How to open several images in one Preview window on a Mac

Preview opens each photo in its own window, or all in one with a sidebar. The setting that decides it, and how to step through a folder of images quickly.

Guide · Updated 22 October 2026

How do I open several images in one Preview window?

  1. In Finder, select all the images: ⌘ click each, or ⌘ A for the whole folder.
  2. Press ⌘ ↓, or right click and choose Open.
  3. Preview opens one window with every image, and thumbnails in the sidebar.

Use the arrow keys or the sidebar to move between them. Show the sidebar with View, Thumbnails if it is hidden.

Which Preview setting controls this?

Preview Settings (⌘ ,), General, When opening files: Open groups of files in the same window, or Open each file in its own window. The first only groups files you open together; images opened one by one still get a window each.

What if I just want to look through them?

Skip Preview. Select the images and press Space for Quick Look, then use the arrow keys. See Quick Look.

How do I merge Preview windows already open?

Drag thumbnails from one window's sidebar into another's, then close the empty one. For document windows in general, Window, Merge All Windows works when the app supports tabs.

Compare two side by side: compare PDFs side by side. Fewer windows everywhere: documents in tabs.

Checked on 22 October 2026 on a MacBook Air (M1) running macOS 27.0.1: When opening files and its two choices were read from Preview's own settings.

Questions

How do I open multiple images in one window in Preview?

Select them all in Finder and open them together.

Why does Preview open each image in a new window?

The images were opened one at a time. Preview only groups files opened together.

How do I view all images in a folder on a Mac?

Select them and press Space for Quick Look, then use the arrow keys.

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