How-to · Finder for Mac
How to use gallery view in Finder on Mac: steps, shortcuts and fixes
To use gallery view in Finder on Mac, open a Finder window, open the folder, and press Command-4 or click the Gallery view button in the toolbar. Gallery view shows one large preview with a row of thumbnails along the bottom, and you move between files with the Left and Right Arrow keys.
Quick answer
- Press Command-4 in a Finder window, or click the Gallery view button in the toolbar.
- Use the Left and Right Arrow keys, or swipe on the trackpad, to move between files.
- Press Command-J to open View Options. Hide filenames there if the names get in the way.
- Tick Always open in on a folder to keep Gallery view every time you open it.
- If the view buttons are missing, widen the window. Narrow windows hide them in a pop-up menu.
What you need
- A Mac running macOS, Apple silicon or Intel
- Finder open and active, not another app
- A folder with files in it, so there is something to browse
How to Switch a Finder window to Gallery view in Finder on a Mac
Open a Finder window
Click the Finder icon in the Dock. A Finder window opens. Use the sidebar or the path bar to reach the folder you want to browse.
Tip: The Finder icon is the first icon at the left end of the Dock.
Open the folder you want to browse
Double-click the folder in the window, or pick it from the sidebar. Gallery view shows the contents of the folder that is open in the window, so open it first.
Switch the window to Gallery view
⌘4
Look at the view buttons near the top of the window. They sit together as a group of four. Click the Gallery view button. You can also open the View menu and look for the Gallery entry. The wording can vary by release, so check it on your Mac.
Tip: If you don't see the buttons, widen the window. Apple says narrow windows move them into a pop-up menu.
Move through the folder
← →
Press the Left Arrow or Right Arrow key to step through the items. On a trackpad, swipe left or right with two fingers. The large preview changes with each move, and the thumbnail row shows where you are.
Tip: Apple lists both the keys and the trackpad swipe, so use whichever feels natural.
Open the Preview pane
⇧⌘P
Press Shift-Command-P to show a panel with details about the selected file. Press the same keys again to hide it.
Open View Options
⌘J
Choose View > Show View Options. You can also select the folder and press Command-J. Press Command-J again to close the panel.
Hide filenames in Gallery view
In View Options, use the setting for filenames. Untick it to hide names under the previews. Tick it again to show the names.
Tip: Hidden names are a display setting. The files keep their names.
Check sort order and thumbnail size
MacMost says View Options also holds Sort By and thumbnail size. Set Sort By to put files in name, date or size order. Check each control on your Mac, because that article was written for Mojave.
Keep the folder in Gallery view
In View Options, tick Always open in. Apple says this keeps the folder in its customized view. Close the panel, and the folder should open in Gallery view the next time you visit it.
Tip: Leave Browse in off if subfolders should keep their own views.
Apply Gallery view to subfolders
Tick Browse in in the same panel. Apple says this applies the view to subfolders. Only do this when every subfolder should open the same way.
Clear a subfolder that opens in the wrong view
Open the subfolder and choose View > Show View Options. Clear both the Always open in and Browse in boxes. Apple says both boxes must be cleared on a subfolder that opens in a different view.
Switch back to another view
⌘1 to⌘4
Press Command-1 for Icons, Command-2 for List, or Command-3 for Columns. Press Command-4 to return to Gallery view. Apple's shortcut list gives these keys for Finder windows.
Gallery view is for people who sort files by looking at them. If you know the file name, List view is faster. If you need to see what a file contains, Gallery view is the better tool. This guide covers the switch, the settings that matter, and the places where Gallery view behaves oddly.
What gallery view is and when it helps
Gallery view is one of the four ways Finder shows the items in a folder. The other three are Icons, List and Columns. In Gallery view, Finder puts a large preview of the current item above a row of thumbnails along the bottom of the window. Apple's Mac Help guide describes this as a way to flip through files and folders visually.
It helps most when names do not tell you what is inside. Camera files with codes for names are a good example. So are scanned receipts, screenshots and exported PDFs that all start with the same word. You can move through them and see each one before you open anything.
It is a poor fit for long lists you need to sort by date or size. Gallery view shows one item at a time, so you see few names on screen. For sorting many files, List view with a sorted column is quicker. Switch back with Command-2 when the job changes.
5.81%
Share of desktop web traffic from macOS, October 2026. This is web traffic, not the number of Macs in use.
StatCounter Global Stats: Desktop OS market share worldwide4
Finder view modes. MacMost calls Gallery view the fourth, in the spot Cover Flow used to hold.
MacMost: Gallery View In macOS MojaveGallery view next to the other Finder views
| View | Shortcut | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Icons | Command-1 | A visual grid of icons for a folder |
| List | Command-2 | Sorting by date, size or name across many files |
| Columns | Command-3 | Moving through nested folders quickly |
| Gallery | Command-4 | Flipping through files one large preview at a time |
Apple's shortcut list pairs Command-1 through Command-4 with Icons, List, Columns and Gallery in that order. Learn the four keys and you can change views without moving your hand to the toolbar. Gallery view is the one to reach for when you want to see the contents before you open them.
How gallery view replaced Cover Flow
If you used Cover Flow, Gallery view will feel familiar. Gallery view replaced Cover Flow in macOS Mojave. MacMost describes it as the fourth Finder view mode, sitting where Cover Flow used to be.
Cover Flow was a separate mode in older Finder versions. Gallery view keeps the flip-through idea, but it lives in the same group of view buttons as Icons, List and Columns. If you still look for Cover Flow out of habit, look at the view buttons instead.
Use View Options to change what Gallery view shows
Press Command-J with the folder open, or choose View > Show View Options. Press Command-J again to close the panel. Apple says the panel controls how the current folder looks, so changes there apply to that folder.
In Gallery view you can hide filenames through View Options. That leaves a clean strip of previews, which suits photo folders where the names are noise. Turn the names back on in the same panel when you need to read them.
MacMost says View Options also holds Sort By, thumbnail size, and a choice between icons or file names. That article was written for Mojave, so the panel may have moved some controls. Check each control on your Mac before you rely on it.
Keep one folder in Gallery view every time
Finder can remember a view for each folder. To make Gallery view stick, open View Options and tick Always open in. Apple says this keeps a folder in its customized view, so it opens the same way the next time you visit it.
Browse in is the wider setting. Apple says it applies the view to subfolders. Tick it only when every folder inside the parent should open in Gallery view. Leave it off when subfolders need their own views.
Here is a worked example. You keep a folder called Scans for receipts. You set it to Gallery view, tick Always open in, and leave Browse in off. Scans opens in Gallery view every time. Its subfolders follow their own settings, so a folder of invoices can stay in List view.
Fix a subfolder that opens in the wrong view
Sometimes a subfolder opens in a different view than its parent. Apple's guide says that when this happens, you clear both boxes on that subfolder. Select the subfolder, open View Options, untick Always open in and Browse in, then close the panel.
One MacMost commenter reported that Always open in did not apply when they reached the folder through another path, such as Pictures. Opening the configured folder directly fixed it for them. That is a single report, not a documented bug, but it is a quick test to run before you give up.
Preview files without opening them
Gallery view shows a large preview, but it is not the only way to look inside a file. Apple's guide says the Preview pane lets you view a document or image without opening it. Press Shift-Command-P, or choose View > Show Preview.
MacMost says the Preview pane shows a right-hand panel with details. Depending on the file type, Quick Actions such as rotate and Markup can appear there. That detail comes from an older article, so the buttons on your Mac may differ. Use Gallery view for browsing and the Preview pane for details.
Mistakes people make with gallery view
- Hunting for the view buttons in a narrow window. Narrow windows put the view buttons into a pop-up menu. Widen the window, and the buttons return to a row.
- Expecting the files in a strange order. Gallery view uses the sort order you set. Open View Options and check Sort By before you assume something broke.
- Thinking Command-J did nothing. It toggles View Options. The first press opens the panel, and the second press closes it.
- Looking for Gallery view on iCloud.com. Finder is a Mac app. The Apple iCloud guide page I checked does not describe view options, so you cannot count on it there.
- Using Gallery view for a long sorted list. One large preview fills most of the window, so scanning a long list takes time. Switch to List view for that job.
Does gallery view change in macOS 27?
Apple's current Mac Help guide starts its version selector at macOS 27 Golden Gate. The page does not say which release its steps apply to. The steps match the Mojave-era MacMost article as well, so the core switch has been stable for a long time.
MacStories' overview of macOS 27 Golden Gate lists one Finder change, an Ask Siri field at the top of context menus for selected files. It does not mention view modes, the View menu or the Preview pane. Check your own View menu, because item names can vary between releases.
Keyboard habits that save time
The path bar and the Sidebar have shortcuts too. Option-Command-P shows or hides the path bar. Option-Command-S shows or hides the Sidebar. Apple's shortcut list documents both for Finder windows.
Learn the set in this order: ⌘4 for Gallery, ⌘J for View Options, and ⇧⌘P for the Preview pane. Those three cover most of what Gallery view needs. Add the path bar and Sidebar keys once the basics feel automatic.
Where to go next
If your Finder window is cluttered, show the path bar so you can see where you are. To get your favorite folders within reach, change the sidebar. If files seem to vanish from a folder, they may be hidden, and showing hidden files covers that case.
Finder shortcuts for this on Mac
| To do this | Press |
|---|---|
| Gallery view | ⌘4 |
| Icons view | ⌘1 |
| List view | ⌘2 |
| Columns view | ⌘3 |
| Show View Options | ⌘J |
| Show or hide the Preview pane | ⇧⌘P |
| Show or hide the path bar | ⌥⌘P |
| Show or hide the Sidebar | ⌥⌘S |
If it does not work
- The view buttons are missing from the toolbar
- Widen the Finder window. Apple says narrow windows show the view options in a pop-up menu. A wider window puts the buttons back in a row.
- Gallery view does not stick to a folder
- Open View Options and tick Always open in. If the folder still opens in another view, open it directly from its own path rather than through a different route. One MacMost commenter said that fixed it.
- A subfolder opens in List or Icons view
- Open that subfolder's View Options and clear both Always open in and Browse in. Apple's guide says both boxes must be cleared on that subfolder.
- Filenames have disappeared from the previews
- Press Command-J to open View Options. Find the filename setting and tick it again. The names return under each preview.
- Command-4 does nothing
- Click a Finder window first so Finder is the active app. Then press Command-4 again. If that fails, open the View menu and look for Gallery.
- The Preview pane does not appear
- Press Shift-Command-P or choose View > Show View Options. MacMost describes the pane as a right-hand panel with details about the selected file.
Faster with Lazur
Do it faster: ask Lazur while you are in Finder
Hold ⌥ ⌘ and say what you want. Lazur sees your Finder window. Lazur draws a circle and a label around the button or menu you need.
- 1
Hold ⌥⌘ and talk
- 2
Lazur draws a circle and a label around the button or menu you need.
- 3
You stay in Finder. Nothing to copy into a chat window.
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You say“Where's the Gallery view button?”
Lazur · points at itLazur circles the view buttons in the toolbar and labels them. You still click the one you want, so you learn where it sits.
Questions people ask
Is gallery view the same as Cover Flow?
Gallery view replaced Cover Flow in macOS Mojave. MacMost describes it as the fourth Finder view mode, in the spot Cover Flow used to take. Both put a large preview front and centre, so the habit carries over.
Does gallery view work on iCloud.com?
I could not confirm it. Finder is a Mac app, and the Apple iCloud guide page I checked lists file viewing without describing view options. Test it in the browser if you need it.
Why won't my folder stay in Gallery view?
Tick Always open in in View Options for that folder. If it opens in another view later, a subfolder or a different path may be the cause. One MacMost commenter found that opening the folder directly fixed it.
Does macOS 27 change gallery view?
I found no change. MacStories' overview of macOS 27 Golden Gate lists an Ask Siri field in context menus and no view changes. Apple's guide does not say which release its steps apply to, so check your own View menu.
What is the fastest way to switch views?
Use the keyboard. Command-1 through Command-4 cover Icons, List, Columns and Gallery in order. Apple's keyboard shortcut list documents these keys for Finder windows.
Can I hide filenames in Gallery view?
Yes. Open View Options with Command-J and use the filename setting. Apple's guide says you can hide filenames in Gallery view there, and you can turn them back on the same way.
What if the Preview pane is missing?
Press Shift-Command-P or choose View > Show Preview. MacMost describes the Preview pane as a right-hand panel with details about the selected file.
Sources
- Apple Support: Mac keyboard shortcuts (Finder and system shortcuts) · Apple · checked 2026-11-09
- Apple Mac User Guide: Change how folders are displayed in the Finder on Mac · Apple · checked 2026-11-09
- Apple Mac User Guide: Organize your files in the Finder · Apple · checked 2026-11-09
- MacMost: Gallery View In macOS Mojave · MacMost · checked 2026-11-09
- MacStories: macOS 27 Golden Gate overview · MacStories · checked 2026-11-09
- StatCounter Global Stats: Desktop OS market share worldwide · StatCounter · checked 2026-11-09
- Apple iCloud User Guide: Manage files and folders · Apple · checked 2026-11-09
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