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11
votes
4
answers
6855
views
Is there a Quick Look plug-in for ZIP files?
Is there a Quick Look plug-in that works with ZIP files, and that lists all the files contained in the archive? It is also fine if it lists at least some of the files.
Is there a Quick Look plug-in that works with ZIP files, and that lists all the files contained in the archive? It is also fine if it lists at least some of the files.
avpaderno
(4510 rep)
Feb 22, 2011, 06:34 PM
• Last activity: May 14, 2025, 03:58 PM
14
votes
5
answers
6554
views
Is there a Quick Look plugin for epub?
Is there a Quick Look plugin to preview [.epub][1] (ebook) files? [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPUB
Is there a Quick Look plugin to preview .epub (ebook) files?
DaG
(3020 rep)
Feb 13, 2012, 03:04 PM
• Last activity: Apr 2, 2025, 02:45 PM
1
votes
1
answers
398
views
QLStephen not working at all
So, coming across what [QLStephen](https://github.com/whomwah/qlstephen) could do, I brewed it at once in the hopes of having the Quick Look functionality for most of the "text-based" files, as it advertises. However, to my disappointment, nothing was affected. I found temporary relief to find that...
So, coming across what [QLStephen](https://github.com/whomwah/qlstephen) could do, I brewed it at once in the hopes of having the Quick Look functionality for most of the "text-based" files, as it advertises. However, to my disappointment, nothing was affected. I found temporary relief to find that the exact issue had been discussed [here](https://apple.stackexchange.com/a/411423/495879) , but the suggested troubleshooting didn't help. Here's what all I did:
1. Ran
brew install qlstephen
which installed QLStephen.qlgenerator
in ~/Library/QuickLook
. Quick Look didn't preview any more files than those for which it was already working without QLStephen. In particular, all of the hidden files in my user directory are still non-preveiwable. These include: .bash_history
,
.CFUserTextEncoding
,
.gitconfig
,
.lesshst
,
.profile
,
.python_history
,
.Rhistory
,
.viminfo
,
.Xauthority
,
.zprofile
,
.zsh_history
,
.zshrc
,
mbox
2. [cf. the troubleshooting post mentioned above] The UTI of each of the files listed above is public.data
, and QLStephen is supposed to act on these, but nope!
3. [cf. **Permissions (Quarantine)** on the GitHub page for QLStephen] Ran sudo xattr -cr ~/Library/QuickLook/QLStephen.qlgenerator
, qlmanage -r
and qlmanage -r cache
followed by relaunching Finder. Still nothing.
4. [cf. **Trouble** on the GitHub page for QLStephen] Ran qlmanage -m
and couldn't find public.data
, indicating that "a different application's qlgenerator
file hasn't taken precedence". Now the next troubleshooting steps are not at all clear—they just mention to edit some files, but not *what* to edit.
5. Tried brew reinstall qlstephen
ample times, but still, nothing budged.
**System info:**
macOS Sequoia 15.1 on M2 with Xcode installed.
Atom
(165 rep)
Nov 1, 2024, 09:29 AM
• Last activity: Nov 6, 2024, 09:20 AM
0
votes
0
answers
36
views
Is there a plugin to plot txt files for Quick Look?
I have a bunch of data files that are .txt files that I would like to be able to view as plots via Quick Look. Is there a plugin (or other easy way, e.g., a setting, .etc) to do this? The values are all tab-delimited and one-dimensional, so it might not be too hard to code something that can do this...
I have a bunch of data files that are .txt files that I would like to be able to view as plots via Quick Look. Is there a plugin (or other easy way, e.g., a setting, .etc) to do this? The values are all tab-delimited and one-dimensional, so it might not be too hard to code something that can do this, but I am probably overlooking something trivial.
Kevmeister
(1 rep)
Jul 15, 2024, 11:21 PM
28
votes
4
answers
5310
views
QuickLook for files with no extension or an unknown extension
I'm a programmer, and I find Mac's QuickLook a really great feature for quickly becoming familiar with a particular code base. Basically, I open up a Finder window in the directory where my code files are, I push the spacebar (to evoke QuickLook), and then I arrow key up/down/left/right through all...
I'm a programmer, and I find Mac's QuickLook a really great feature for quickly becoming familiar with a particular code base. Basically, I open up a Finder window in the directory where my code files are, I push the spacebar (to evoke QuickLook), and then I arrow key up/down/left/right through all the files and scroll within QuickLook as needed.
The problem that I run into are files with no extension and files with unknown extension. How can I convince the Mac to attempt to QuickLook these files as text files (which they usually are). Also, it's really nice how QuickLook automatically colors the code based upon the type of code it thinks it is. How can I extend the types of code files that the Mac recognizes? For instance, I want to be able to QuickLook the code in a *.html.erb file or a *.js.erb file.
John Berryman
(569 rep)
Feb 5, 2011, 06:46 AM
• Last activity: May 11, 2024, 06:19 PM
2
votes
2
answers
1615
views
Can't get QLMarkdown to work in Monterey
I'm trying to do what should be a fairly simple task: have Finder and Quick Look view .md and .markdown files as if they had the extension .txt. As per [previous][1] [answers][2] on this topic, I had installed the QLMarkdown plugin in my /Library/Quicklook to make this happen, and it was working fin...
I'm trying to do what should be a fairly simple task: have Finder and Quick Look view .md and .markdown files as if they had the extension .txt. As per previous answers on this topic, I had installed the QLMarkdown plugin in my /Library/Quicklook to make this happen, and it was working fine for a while.
Recently I had a hardware disaster that required Apple to wipe and replace my hard drive, with the new one running Monterey. In this new system, the QLMarkdown plugin is not working. I tried copying the latest version (1.3.6) into the /Library/Quicklook and, as per the readme , I ran qlmanage -r in the terminal to refresh. Then I got an error from Apple saying it would not run because Apple could not check it for malicious software. No option to override.
The previous answers suggest I could install Homebrew and run "brew cask install qlmarkdown", but following the [Homebrew install instructions](https://brew.sh/) wound up causing a system freeze and reboot - and QuickLook wasn't working any better after that.
How do I get QuickLook to recognize Markdown on Monterey under these circumstances?
Displaced Hoser
(201 rep)
Dec 29, 2021, 09:15 PM
• Last activity: Mar 23, 2024, 03:30 PM
6
votes
3
answers
3918
views
Is it possible to extend Quick Look to support h.265?
H.265 (or HEVC) is the official successor to H.264, with a significant reduction in bitrate for the same picture quality. However it's not supported widely yet, including in Quicktime, iTunes or Quick Look in the Finder (cmd+space) and I haven't seen anyone talking about support in OSX 10.11 (El Cap...
H.265 (or HEVC) is the official successor to H.264, with a significant reduction in bitrate for the same picture quality.
However it's not supported widely yet, including in Quicktime, iTunes or Quick Look in the Finder (cmd+space) and I haven't seen anyone talking about support in OSX 10.11 (El Capitan).
I can view files in, for example, VLC, but was wondering if there's any sort of plugin for Quick Look.
William Turrell
(855 rep)
Jun 18, 2015, 08:02 AM
• Last activity: Aug 21, 2023, 02:50 PM
16
votes
9
answers
37387
views
How to quickly know the dimensions of an image?
I am looking for a nice and quick way to display the dimension of an image from OS X 10.9. Presently, I have to open the image in photoshop and then enter a menu to know the dimensions. The process is too slow when I have to browse through dozens of pictures and get those with dimensions big enough.
I am looking for a nice and quick way to display the dimension of an image from OS X 10.9. Presently, I have to open the image in photoshop and then enter a menu to know the dimensions. The process is too slow when I have to browse through dozens of pictures and get those with dimensions big enough.
Colas
(3030 rep)
Feb 11, 2015, 10:14 AM
• Last activity: May 4, 2023, 02:44 AM
50
votes
5
answers
55466
views
Quick Look support for non-native video files (.avi, .mkv) on Mavericks
In the past, we've been able to get codecs for DivX/XviD/MPEG4 and support for containers like AVI, MKV in Mac OS X's Quick Look feature using [Perian][1] (as per [this question][2]). As noted on the Perian site, development has ceased, and future versions may or may not continue to work. It seems w...
In the past, we've been able to get codecs for DivX/XviD/MPEG4 and support for containers like AVI, MKV in Mac OS X's Quick Look feature using Perian (as per this question ).
As noted on the Perian site, development has ceased, and future versions may or may not continue to work. It seems with the upgrade to OS X 10.9 "Mavericks", the OS or Quick Look API has changed sufficiently that Perian no longer works.
Are there any alternatives? Ideally a one-app-does-all like Perian, but even a list of individual codecs and/or plug-ins for video container files would be useful.
**NB**: This question isn't about video *players*—there are many that support more than those playable via the built-in QuickTime player. This question is about **codecs/plug-ins *for* QuickTime** on OS X to allow it and Quick Look (and apps which rely on the OS to play videos) to open/play video files/formats lacking native support.
drfrogsplat
(8708 rep)
Dec 21, 2013, 06:37 AM
• Last activity: Apr 25, 2023, 12:45 PM
6
votes
1
answers
1040
views
As of macOS Big Sur, how do you see generator used by Quick Look?
Before macOS Big Sur, `qlmanage -p` by itself or `qlmanage -p -d debugLevel` showed which Quick Look generator was used for a given file. Now, no such info appears. The man page for `qlmanage` also changed from > qlmanage -p [-d debugLevel] [-x] [-c contentTypeUTI [-g generator]] [file ...] to > qlm...
Before macOS Big Sur,
qlmanage -p
by itself or qlmanage -p -d debugLevel
showed which Quick Look generator was used for a given file. Now, no such info appears.
The man page for qlmanage
also changed from
> qlmanage -p [-d debugLevel] [-x] [-c contentTypeUTI [-g generator]] [file ...]
to
> qlmanage -p [-x] [-c contentTypeUTI [-g generator]] [file ...]
**How can I, as of macOS Big Sur, see what Quick Look generator is used for a given file?**
Michael
(211 rep)
Aug 4, 2022, 09:43 AM
• Last activity: Apr 9, 2023, 09:19 AM
2
votes
1
answers
1520
views
Quick Look Preview of html files not working after iOS 13 upgrade in iPad
After updating to iOS X 13, I can no longer use Quick Look on HTML files available in mail – I just get a blank preview window or enable javascript window, and the issue persists through a reboot. But all other files types work fine. Is there a cache I can clear or something else I can try to get th...
After updating to iOS X 13, I can no longer use Quick Look on HTML files available in mail – I just get a blank preview window or enable javascript window, and the issue persists through a reboot. But all other files types work fine.
Is there a cache I can clear or something else I can try to get this working again?
Praneeth
(21 rep)
Oct 21, 2019, 09:10 AM
• Last activity: Jul 9, 2022, 05:51 PM
22
votes
2
answers
6433
views
Is there a QuickLook preview for plain-text files with unknown extensions?
A similar question was asked [here][1] but the answer refers to something called [QL Stephen][2], which only claims to preview files with *no* extension. I need something that will show previews of files with extensions that are unknown to the Finder. They are all plain-text files. And, it needs to...
A similar question was asked here but the answer refers to something called QL Stephen , which only claims to preview files with *no* extension. I need something that will show previews of files with extensions that are unknown to the Finder. They are all plain-text files. And, it needs to run on Lion (10.7).
To clarify: I'm not looking for a default QL for *any* unknown extension, but rather for one that will preview certain *specific* extensions (e.g., **.sps**, **.fort**) as plain text.
Chap
(1316 rep)
Aug 30, 2011, 01:38 AM
• Last activity: Jan 1, 2022, 07:52 PM
4
votes
0
answers
350
views
How to disable the ⌥-Space fullscreen Quick Look shortcut?
### How to reproduce When hitting ⌥ - Space on a file or folder, Quick Look goes into fullscreen. [![enter image description here][2]][2] [Wikipedia's "Quick Look" entry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quick_Look) lists these shortcuts. [![enter image description here][1]][1] ### What I'm trying to d...
### How to reproduce
When hitting ⌥-Space on a file or folder, Quick Look goes into fullscreen.
[Wikipedia's "Quick Look" entry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quick_Look) lists these shortcuts.
### What I'm trying to do
I'd like to disable this (extremely dominant) shortcut because I want to re-use it to open a new iTerm window on the focused location with an automator script.
I never use the QL fullscreen, since regular Quick Look is entirely enough for me.
### What I tried
I can't find the shortcut in


keyboard > shortcuts
and have not found any options that let me configure QL.
qlmanage
also doesn't seem to give me obvious options to configure the keybindings
▶ qlmanage -h
Usage: qlmanage [OPTIONS] path...
-h Display this help
-r Force reloading Generators list
-r cache Reset thumbnail disk cache
-m [name ...] Display statistics about quicklookd. Stats names:
* plugins Show the generators list
* server Show quicklookd life information
* memory Show quicklookd memory consumption
* burst Show statistics about the last burst
* threads Show concurrent accesses stats
* other Show other information about quicklookd
-p Compute previews of the documents
-t Compute thumbnails of the documents
-x Use quicklookd (remote computation)
-i Compute thumbnail in icon mode
-s size Size for the thumbnail
-f factor Scale factor for the thumbnail
-F factor Scale factor for the thumbnail, draw downscaled and compare to 1x
-z Display generation performance info (don't display thumbnails)
-o dir Output result in dir (don't display thumbnails or previews)
-c contentType Force the content type used for the documents
-g generator Force the generator to use
I'm skimmed also over the following documents:
- [Quick Look Programming Guide](https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/Quicklook_Programming_Guide/Introduction/Introduction.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40005020-CH1-SW1)
- [Quick Look Framework Documentation](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/quicklook)
- [Apple Developer: Human Interface Guidelines - Keyboard](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/macos/user-interaction/keyboard/)
So far, no luck on how to change the key bindings
### Question
How do I modify Quick Look Shortcuts or disable them?
BlkPengu
(141 rep)
Feb 14, 2021, 04:36 PM
• Last activity: Feb 15, 2021, 05:10 PM
2
votes
3
answers
3247
views
Quick Look not working for CSS and JavaScript files
I have installed the QLColorCode plugin [from this site][1], so that I can Quick Look JavaScript and CSS files, but it's not working. Pressing the space bar on a code file just shows the icon. Removing the plugin has no effect either. Is there another way to Quick Look source code files in macOS? [1...
I have installed the QLColorCode plugin from this site , so that I can Quick Look JavaScript and CSS files, but it's not working. Pressing the space bar on a code file just shows the icon.
Removing the plugin has no effect either.
Is there another way to Quick Look source code files in macOS?
Piet Binnenbocht
(235 rep)
Sep 20, 2018, 01:39 PM
• Last activity: Aug 25, 2020, 07:44 PM
7
votes
5
answers
3254
views
Lightweight Audio Waveform Viewer
I'm doing a large amount of music library updating and de-duplicating and evaluating, and I would like a piece of software that would allow me to quickly be able to view a waveform of a selected audio file. I currently use Fission for editing, but it loads slower than I would like, and I have no nee...
I'm doing a large amount of music library updating and de-duplicating and evaluating, and I would like a piece of software that would allow me to quickly be able to view a waveform of a selected audio file.
I currently use Fission for editing, but it loads slower than I would like, and I have no need for the actual editing aspect of the software. Additionally, Garageband is antagonistically slow and too hard to examine the waveform like I would like.
Is there software, or maybe something like a QuickLook plugin, that would allow me to select an audio file, and quickly get a rendered version of the waveform data within the file?
Loudness levels labels are appreciated, but not required.
Jason Salaz
(25167 rep)
Aug 23, 2011, 09:04 PM
• Last activity: Jul 8, 2020, 02:17 AM
3
votes
3
answers
1482
views
Is there a Quick Look plugin to view the text contents of any file with any extension
Is there a Quick Look plugin to see the contents of any text file with any extension instead of just showing the icon.
Is there a Quick Look plugin to see the contents of any text file with any extension instead of just showing the icon.
Ted
(133 rep)
Mar 8, 2020, 10:02 AM
• Last activity: Jun 9, 2020, 05:07 PM
3
votes
2
answers
2292
views
How to disable preview for some types (EPS) of files thumbnails in Mac finder?
I am stocker and draw tons of images in Adobe Illustrator. All images are being saved in pair of EPS and JPG format. I updated to Catalina on my Mac and the Finder now shows preview for both EPS and JPG Thumbnail and it is impossible now to work for me with tons of duplicated files visually. Before...
I am stocker and draw tons of images in Adobe Illustrator. All images are being saved in pair of EPS and JPG format. I updated to Catalina on my Mac and the Finder now shows preview for both EPS and JPG Thumbnail and it is impossible now to work for me with tons of duplicated files visually. Before my Finder is shown only preview for JPG and all was polite and good.
I attached how I what to see all in finder. Buy the way, all old folders still as I want, but all new files created - there is .eps file preview

Влад Лукьянов
(31 rep)
Apr 18, 2020, 04:07 PM
• Last activity: Apr 19, 2020, 06:57 PM
1
votes
0
answers
114
views
Render html in quick look to display MathJax equations
I am grading homework assignments for a stat class. The students knit rmd files to html. For expedience, I want to use quick view to read the files so I wouldn't have to open each of them. Unfortunately, the MathJax equations don't render and just display as text. Is there a quick look plugin that I...
I am grading homework assignments for a stat class. The students knit rmd files to html. For expedience, I want to use quick view to read the files so I wouldn't have to open each of them. Unfortunately, the MathJax equations don't render and just display as text.
Is there a quick look plugin that I can use to render MathJax?
If not, could you point me to another quick preview app that doesn't require me to open each html file in a "real" browser?
Tea Tree
(145 rep)
Feb 6, 2020, 12:47 AM
• Last activity: Feb 6, 2020, 02:03 AM
15
votes
1
answers
2478
views
How can I see which QuickLook plugin is responsible for which data type?
Sometimes, QuickLook doesn't work right with certain file types, even though it should. Or a file now looks different in QuickLook than it used to. How to find out which QuickLook plugin, or .qlgenerator, is responsible for which types, and what to do about it?
Sometimes, QuickLook doesn't work right with certain file types, even though it should. Or a file now looks different in QuickLook than it used to.
How to find out which QuickLook plugin, or .qlgenerator, is responsible for which types, and what to do about it?
fzwo
(989 rep)
Oct 29, 2014, 08:34 AM
• Last activity: Jan 17, 2019, 12:52 PM
4
votes
1
answers
2169
views
Quick way to preview all pages in a PDF file
Is there a quick way or software for _MacOS_ that makes it easy to quickly preview all (or many) pages in a single PDF file. Optimally, it would preview a PDF with multiple pages, similar to how _Quick Look_ [shows multiple files](https://www.cultofmac.com/194232/use-quick-look-with-multiple-files-i...
Is there a quick way or software for _MacOS_ that makes it easy to quickly preview all (or many) pages in a single PDF file. Optimally, it would preview a PDF with multiple pages, similar to how _Quick Look_ [shows multiple files](https://www.cultofmac.com/194232/use-quick-look-with-multiple-files-impress-your-geeky-mac-friends-os-x-tips/) .
Currently in _Quick Look_, I have to scroll through the pages (this does not give me the overview I would like). Alternatively, I'll have to;
1. Open PDF in Preview,
2. Open print dialog,
3. [Choose layout and select 16 pages per sheet](https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/285651/how-to-print-a-four-pages-on-one-page) ,
4. Save as a new PDF, and then
5. _Quick Look_ or open the new PDF. Which gives something like this:

bonna
(309 rep)
Jan 8, 2019, 10:59 AM
• Last activity: Jan 8, 2019, 06:10 PM
Showing page 1 of 20 total questions