Questions tagged [preview]

Apple Preview is a program included with every version of macOS that permits displaying and limited editing of common 2D and 3D files using Apple's Core Image and Quartz frameworks.

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PDF Files Appear Corrupted on MacOS Sonoma/Ventura/Monterey (but they aren't really)

My M1 Macbook Pro shows all PDF files as corrupted, whether I'm looking at it in the finder preview pane, using spacebar to quick-preview or double click to open. Opening that same PDF on the same ...
Greg's user avatar
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1 answer
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+150

How do I add text beneath an image in Preview?

I'm using Preview on OS Big Sur. I would like to create a new image using a PNG file from my Desktop and having some text beneath it. I opened my PNG file, selected the markup tool, and then clicked ...
Dave's user avatar
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One to 2 characters truncated on right margin of Apple Email messages when printed or saved as PDF

Some Apple mail client email messages truncate 1 to 2 characters on the right of the message when printed or saved as a PDF. Have tested from a Mac with a printer setup and a Mac that has never had an ...
CharlieX's user avatar
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Preserve arrangement of Preview tabs and windows on restart

To keep organized, I generally open closely-related PDF files as tabs in the same Preview window, with a separate multi-tab window for each distinct subject (so about 4 or 5 windows, with 5 tabs open ...
Luke Davis's user avatar
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Add Wiktionary as optional dictionary in Preview similar to how Moon+ Reader for Android has

I have found a few similar questions, but mostly revolving around wiktionary as part of the Dictionary app, which is not what I would like to do (besides the fact that this seems impossible, with the ...
Papi Antoniadis's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
19 views

Saving a file in Preview.app so it keeps annotations "live" [duplicate]

When I edit an (e.g.) PNG file in Preview.app, I can make text annotations, draw arrows, etc. I find this very useful, like a quick and free mini-Photoshop. Of course, when I save the file back to ...
Mark Harrison's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
28 views

How to add an outline to text in preview?

I'd like to know how to add an outline to text in the current version of preview. I don't mean a box around the text, I mean an outline around the letters.
yarn misery's user avatar
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1 answer
73 views

Preview and PDF: Remove a password which I do know

I have a protected PDF file, in which I cannot highlight text using Preview and which I cannot print without a password. I do know a password, but I cannot understand how to remove it from the ...
jsx97's user avatar
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41 views

Trackpad button is unavailable when creating signature in Preview

When I try to create a signature, Camera and iPhone are available to create a signature, but the Trackpad button is not active. How can I get my trackpad to work as a caputure device?
Mrziiz's user avatar
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To pause animated GIF files when previewing them using the Space key

I have many animated GIF files on my Mac and my question is how to temporary pause the animation after I have pressed the Space key to preview the file. Is it possible somehow?
jsx97's user avatar
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Making Finder use embedded JPG thumbnail for preview

I know that macOS has a crippled support of HEIF files, because it can't open those with a bit depth > 8 bits: Why can't Preview Export 16-bit HEIC images? Actually I have 16 bits HEIF files ...
Fabrizio Giudici's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
25 views

Manage/Add file formats for Finder preview

How should Finder be configured to preview specific file formats? For example, I have a .frag file and Finder recognises it as an OpenGL Shading Language Fragment Shader. Finder is able to show a ...
Leo Aguiar's user avatar
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48 views

Why doesn't Preview save all pages of a certain PDF as a PNG file?

I am trying to save a 30-page PDF as a PNG file. I do this by going to File >> Export. However, only the first four pages save into the PNG. This is the case regardless of whether or not all ...
user2561523's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
25 views

Shell script needs to open images for viewing/previewing

I have a shell script that is going to open two images and then use "&" to return focus to the script. qlmanage is not suitable for sever reasons, but the biggest problem is the ...
John O's user avatar
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57 views

How to check a certificate-based signature on a PDF document on Preview?

Let's say I received a PDF document that supposedly was signed with a digital certificate, instead of pasting a hand-drawn signature. Can I use Preview to see the signature's properties and check if ...
Léster's user avatar
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76 views

How do I edit screenshot with preview for highlight and pointing? [duplicate]

When I take a screenshot I usually need to highlight some section and point to it. With skitch it is quite simple, But with preview I can't find an easy way to do these two tasks. The "Hightligh ...
Qiulang 邱朗's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
62 views

Why is Mac Chrome making pdfs of webpages text unselectable

I wonder if you are experiencing this issue when printing web pages straight to pdf: The issue is the text in the pdf is unselectable. Chrome Version 114.0.5735.198 (Official Build) (arm64) MacBook ...
RyanNiccolls.com's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
69 views

Since Preview does not support embedded JS, am I safe from attacks using it as a vector?

Recently, I have been doing some research on PDF attacks. From what I could gather, there are two types of attacks that seem most common: Hyperlink based and JavaScript based. Now, flattening a PDF ...
eslukas's user avatar
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1 answer
46 views

How to remove cursor from middle of magnifier tool view?

Im on a MacBook Pro , monterey 12.6.6 using the Preview program. When using the magnifier under Tools I cant get the cursor from blocking what im magnifying. How do I get the cursor out of the tool ...
Stumped's user avatar
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Why can I delete a folder, but not a locked pdf inside it?

Just came across this after reading a READ_ME pdf for an application. Accidentially moved it to bin, but it was password locked, and opening it displays locked in the preview app. But I can move the ...
GaussStrife's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
96 views

Preview: save as vector/layers to re-edit

I adore Preview for its advanced editing functions! And use it quite often to quickly make simple artworks for my projects without usage of heavy tools like PhotoShop (to scale and merge multiple ...
AivanF.'s user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
132 views

How do you get text from an image to the clipboard on macOS?

On iOS, copy/pasting text found in an image (e.g. a photo or screenshot) is as simple as double-tapping on the text in an image, and selecting "Copy". How can I do this on macOS, for example,...
stevec's user avatar
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-1 votes
2 answers
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How to close Preview with keyboard shortcuts only and not auto-save the file?

I want to be able to open an image, sketch some stuff, then close Preview in one or two keyboard shortcuts, without the image file being changed. At the moment, if I open a file, sketch some stuff, ...
theonlygusti's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
160 views

Preview doesn't reopen documents that were open in last session

I am currently operating with Monterey, 12.6.5. I routinely keep 20+ documents open in Preview. Whenever Preview quits, whether it is for a restart, an intentional quit, a crash, or a forced quit, it ...
D14723's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
185 views

MacOS Preview text extraction from image not working properly in Japanese

I'm on a MacBook Pro 2021 with M1, running on MacOS Ventura 13.3.1 I tried to use text extraction feature of Preview, since I can't select text in Spotify and I wanted to search the song I'm listening....
Derin Aşır's user avatar
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0 answers
41 views

Maximize exposure and sharpness

I often print pages from photos taken from books. When I do this I open the jpeg file in Preview on macOS and maximize exposure and sharpness from the "Adjust Color" panel. Is there a way to ...
Frank's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
148 views

Easiest/cheapest way to OCR an existing PDF that lacks a text layer?

I have photo-scanned one of my most-used reference works, Watching the Skies. The aim was to allow me to do searches instead of using the (somewhat odd) index. I copied the images off my iphone and ...
Maury Markowitz's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
52 views

In Preview, how do I change certain text color to a different color on a PDF?

I'm using Mac Big Sur and I would like to change the certain selected text color on my PDF to a different color. I like Preview because it is a free application (open to other free applications). I ...
Dave's user avatar
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33 views

Why does Preview not follow the Preferences?

In Preview, I chose the settings Start on the last viewed page Open each file in its own window However, it seems that the settings are not respected. When opening a PDF file, the first page is ...
Karlo's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
51 views

Custom shortcut for an item in the Preview app does not work unless the menu bar item containing that item is clicked once

I have defined an app shortcut for Preview that triggers Export… on CMDSHIFTE. This keyboard shortcut does not trigger Export… unless I click on File once after I open Preview. It starts working fine ...
Matt's user avatar
  • 161
0 votes
1 answer
269 views

How to click menu bar items of Preview with AppleScript

I am trying to write an AppleScript to export an annotated PDF to a PDF/A file to deal with the long-standing problem of Preview in saving annotations. I have seen scripts like the following to select ...
Matt's user avatar
  • 161
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0 answers
24 views

"Do you want to keep this document 'Untitled NN'?" dialog obscures the actual image when quitting Prev

Behind the dialog shown in the screenshot lies the actual (smallish) picture. So we can not determine what is actually being closed without saving. The dialog can not be moved afaict. How do folks ...
WestCoastProjects's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
43 views

Unable to change window background color in Preview

I am unable to change the window background color in macOS Preview (macOS Monterey Version 12.6.3) It used to work but now it does not. The window background color is stuck on black. When I click on ...
KS_on_StackExchange's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
77 views

Is it possible to resize the Preview window to make it smaller?

Looks like similar questions have been asked previously with no answer. Trying again. Attached is an example of what I view for research. Id like to be able to make smaller the area of the window so ...
Stumped's user avatar
  • 697
3 votes
0 answers
60 views

How do I prevent Preview.app from confirming each time I click on a web link?

Prior to MacOS Ventura, clicking on a web link within a PDF viewed in Preview.app would immediately open that URL in my default browser. Since upgrading to Ventura, however, clicking on such a web ...
RickL's user avatar
  • 273
1 vote
1 answer
800 views

Preview app keep crashing (13.2.1 (22D68))

I edited a PDF with Acrobat, but now when I try to open Preview, it crashes immediately without generating a bug report (it did the first time). I tried to locate the com.apple.Preview.plist file to ...
Kevin's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
99 views

Cannot edit files - "You don’t have permission..."

I'm having an issue with preview. I made some .png files on Procreate on my ipad, transferred them via AirDrop, and began editing them in Photoshop. I needed to do a basic crop of the individual ...
rgbrobot's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
42 views

PDF in Preview won't get smaller than half the screen on Ventura

I recently updated from Big Sur to Ventura (13.2.1) and the behavior of Preview changed. I can no longer make the Preview window less that almost half the screen wide! Is there a way to change this? ...
Dylan's user avatar
  • 11
0 votes
0 answers
27 views

How do I associate arbitrary filetypes with the quicklook plain-text generator without installing third party code? [duplicate]

I have files I'd like to preview with quicklook, but I don't want a special plugin - I'm happy with the existing text generator. I think the generator is this public.plain-text -> /System/Library/...
Stephen's user avatar
  • 690
0 votes
0 answers
138 views

Preview slide show automatic slide switch every 5 seconds

How do you change the default number of seconds each slide is presented for in the Slide Show setting for a PDF on Preview? It seems to be set automatically at 5 seconds.
bob's user avatar
  • 101
0 votes
0 answers
36 views

How can I change the background color of a PDF?

I have a PDF with pages of simple black and white text (if it helps, it's a 100+ page plus screenplay; you could picture a very long college essay). I am trying to call out to the reader, "please ...
bingohopperly's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
64 views

How to export photos in directories named with the dates the photos are taken?

How do I export photos imported from my camera in directories named with the date the photos were taken with built-in Apps? E.g: 2021-09-01 2021-09-06 2021-09-08 I've done this in the past somehow ...
Ivan Dimitrov's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
32 views

Big Sur: How to restore a deleted Preview signature?

This question has already been asked: Big Sur: Is there a way to restore a deleted Preview Signature?. It's pretty much the same issue except I don't have two signatures overlapping and was unable to ...
Rajin Hossain's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
144 views

Big Sur: Is there a way to restore a deleted Preview Signature?

I'm running Big Sur. I had a saved PDF that, for some reason, had a double signature (one overlapping the other). I couldn't seem to select and delete one in Preview, so I went to the Apple ...
Scott's user avatar
  • 1
0 votes
0 answers
62 views

How can i uninstall (and reinstall) misbehaving Preview on Mac?

Previously I took screenshots with Preview (comes with Mac), then embedded those images inline in text body of gmails. Suddenly now, Gmail insisting on their being attachments only, and often the ...
Shannon Miller's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
111 views

`open myfile.pdf` raises "no permission" error

Specifically, opening a terminal and writing open myfile.pdf causes a Dialog box in Preview with The file “myfile.pdf” couldn’t be opened because you don’t have permission to view it" To view or ...
bashfuloctopus's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
27 views

How to select camera for "create signature" in PDF document in Preview 11.0

I am trying to add a new signature to a document in Preview, but when I click on "Create Signature" to use the webcam attached, it instead wants to use the virtual camera defined in OBS, ...
Keith G's user avatar
  • 51
2 votes
2 answers
67 views

A more comfortable workflow to rename screenshots

I find myself frequently wanting to change the names of my screenshots to something more memorable. I can change the location in which they're stored via the screenshot tool itself, and I can do some ...
Jason Hemann's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
848 views

How do I extract text from images in terminal?

I know how to extract text from images using preview.app, however I would like to use this feature from terminal to extract all the text from a bunch of images. I tried this using this method to apply ...
Alessandro Trinca Tornidor's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
78 views

Preview fullscreen starts at two pages but reverts to continuous scroll

When I open a pdf file in Preview and click full screen, Preview defaults to the "Two Pages" view option, which I prefer. However, every time I come back after being away from the computer, ...
Zongshu Wu's user avatar

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