Your workflow is unique 👨‍💻 -  tell us how you use Dropbox here.

Forum Discussion

jking1's avatar
jking1
New member | Level 2
26 days ago

QuickLook is flickering on Mac OS

Integration Affected
Finder
Device
MacBook Air, M3, 16GB RAM
Operating System/Browser (if using the web)
macOS Tahoe 26.2
Dropbox App Version (if using the app)
242.3.5699

Question or Issue

I have been having the same issue as described in this thread for at least 1 month. It makes Quick Look (and therefore Finder) really awful to use. If you try to QuickLook or preview a pdf, image, etc. the quicklook state resets and refreshes. For example, I navigate in Finder to a pdf in my dropbox. I press SPACE to quicklook the item. I scroll down the PDF. The QuickLook resets/refreshes and I lose my place in the document. There is a huge impact on everyday tasks.

Troubleshooting efforts:

  1. I viewed this topic and followed the suggestions there. It did not help.
  2. If I quit the Dropbox app, the issue persists.
  3. I found something really interesting. If I look at the Path Bar at the bottom of Finder, the folder icons keep changing several times per second (matching the flickering in QuickLook). Sometimes the icons in the Path Bar show as blank gray squares with dashed outlines or Green folders with check marks. It appears that these mini icons  are constantly changing. If I disable the Path Bar, then the flickering stops in the quicklook. Again this happens in the Dropbox section of Finder, and not elsewhere. I've shown an example of the two options I see flicker on the Path Bar. Again the file previews and quicklooks flicker also, which is more problematic. I point out the Path Bar as a potentially useful piece of information to determine the problem.

Thank you!

 

4 Replies

  • Megan's avatar
    Megan
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    18 days ago

    Hey jking1!

    Following up to confirm whether your issue is resolved or if further support is needed. We're here to help either way.

  • Lele_26's avatar
    Lele_26
    New member | Level 2
    1 day ago

    Hi. I had (or still have?) this same problem: flickering QuickView and also in the preview panel. Just wanted to throw my 2 cents...

    My setup:

    Device
    MacBook Pro M3 Pro , 36GB RAM
    Operating System
    macOS Tahoe 26.2
    Dropbox App Version
    243.4.6956
    Plan
    Basic free plan

    I got similar symptoms as informed in this thread and in the link also referenced by OP. I solved it by simply force relaunching Finder.

    Thing is, if this is going to happen again or what's more important.... what triggers this behavior?

  • Hannah's avatar
    Hannah
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    1 day ago

    Hi Lele_26​, thanks for your comments here.

    I'm happy to hear that you've resolved this issue for the time being.

    If it does happen again, though, please get back to us, so we can investigate further and see if we can find the cause together.

About Apps and Installations

Have a question about a Dropbox app or installation? Reach out to the Dropbox Community and get solutions, help, and advice from members.

The Dropbox Community team is active from Monday to Friday. We try to respond to you as soon as we can, usually within 2 hours.

If you need more help you can view your support options (expected response time for an email or ticket is 24 hours), or contact us on X, Facebook or Instagram.

For more info on available support options for your Dropbox plan, see this article.

If you found the answer to your question in this Community thread, please 'like' the post to say thanks and to let us know it was useful!