User level: Level 1 (4 points)On my macbook Air and Tahoe OS when I try to open a file form the finder. The file does not open in the program but in a sort of preview window (not the standard preview App). This occurs not only in one specific program but with every file. How can I fix this?
Posted on Sep 18, 2026 9:19 AM
User level: Level 9 (72,871 points)Sep 18, 2026 9:26 AM in response to navyblue55
How are you 'opening the file from the Finder'? The normal method is to double-click on the file.
Open documents on Mac – Apple Support
It sounds like you're describing QuickLook:
View and edit files with Quick Look on Mac – Apple Support
If you select a file in Finder then press the Space Bar, that opens the file in QuickLook, and your 'sort of like Preview' but not the Preview app describes that perfectly. Note that you can also open a file in QuickLook if you Force Click (a hard press on the file) on it, based on your trackpad settings. You can disable that, go to System Settings > Trackpad and toggle Force Click off.
User level: Level 1 (4 points)Sep 18, 2026 9:41 AM in response to navyblue55
Thanks for your quick answer. In the meantime I got another suggestion: to force restart the finder. This got rid of the issue.
Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256359851