Where Is the macOS Quick Look Cache?
macOS Quick Look thumbnails cache and reset commands.
Last updated
Quick Look caches document thumbnails per user in a dedicated cache folder, regenerating previews on demand when cleared. Stale previews after file edits almost always trace here.
Clear the cache and restart Quick Look instead of rebooting the Mac. Generators from third-party apps plug into the same pipeline.
Where macOS stores this, by platform
~/Library/Caches/com.apple.QuickLook.thumbnailcache
Per-user thumbnail cache with thumbnails.data stores. Reset with qlmanage -r cache plus Finder relaunch. Third-party generators in /Library/QuickLook feed the same cache.
Frequently asked questions
Quick Look shows old previews. How to fix?
Clear the cache folder above and restart Quick Look services. Source files stay untouched.
Where are Quick Look plugins?
In /Library/QuickLook and ~/Library/QuickLook beside the cache above. Remove broken generators when previews crash.
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