The Preview pane in Finder windows can show a comprehensive list of metadata, or a shortened list you can customise in Preview Options. Here’s how to use it and how it can provide further information.
QuickLook
For the last 10 years, macOS has relied on Uniform Type Identifiers to recognise different types of files, for opening in apps, QuickLook, Spotlight and in other features.
Two confounding factors to take into account when interpreting timestamps on files: what updates the Last opened time, and access via QuickLook.
How to discover which apps were launched, which appexes were run, and life cycle events for executable bundles, and map waypoints and events in the log.
Since 2007, Quick Look has provided us with faithful thumbnails and previews of images. Then in 2020 their corners were cropped, and that’s not getting any better with macOS 26 Tahoe.
From the start of the fourth cycle in M4 Macs and the smallest ever, through the omission in macOS VMs, and QuickLook shortcomings, to the stealth firmware update.
How to discover which QuickLook generator or app extension should be creating Thumbnails or Previews for different file types, using this new version of Mints.
From the original Desktop databases linking files to distinctive icons, to the sophistication of QuickLook, how display of thumbnails for files has changed in Mac OS.
Have documents saved by your favourite apps lost their custom Thumbnails and Previews in Sequoia? Here’s what has gone wrong, and what you do about it.
Thumbnails viewed in the Finder, and previews now supporting Live Text and more. But what if it runs into problems? Here’s how to diagnose and solve them.
The Eclectic Light Company 