How to Preview Files with the Spacebar in Ubuntu Desktop Using GNOME Sushi

One of the most widely appreciated productivity features on macOS is Quick Look: selecting any file in Finder and pressing the spacebar to instantly inspect an image, play an audio clip, skim a PDF, or preview a text document without waiting for a heavyweight dedicated application to launch. While the default GNOME Files manager (Nautilus) in Ubuntu provides rich thumbnail views, it does not include instant spacebar previewing out of the box.

Fortunately, Linux users can achieve identical macOS-style functionality using an official GNOME extension named GNOME Sushi. Built specifically for the Nautilus file manager, Sushi provides instantaneous full-resolution file previews for images, PDF documents, videos, music files, LibreOffice documents, and source code scripts with a single tap of the spacebar. In this comprehensive guide, you will learn how to install GNOME Sushi in Ubuntu Desktop, use its interactive preview controls, add support for office documents, and troubleshoot rendering errors.

What is GNOME Sushi?

GNOME Sushi is a lightweight, responsive previewer daemon designed specifically for Nautilus. Developed by the core GNOME community, Sushi leverages native system libraries—such as GStreamer for multimedia, Poppler for PDF rendering, and GtkSourceView for syntax-highlighted source code—to generate lightning-fast floating preview windows.

Key file formats supported natively by Sushi include:

• Graphics: JPEG, PNG, SVG, WebP, GIF, and TIFF image formats.
• Documents: PDF, plain text files (.txt), Markdown (.md), and HTML pages.
• Audio & Video: MP3, FLAC, OGG, WAV, MP4, MKV, WebM, and AVI media containers.
• Programming Code: Python (.py), JavaScript (.js), Rust (.rs), C/C++, JSON, XML, and Shell scripts with automatic syntax colourisation.
• Office Documents: Word DOCX, Excel XLSX, and PowerPoint PPTX (via the Unoconv helper package).

Installing GNOME Sushi on Ubuntu Desktop

GNOME Sushi is maintained directly in the official Ubuntu software repositories across all modern LTS releases (including Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, and 24.04 LTS). You can install it in seconds using either the command line or Ubuntu Software:

Method 1: Terminal Installation (Fastest)

1. Open the Terminal application from the Ubuntu dash or press Ctrl + Alt + T.
2. Update your local package index:

   sudo apt update

3. Install GNOME Sushi by executing:

   sudo apt install gnome-sushi

4. Type your administrative password when prompted and press Enter. Confirm the installation by pressing Y.
5. Once installed, restart the Nautilus file manager so it detects the newly integrated previewer plugin:

   nautilus -q

Method 2: Ubuntu Software / App Centre

1. Open the Ubuntu Software or App Centre app from the desktop dock.
2. Click the search icon in the top-left corner and type Sushi.
3. Locate Sushi (tagged as “A quick previewer for Nautilus”) and click on it.
4. Click Install and authenticate with your password.
5. Restart your session or log out and back in to refresh Nautilus.

How to Use GNOME Sushi in Nautilus

Using GNOME Sushi is completely frictionless and intuitive:

1. Open the Files application (Nautilus) and navigate to any directory containing documents, photographs, or media.
2. Click once on any file to select and highlight it.
3. Press the Spacebar on your keyboard.
4. A clean, floating window immediately pops up on screen displaying the complete content of your selected file.
5. Press the Spacebar again or press the Esc key to instantly dismiss the preview window.

Tip: You do not need to close and reopen the previewer to inspect neighbouring files! While the Sushi window is open, use the Left, Right, Up, and Down arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate through other files in the current folder. Sushi updates its preview window dynamically as you arrow through your items.

Interactive Features and Media Controls

Unlike static image viewers, Sushi offers interactive controls tailored to the specific file type being inspected:

• Audio and Video Files: When previewing songs or video clips, Sushi displays an embedded playback bar complete with play/pause buttons, a scrubbing timeline, volume sliders, and media duration counters.
• PDF Documents: For multi-page PDF documents, Sushi provides previous and next page buttons, page number indicators, and smooth scrolling through document pages.
• Code and Text Files: Code previews include line numbering, syntax highlighting, and text selection, allowing you to quickly copy code snippets directly from the preview window without opening a full text editor.
• Fullscreen and External App Buttons: In the top-right corner of the preview window, Sushi provides an expand button to toggle full-screen view, as well as an “Open with [Application]” button to launch the default desktop app if you decide you need to edit the file.

Adding Support for Microsoft Office and LibreOffice Previews

By default, Sushi handles standard text, images, and media seamlessly. To enable instant previews for complex office formats like Microsoft Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), and LibreOffice Writer (.odt) files, install the unoconv converter package:

1. Open your terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T).
2. Install the unoconv conversion bridge:

   sudo apt install unoconv

3. Restart Nautilus:

   nautilus -q

Sushi will now parse and render rich multi-page previews of office spreadsheets, presentations, and word-processing documents directly inside the floating window.

Troubleshooting GNOME Sushi Issues

If pressing the spacebar does not launch a preview, examine these troubleshooting tips:

• Nautilus Did Not Reload: If you installed Sushi while Nautilus was running, the plugin cannot hook into the file manager process. Close all open file windows and run nautilus -q in your terminal, then reopen Files.
• Video Playback Shows Black Screen or Audio Only: Certain proprietary video codecs (such as H.264 or HEVC) require supplementary GStreamer media plugins. Install the Ubuntu restricted extras bundle to resolve codec errors:

  sudo apt install ubuntu-restricted-extras

• Conflicting Spacebar Shortcuts: In standard Ubuntu desktop settings, the spacebar selects files or triggers default actions. Ensure you are clicking the file once before tapping the spacebar. If you hold down the key, Ubuntu may misinterpret the keystroke.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does GNOME Sushi consume background battery or RAM?

No. GNOME Sushi only executes when you press the spacebar to generate a preview. Once you press Esc or Spacebar to dismiss the window, the rendering process releases system memory, making it far lighter than keeping applications like LibreOffice or VLC open in the background.

Can I use GNOME Sushi with other desktop file managers like Thunar or Nemo?

GNOME Sushi is built exclusively for the GNOME Files (Nautilus) file manager. If you use the Cinnamon desktop with Nemo, install the dedicated nemo-preview package instead, which provides the exact same spacebar functionality for Nemo.

How do I completely uninstall GNOME Sushi?

If you no longer wish to use spacebar previews, open your terminal and run sudo apt remove --purge gnome-sushi && nautilus -q. Nautilus will immediately revert to its standard behaviour.