Finder – until I rebooted my Mac Pro! Sadness: the Finder crashing returned. I still am adamant about not moving beyond Sierra 10.12.6. It provides stability in the midst of Adobe Creative Cloud insanity with their latest app updates.

Nothing wrong with my earlier post - I can see it clearly above your recent reply. Must be a glitch...

There's definitely something fishy about some associated user library component being updated or getting corrupted, because the system and applications are running flawlessly in another relatively clean user account on my Mac. Of course, it will turn out to be some freaky combination of an innocently appearing plist, log, or cache file. Wanna bet ?

Unfortunately I don't have enough time the coming weeks to try ruling out all kinds of possible causes in my simple user-centric fashion. I'm on a deadline every week for the next 2 months, so I really need my system to be rock solid. After that, I'll probably upgrade to Mojave anyway. Oh yes, there are always some bug reports and troubled situations with the latest OS version. But I don't worry too much about those. At least these newer systems and applications get all the attention and timely updates – which is much more than this old Sierra dog is getting from Apple...

If you are using the column view in Finder, try the list or icon view.

Windows closing when clicking on .webloc files.

See if anything here helps.

finder crash when clicking on any web link located inside the folder

I never use that view- only icon or list. Would your idea make a difference in those 2 views?

Same problem here, too. All of the link I have saved in folders are giving me grief.

Same, exact problem here on multiple computers running Sierra after the Safari 12 update. Has anyone gotten any feedback from Apple directly on this yet if and when they plan a fix?