GeoPreview
A tiny Mac app that lets you peek inside a map file by pressing the Space bar in Finder, instead of opening a full mapping program just to check what's in it.
🔗 Visit GeoPreview
Description
Anyone who works with map data knows the annoyance: you get a file — a map layer, a set of GPS points, a boundary shape — and to even see what's in it, you have to open a heavyweight mapping program and wait for it to load. GeoPreview skips that entirely: select the file in Finder, tap the Space bar (the same shortcut Mac already uses to preview PDFs and images), and instantly see the map, its layers, and its details.
GeoPreview is a native macOS Finder and Quick Look extension for geospatial files, supporting GeoJSON, Shapefile, GPKG, KML, GPX, LAS/LAZ, and FileGDB. It renders geometry, layers, and CRS (coordinate reference system) metadata directly in Quick Look, with all processing done locally — nothing is uploaded anywhere. It's sold as a paid app on the Mac App Store, aimed at GIS professionals, geospatial analysts, and developers who need to quickly sanity-check a file before deciding whether it's worth opening in QGIS or ArcGIS.
💬 Our review
The short version: if you regularly receive or export geospatial files on a Mac and are tired of launching QGIS just to check what's inside one, GeoPreview is a small, well-targeted utility that saves real time on a very specific annoyance.
It's not trying to replace QGIS or ArcGIS — those remain necessary for actual editing, analysis, and cartography — GeoPreview's whole value proposition is the few seconds saved on the constant micro-task of "what is this file, quickly." That's a narrow niche compared to a full GIS suite, but for people who open dozens of geospatial files a week, those seconds add up fast. Being a one-time-ish App Store purchase rather than a subscription (typical for this category of Mac utility) makes it an easy yes for the target audience, and the fact that everything runs locally with no upload is a genuine plus for anyone handling sensitive location data. Not relevant at all if you don't work with GIS files regularly — this is a specialist's convenience tool, not a general-purpose one.
📊 Global score
🤖 AI-enriched data
Application payante sur le Mac App Store ; prix exact non précisé sur le site, généralement un achat unique pour ce type d'utilitaire macOS.
Pros
Prévisualisation instantanée via Space bar dans le Finder, sans lancer un logiciel SIG complet
Supporte de nombreux formats (GeoJSON, SHP, GPKG, KML, GPX, LAS/LAZ, FileGDB)
100% local, aucun upload
Affiche géométrie, couches et métadonnées CRS
Cons
Ne remplace pas un vrai logiciel SIG pour l'édition ou l'analyse
Niche très spécifique — utile seulement pour qui manipule des fichiers géospatiaux régulièrement
macOS uniquement