---
title: Previews or thumbnail images for macOS 10.14 or earlier
framework: quicklook
role: collectionGroup
role_heading: API Collection
path: quicklook/previews-or-thumbnail-images-for-macos-10-14-or-earlier
---

# Previews or thumbnail images for macOS 10.14 or earlier

Create thumbnail images or previews of common files and custom file types in earlier versions of macOS.

## Overview

Overview The Quick Look framework provides functionality to create a miniature representation, or thumbnail, of a file and its contents for display in apps that target macOS 10.14 and earlier. If your app targets macOS 10.15 and later, use the Quick Look Thumbnailing framework to create thumbnails. Similarly, use a Quick Look preview extension to display previews of files instead of Quick Look generators. To learn more, watch What’s New in File Management and Quick Look.

## Topics

### Creating thumbnails

- [QLThumbnailImageCreate(_:_:_:_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailimagecreate(_:_:_:_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailCreate(_:_:_:_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailcreate(_:_:_:_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailDispatchAsync(_:_:_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnaildispatchasync(_:_:_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailCancel(_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailcancel(_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailCopyDocumentURL(_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailcopydocumenturl(_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailCopyImage(_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailcopyimage(_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailCopyOptions(_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailcopyoptions(_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailGetContentRect(_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailgetcontentrect(_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailGetMaximumSize(_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailgetmaximumsize(_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailGetTypeID()](quicklook/qlthumbnailgettypeid().md)
- [QLThumbnailIsCancelled(_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailiscancelled(_:).md)

### Handling thumbnail requests

- [QLThumbnailRequestCopyContentUTI(_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailrequestcopycontentuti(_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailRequestCopyOptions(_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailrequestcopyoptions(_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailRequestCopyURL(_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailrequestcopyurl(_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailRequestCreateContext(_:_:_:_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailrequestcreatecontext(_:_:_:_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailRequestFlushContext(_:_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailrequestflushcontext(_:_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailRequestGetDocumentObject(_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailrequestgetdocumentobject(_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailRequestGetGeneratorBundle(_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailrequestgetgeneratorbundle(_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailRequestGetMaximumSize(_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailrequestgetmaximumsize(_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailRequestGetTypeID()](quicklook/qlthumbnailrequestgettypeid().md)
- [QLThumbnailRequestIsCancelled(_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailrequestiscancelled(_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailRequestSetDocumentObject(_:_:_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailrequestsetdocumentobject(_:_:_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailRequestSetImage(_:_:_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailrequestsetimage(_:_:_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailRequestSetImageAtURL(_:_:_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailrequestsetimageaturl(_:_:_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailRequestSetImageWithData(_:_:_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailrequestsetimagewithdata(_:_:_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailRequestSetThumbnailWithDataRepresentation(_:_:_:_:_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailrequestsetthumbnailwithdatarepresentation(_:_:_:_:_:).md)
- [QLThumbnailRequestSetThumbnailWithURLRepresentation(_:_:_:_:_:)](quicklook/qlthumbnailrequestsetthumbnailwithurlrepresentation(_:_:_:_:_:).md)

### Requesting previews

- [QLPreviewRequestCopyContentUTI(_:)](quicklook/qlpreviewrequestcopycontentuti(_:).md)
- [QLPreviewRequestCopyOptions(_:)](quicklook/qlpreviewrequestcopyoptions(_:).md)
- [QLPreviewRequestCopyURL(_:)](quicklook/qlpreviewrequestcopyurl(_:).md)
- [QLPreviewRequestCreateContext(_:_:_:_:)](quicklook/qlpreviewrequestcreatecontext(_:_:_:_:).md)
- [QLPreviewRequestCreatePDFContext(_:_:_:_:)](quicklook/qlpreviewrequestcreatepdfcontext(_:_:_:_:).md)
- [QLPreviewRequestFlushContext(_:_:)](quicklook/qlpreviewrequestflushcontext(_:_:).md)
- [QLPreviewRequestGetDocumentObject(_:)](quicklook/qlpreviewrequestgetdocumentobject(_:).md)
- [QLPreviewRequestSetDocumentObject(_:_:_:)](quicklook/qlpreviewrequestsetdocumentobject(_:_:_:).md)
- [QLPreviewRequestGetGeneratorBundle(_:)](quicklook/qlpreviewrequestgetgeneratorbundle(_:).md)
- [QLPreviewRequestGetTypeID()](quicklook/qlpreviewrequestgettypeid().md)
- [QLPreviewRequestIsCancelled(_:)](quicklook/qlpreviewrequestiscancelled(_:).md)
- [QLPreviewRequestSetDataRepresentation(_:_:_:_:)](quicklook/qlpreviewrequestsetdatarepresentation(_:_:_:_:).md)
- [QLPreviewRequestSetURLRepresentation(_:_:_:_:)](quicklook/qlpreviewrequestseturlrepresentation(_:_:_:_:).md)

### Configuring the appearance of PDF previews

- [QLPreviewPDFStyle](quicklook/qlpreviewpdfstyle.md)

### Interfacing with a Quick Look plug-in

- [QLGeneratorInterfaceStruct](quicklook/qlgeneratorinterfacestruct.md)

### Opaque types

- [QLThumbnail](quicklook/qlthumbnail.md)
- [QLThumbnailRequest](quicklook/qlthumbnailrequest.md)
- [QLPreviewRequest](quicklook/qlpreviewrequest.md)

### Constants

- [kQLReturnMask](quicklook/kqlreturnmask.md)
- [kQLReturnHasMore](quicklook/kqlreturnhasmore.md)
- [kQLThumbnailOptionIconModeKey](quicklook/kqlthumbnailoptioniconmodekey.md)
- [kQLThumbnailOptionScaleFactorKey](quicklook/kqlthumbnailoptionscalefactorkey.md)
- [QUICKLOOK_VERSION](quicklook/quicklook_version.md)

### Deprecated constants

- [kQLPreviewContentIDScheme](quicklook/kqlpreviewcontentidscheme.md)
- [kQLPreviewPropertyCursorKey](quicklook/kqlpreviewpropertycursorkey.md)
- [kQLPreviewOptionCursorKey](quicklook/kqlpreviewoptioncursorkey.md)
- [kQLPreviewPropertyAttachmentDataKey](quicklook/kqlpreviewpropertyattachmentdatakey.md)
- [kQLPreviewPropertyAttachmentsKey](quicklook/kqlpreviewpropertyattachmentskey.md)
- [kQLPreviewPropertyBaseBundlePathKey](quicklook/kqlpreviewpropertybasebundlepathkey.md)
- [kQLPreviewPropertyDisplayNameKey](quicklook/kqlpreviewpropertydisplaynamekey.md)
- [kQLPreviewPropertyHeightKey](quicklook/kqlpreviewpropertyheightkey.md)
- [kQLPreviewPropertyMIMETypeKey](quicklook/kqlpreviewpropertymimetypekey.md)
- [kQLPreviewPropertyPDFStyleKey](quicklook/kqlpreviewpropertypdfstylekey.md)
- [kQLPreviewPropertyStringEncodingKey](quicklook/kqlpreviewpropertystringencodingkey.md)
- [kQLPreviewPropertyTextEncodingNameKey](quicklook/kqlpreviewpropertytextencodingnamekey.md)
- [kQLPreviewPropertyWidthKey](quicklook/kqlpreviewpropertywidthkey.md)
- [kQLThumbnailPropertyBadgeImageKey](quicklook/kqlthumbnailpropertybadgeimagekey.md)
- [kQLThumbnailPropertyBaseBundlePathKey](quicklook/kqlthumbnailpropertybasebundlepathkey.md)
- [kQLThumbnailPropertyExtensionKey](quicklook/kqlthumbnailpropertyextensionkey.md)

### QuickLookUI symbols

- [QLFilePreviewRequest](quicklook/qlfilepreviewrequest.md)
- [QLPreviewProvider](quicklook/qlpreviewprovider.md)
- [QLPreviewReply](quicklook/qlpreviewreply.md)
- [QLPreviewReplyAttachment](quicklook/qlpreviewreplyattachment.md)
- [QLPreviewItem](quicklook/qlpreviewitem.md)
- [QLPreviewingController](quicklook/qlpreviewingcontroller.md)

## See Also

### Previews

- [QLPreviewController](quicklook/qlpreviewcontroller.md)
- [QLPreviewItem](quicklookui/qlpreviewitem.md)
- [QLPreviewSceneActivationConfiguration](quicklook/qlpreviewsceneactivationconfiguration.md)