Show Icon Preview No Longer Workingi Have Show Icon Preview Checked In View Options But They Do Not

nealt

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I have show icon preview checked in view options but they do not show when viewing a folder with images in it. Instead I just the generic jpg document icon. How can I fix this?I tried the Apple Forum but didn't get a solution.

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First, did you try the usual - restart the computer?

Second - what have you installed recently? Or what happened just before you noticed it?
 
I restarted many times. I did a reinstall of the OS. Reset PRAM. did a safe mode boot. I added many apps but none should effect the finder.
 
Go to Home>Library>Preferences
Locate and trash all the plist files that start with : com.apple.Preview and com.apple.finder

Restart the computer, then empty the trash.

Does that correct the issue?
 
I think this is a system caching issue.
Try dragging your user/Library/Caches folder to the trash, then restart.
There's also another plist that may be more relevant. Delete the file in your user/Library/Preferences, filename: com.apple.systempreferences.plist
Be sure to quit System Preferences before you delete that plist, then restart your Mac after deleting the file.
After the restart, try System Preferences. If the pref window is still off the top of the screen, Quit System Preferences again, and delete the NEW file com.apple.systempreferences.plist.
Again, restart. You can also just log out of your user, then log back in.
You might have to delete that com.apple.preferences.plist multiple times, as the system may hold on to those preferences in a cache, and may take multiple restarts for that to clear out completely (deleting the same file before each restart). That process sometimes might need 3 or 4 restarts. I think there is an easier way to reset the caches, but that works for me.
 
If you view that same folder, then choose to turn icon previews off (the icons should all show the generic icon), then turn previews back on, do the exact same file icons remain with generic icons?

I also notice that your folder is named "Shared folder"...
Do the generic files belong only to your (or only to someone else who shares the folder)
Of course, I also notice that the filenames seem to be in sequence, so those would, in any case, be from one source (?)
Are there a LOT of pictures in that folder (a lot is for this purpose, more that several hundred)?
In that case, you may simply not allow the system long enough to "interpret" all of the previews.
I wonder if it would be worthwhile to reset your spotlight database, allow it some time to rebuild, then look at your folders again.

You might also try resetting the Launch Services database.
There's some other possible fixes here ...
 
My folder is not named Shared folder but Images. I just have shared on. No one else has access to these folders. Some of these folders have 20 images or less. Problem persists in safe mode.I waited 10 minutes on a folder with 20 files.
 
I think the link in my last post might get your icons back. There's several tips to try:
You might also try resetting the Launch Services database.
There's some other possible fixes here ...

Or, there's other possibilities when you search for "file icon previews do not appear in OS X", but the link above should give you a good result.
 
Have you tried selecting a .jpg, then making sure that all .jpgs are recognized by the system in the same way? Click on a .jpg, so it is selected. It doesn't make any difference which one, just click on a .jpg so the file is selected. Don't double-click, as you don't need to open any app.
Command-I to get info on that file. Click on the Open With drop-down, so you can choose from the list of apps. The Preview app would be a good choice (probably the best choice)
Anyway, click on your chosen app. THEN, click Change All...
That's your key. It assures that all .jpg files will launch the same app, and that app is your system.
You can do the same with other graphics formats, if you have others.
I say that Preview is probably your best choice, because it's one that you can be sure will "force" the right icon, and that all files that have the same extension would have the same results. Ultimately, that should then give you the icon previews that you want
 
Yes I tried that.
I believe the clue has to do with Sierra. I run el_capitan routinely. However I played around with Sierra from another hd. They both have access to the same Pictures folder.

Apparently Sierra changes something in the pictures that allows them to show icon in Sierra but prevents them from showing icon in El-Capitan!

I tried running Sierra today and show icon worked. Go back to El_Capitan and the show icon does not work.

Anyone know how to fix this?
 
I still would think it is a caching issue, although sometimes the results may not be worth the effort :D

even if the preview icon does not appear, can you still use QuickView to preview the file (i.e., select the file, then press space to get a quick view)?
 
Actually Quicklook does not work. I have cleaned all the cashes that I know about and rebuilt launch services.
 

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hmm...
But QuickLook DOES work when the file shows a preview icon, correct?

Any particular reason that you can't just move to Sierra?
 
My MacPro 3,1 does not officially support Sierra. There is a way around it so I wanted to at least look at it. I see nothing of interest for me. But I do not want to use it for real work. I have 7 HDs in this setup. I have 10.6.8, 10.9.5, 10.11.6, and 10.12 on different bootable partitions. By the way 10.9.5 show icon preview works fine.
 
I am out of ideas - sorry...
Just so you know, cleaning out caches, and the reset of the launch services database fixes this issue for me.
I am active in a couple of other Mac forums, with similar issues. Seems like El Capitan has other appearance issues that some users have, but others do not share.
So, intermittent, and probably is related to OTHER (third-party) utilities that just don't quite work with El Cap, or some combination of your own setup plus additional apps that you might use to make your computer tasks easier.
Anyway, that all makes it a large challenge to troubleshoot, or to give out fixes that always work.

Just a question - do most of your graphics files exist on your boot drive, or are they on a single extra drive, or do you have a variety of graphics folders scattered on several different drives, and you actively access them all the time?

What about (as a test) copying a picture folder that gives you this issue to another drive that does NOT have any boot system installed, then check THAT folder of full preview icons?
 
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