How to clear the Quick Look cache on macOS

QuickLook macOS Mojavi-video

Who does not know Quick Look, is the macOS function that allows us to get a quick view of a file: audio, image, video or a document, just select it in the Finder and press the space key. further we can view the following files, moving with the arrow keys. It is a feature that is in very old versions of macOS.

Today we'll see how to delete the information that is stored on our Mac from the queries we make with Quick Look. This measurement is done for several reasons: save space, clean unnecessary files and even for security, so that this information does not fall into unwanted hands. 

The latter is the most important, recently vulnerabilities have been detected due to access to the folder where the Quick Look images are located.

How to multiple the Quick Look cache on macOS:

  1. First go to Port. The simplest thing is to do it from spotlight, pressed: cmd + space, and writing the word terminal.
  2. Once Terminal is open, we must enter the following text: qlmanage -r cache
  3. If you've done this correctly, it should return the following message: qlmanage: call reset on cache

Right now, you will have all the Quick Look cache cleared. For more advanced users, we can always have located the folder where the Quick Look caches are stored.

How to open the folder where the Quick Look caches are located:

The route is as follows: $ TMPDIR /../ C / com.apple.QuickLook.thumbnailcache /.

If you want to access this folder, for example to know its content or size, again the fastest way is to do it through the terminal. To do this, carry out the step described in the first point of the previous point and write:

open $ TMPDIR /../ C / com.apple.QuickLook.thumbnailcache /

If you have done it correctly, A new Finder window will appear with the contents of the Quick Look Cache. 

Now, in addition to knowing more about how Quick Look and the caches work, you will have learned about the advantages of using the terminal. Generally, the content of this tutorial will not be launched unless you have a problem with Quick Look.

Caches are stored every day on the system. To eliminate them all, the most common is to create a routine on a monthly basis. For it:

  1. Hold down the shift key nEvery more start.
  2.  Hold it until you see the progress bar.
  3. You will be in a mode failsafe.
  4. The Mac takes longer to start up because is doing this necessary cache cleaning. 

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