Can’t open a picture file or PDF doc in your Mac? Discover ways to repair the irritating problem of being unable to open photos or PDFs in Preview or different Mac apps with these useful suggestions and methods.
Once you double-click a picture or a PDF in a Finder folder on Mac, it ought to mechanically open within the Preview app, as that’s the default macOS app to view pictures and PDFs.
Nevertheless, when you can’t open these recordsdata on Mac, listed here are all of the options to repair it.
Use the Open With possibility
If a double-click on a photograph or PDF doc is unable to open the file in Preview, meaning one other app is ready because the default app to open photos and PDFs in your Mac. We discuss extra about this within the subsequent part, however for now, you’ll be able to right-click on the picture or PDF after which select Open With > Preview, and the file ought to pop open proper in.
Set Preview because the default app to open photos and PDFs
macOS permits you to set the default app to open particular file varieties. For instance, on my Mac, I’ve configured all movies (MP4, MKV, and so forth.) to open in VLC Media Participant versus the default Apple’s QuickTime Participant.
It’s potential that you simply modified the default app to open photos and PDFs in your Mac prior to now. It’s additionally potential that you simply unknowingly modified this setting by merely clicking Permit or OK on an app popup when it requested you to be your Mac’s default photograph or PDF viewer app.
You’ll be able to rapidly revert this modification by setting Apple’s Preview because the default app to open photos and PDFs in your Mac. After this, everytime you double-click on a photograph or PDF, it can mechanically open within the acquainted Preview app.
Make sure that the whole file is downloaded
It’s potential that the picture or PDF just isn’t absolutely downloaded from the browser or the app. Creation of a partial file may occur when you have been transferring it to your Mac from an Android cellphone or transferring it through AirDrop out of your iPhone or iPad, and for some motive, the switch failed.
Incomplete recordsdata can’t be opened in any commonplace app.
To repair this, simply re-download the partial picture/PDF or switch it once more.
Re-download the total picture or PDF and retry opening it
Some Phrase recordsdata I obtain from the Slack app on my Apple silicon Mac mini or MacBook Professional don’t open on the primary try. However after deleting the file and re-downloading, it opens completely within the Pages app. I can attribute this error to an issue within the Slack app. So, when you face an identical problem, replace the app in query, and it ought to hopefully repair the problem.
Although I’ve confronted this drawback with Phrase (.docx) recordsdata, it may additionally occur with recordsdata of different codecs. So, when you’re unable to open a totally downloaded picture or PDF in Mac’s Preview, delete it, re-download it, and hopefully, the Preview app can now open it.
Test the file extension
In some circumstances, even after the file has been downloaded or transferred utterly, the extension on the finish of its title could also be incorrect or have some further textual content.
Merely choose the file, hit the enter/return key to rename it, and add the right extension title.
- Picture: Hottest picture codecs are PNG, JPEG, JPG, GIF, TIFF, WebP, and so forth.
- PDF: All PDFs have the .pdf extension on the finish of their file title.
Power Give up Preview and reopen it
We will’t rule out the potential for random minor glitches within the Preview app inflicting it to fail opening a picture or PDF. To deal with this, click on the Apple icon > Power Give up > choose Preview > Power Give up.
Now, double-click the beforehand un-openable picture or PDF, and it ought to immediately turn out to be viewable in Preview.
Restart your Mac
This is a vital answer which you shouldn’t overlook. When you have been working your Mac repeatedly for days, it’s doubtless that some issues could not work as meant. To deal with this, shut down your Mac for a couple of minutes and energy it once more, or click on the Apple icon and hit Restart.
Replace your Mac
Preview ought to work reliably in any model of macOS. However for the sake of smoothness, go to System Settings > Basic > Software program Replace and set up the most recent model of macOS obtainable to your pc. Should you’re on macOS Monterey or earlier, go to System Preferences > Software program Replace.
Convert the picture earlier than opening it
Apple’s Preview app can open numerous forms of photos. Although I couldn’t discover an exhaustive record of file codecs it helps, I’m assured it may deal with all well-liked file codecs like PNG, JPEG/JPG, JPEG 2000, GIF, TIFF, PSD, and so forth.
However, in case your picture is in another file format, contemplate changing it to PNG or JPEG, after which you’ll be able to open that transformed file in Mac’s Preview.
Essential: Did you export a challenge from an app and never an picture? Preview can’t open that. Open the associated app and save your challenge as a picture or PDF, after which you’ll be able to view it in Preview.
Take away the PDF password after which open it
The Preview app can simply open PDFs which are locked with a passcode and might even assist you to take away the passcode. However, when you can’t go inside a password-protected PDF in Preview, use different strategies to take away the passcode after which attempt opening the PDF. It ought to work.
Attempt every other app to open photos and PDFs
Lastly, if not one of the above options assist, you’ll be able to discover different apps to open the mentioned picture or PDF. Hopefully, one such app is suitable with the picture sort or PDF and might open it.
Ideas:
- Open a brand new tab in Chrome or Firefox in your Mac. Drag the picture or PDF onto the browser, and it ought to open it.
- For viewing PDFs, you’ll be able to obtain the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
