Preview Files on Linux

Preview Files Instantly on Linux with GNOME Sushi

If you’ve ever wished macOS-style Quick Look worked on Linux, there’s a neat little tool called GNOME Sushi that makes it possible. It’s fast, simple, and integrates seamlessly with the GNOME desktop.

What It Does

GNOME Sushi lets you preview files without opening them. Highlight a file in Files (Nautilus) and press Space just like Quick Look on a Mac. Images, PDFs, videos, and even text files pop up instantly in a floating window. No extra clicks, no heavy apps just speed.

Installing GNOME Sushi

Installation is ridiculously easy. Open a terminal and type:

sudo apt install gnome-sushi

It’ll pull in the package and all the dependencies. Once installed, just highlight a file in Nautilus and press Space. Boom preview mode activated.

Why It’s Handy

• Fast previews: No waiting for apps to load.

• Supports many file types: From PDFs and images to videos and plain text.

• Lightweight: Doesn’t hog resources like full applications.

Extra Tips

One thing I love about GNOME Sushi is how it handles video and image files. Hover over a video, hit Space, and you get a mini player without opening VLC or any other media app. Images zoom smoothly, and PDFs scroll instantly perfect for when you’re skimming through documents.

It’s also a real workflow booster. Need to check ten files quickly? Highlight, Space, glance, close, repeat. That’s it. No bouncing between apps, no accidental edits just pure preview bliss. For anyone switching from macOS or just wanting more efficiency on Linux, GNOME Sushi is one of those small tweaks that makes daily file management feel a little more magical.

Learn More

You can check out the source code or contribute to the project on GNOME’s official GitLab repository here: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/sushi.