GIF Preview Not Working on Mac? Fix Corrupted GIF Files on Your Mac

Have you ever encountered a GIF file that is not working in Mac Preview? Many Mac users reported that Preview is not workable on GIF files after updating macOS. This post will discuss how to fix the GIF Preview not working issue on a Mac with the EaseUS Photo Repair tool!

Have you ever encountered a situation where a GIF file is not working in Mac Preview? Many Mac users reported that Preview is not workable on GIF files after updating macOS.

Don't worry if your GIF Preview is not working on Mac! We will discuss the possible reasons for this and provide effective methods to fix this error. Read on to learn the detailed information!

Why GIF Preview Not Working on Mac

GIF Preview not working on Mac may caused by unknown reasons, such as system crashes, Preview program errors, corrupted GIF files, macOS update failures, etc. If you found yourself frustratеd by thе inability to open GIFs, PDFs, JPGs, or PNGs as еxpеctеd, the Preview not working on Mac may be the possible reason.

In addition to these reasons, GIF file corruption is often cited as a reason for not being able to preview an image. In this case, there are only a few GIFs that can't be previewed, while you can preview other file types on your Mac. Then, you first need to try repairing corrupted GIF files that can't be previewed. Scroll down to learn how to repair corrupted GIF files to fix GIF Preview not working issue.

How to Fix GIF Preview Not Working on Mac with Safari

As a GIF file is considered a picture on macOS, both static and animated GIFs will be opened in the Preview app by default. However, the Preview app can only display static pictures, not movies or dynamic pictures, on some macOS versions.

In this case, there is a simple and effective way to successfully preview your GIF images' content: make the Mac operating system open all GIF files in a program that can handle animations by default. Check out the following steps:

Step 1. Locate your GIF files in Finder, and choose the "Get Info" option.

Step 2. Scroll down to "Open with... > Preview(default)", and change the default open program to Safari.

You can choose any other application that can handle animated GIFs; if you don't see the application you're looking for listed, select "Other…" and select the one you prefer from your Applications folder)

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Repair Corrupted GIF Files with Photo Repair Tool

To repair corrupted photos on a Mac, you should use image repair tools, such as EaseUS Fixo Photo Repair, one of the top photo repair tools for PC and Mac, which can repair corrupted GIF files with a few clicks!

Download and install this trustworthy image repair tool, then you can refer to the following steps to repair your damaged motion pictures that cannot be previewed:

Step 1. Add the Corrupted Images

Launch EaseUS Fixo on your Mac, go to the "Photo Repair" tab and click the "Add Photo" button to add the corrupted images, including JPEG, PNG, JPG, CR3, CR2, NEF, NRW, RAF, etc.

Step 2. Repair the Corrupted Images

Select an image and click the "Repair" button to start the single image repairing process. If you want to repair all the corrupted images, click "Repair All".

Step 3. Save the Repaired Images on Your Mac

Click on the eye icon to preview the repaired images and click "Save" to save them on your Mac. Choose "Save All" to save all the repaired images. Click "View Repaired" to locate the repaired folder.

Here is an article about the top 11 photo repair tools in 2024, which discusses the pros and cons of the best photo repair software; take a look!

How to View a GIF's Frames in Preview on Mac

An animated GIF file is a graphics file that shows a short animation. In the Preview app, you can look at each frame in the animation as an individual still image. Check out the following steps:

Step 1. Launch "Preview" and open the animated GIF file.

Step 2. Select "View > Thumbnails".

Step 3. Click the arrow next to the file name in the sidebar to show the frames in the animation.

Step 4. Click the Down arrow to hide the frames.

GIF Preview Not Working on Mac FAQs

Here are questions related to "GIF Preview not working on Mac" that people frequently ask. Take a look to learn more about why GIF files can't be previewed in the Preview app:

1. How to Preview a GIF on a Mac?

An animated GIF file is a graphics file that shows a short animation. In the Preview app, you can look at each frame in the animation as an individual still image. Check out the following steps:

• Launch "Preview" and open the animated GIF file.
• Select "View > Thumbnails".
• Click the arrow next to the file name in the sidebar to show the frames in the animation.
• Click the Down arrow to hide the frames.

2. How do I get GIFs to work on my Mac?

Apple's Safari and all other popular web browsers like Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Brave can open GIF files. Right-click over the GIF file on your Mac and then go to "Open With > Safari" or another browser. This will open the image file in the web browser.

3. Why is the GIF file not working?

If your GIF file is not playing or looping, it might be because the file is too large. You'll need to reduce the size if it's more than 1080 pixels high or 1920 pixels wide. There are several free online tools of varying sophistication that you can use.

However, GIF files get corruption may also cause them not to work; in this case, you can use the EaseUS Fixo Online Photo Repair page to fix corrupted images, including GIFs, PNGs, JPEGs, TIFFs, RAWs, etc.

Conclusion

After updating macOS, many Mac users reported that Preview is not workable on GIF files. This post discusses how to fix the GIF Preview not working issue on a Mac. The most effective way to fix this error is using EaseUS Fixo Photo Repair to fix corrupted GIF files.