How to Use Quick Look

Quick Look is a handy feature that, as the name suggests, allows you to take a quick peek at a file without having to open it. Most Mac apps support Quick Look, including DEVONthink or EasyFind. And while it may be familiar to you, here are a few tricks you may not know.

Starting with one caveat, in order for a file to be viewable via Quick Look, it must be supported by macOS itself or a Quick Look plugin for its file format needs to be available, as part of an installed app or installed separately. Also, larger documents may take longer to display.

Now, to use Quick Look, select an object, for example in the Finder or an iMessage chat, and press Spacebar. Some apps also feature an Quick Look button. If Quick Look plugin is able to render the file, you’ll see a preview. Now, arrow up and down through a list of objects to quickly browse them. To make this more interesting, do this in the item list in DEVONthink or EasyFind results.

But Quick Look has more functions:

• To view the object in full screen Quick Look, hold the Option key and then tap Spacebar.
• Start a slideshow by selecting multiple objects, hold the Option key and then tap Spacebar. Arrow through them and press the Spacebar to start and stop the slideshow.
• While in slideshow view, tap ⌘⏎ to view the files as an index sheet (like the screenshot). Arrow between them and tap Return to view a specific document. Note, DEVONthink uses ⌥⌘⏎ to view the index sheet, but this also works in other apps, e.g., the Finder.

And to exit full screen mode, just press the Escape key.

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