While for many of you this tip is well-known, if you haven’t discovered this yourself, you’ll be delighted. “Quicklook” allows you to instantly view the contents of most files, without even opening the program.
For example, I have several Word documents in a folder, and I’m not sure which is the one I need. Instead of waiting while Word starts up, and then opening all of the files in question, I can use Quicklook right from the Finder.
Another way I use this is when I need a little piece of info from a file, but don’t want to take the time to open the program just to grab a little snippet. Quicklook will do the trick!
To give Quicklook a try, go to the Finder and open a new window (File>New Finder Window). Go into your Documents folder and find a file you want to peek at. Click on it ONE time to select it (not twice – a double-click will launch the file’s application, which is exactly what you’re trying to avoid).
Now, press the Spacebar on your keyboard. An overlay will appear on the screen, showing you the contents of the file. You can scroll around, skim from page to page, and even play movies or presentations.
To see another file, simply click on it back in the Finder window while this Quicklook overlay is open – it will switch to that next file. Or, use your up and down arrows on your keyboard to scroll through your list.
I use this feature several times a day. It’s the one biggest productivity feature I can’t do without – whenever I have to work on a PC, I’m lost without it.
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