The file couldn't be opened, Fix — you did a lot of things wrong. When you select a PDF file, and click Preview on your Mac, an error message should appear that says “The file could not be opened, fix”. It is a bug. It is not to a fault of Preview. Open Preview File Without an Issue (2022) When you open an iCloud-file on your Mac, the Preview app still tries to open the file. You have to click Open or Force Quit. In the Preview app, there is an entry in the preferences for what app opens the files: File Type: iCloud (or Preview on Mac); Choose: Preview; File: Choose which app opens the file; When you use the File Type: iCloud (or Preview on Mac), the app previews the file before opening. File Type Preview app When you want to edit the file on your Mac, you have to Open it and edit it before you force-quit the Preview application. When you Force Quit Do you want to open all the files before force quitting Preview? Yes, you want to. This is just the right time to use iCloud Preview. Open Multiple Files In Preview (2025) Use the keyboard shortcut F9. In Preview panel, use the keyboard shortcut Shift+F9. F9 in Preview panel. When you close a file that you want to open again in Preview, open it in Preview again. This would be like if you try to open a file in Preview, and it doesn't open the first time! The files are opened in Preview, and you have to Open them again. Once you open multiple files in Preview, you can delete them in one click, or move them to an external disk or just put them outside the window. If you cannot find your files in Finder or the desktop, then you have to copy the file to another location. The file could not be opened, fix — you have an issue with the file itself! You are trying to open a file in Preview that has no folder or icon in the Finder. In this case, you have to force quit preview. You also have to force quit the Finder. If you forget to close your Finder after closing preview first, you might see some Finder windows appear in the window, while no file files are displayed. The file could not be opened, fix — you are trying to open a file in Preview that has no icon, etc.