Syntax Highlight
Syntax Highlight is a macOS Quick Look app that previews source code files in Finder with readable syntax highlighting.
What is Syntax Highlight?
Syntax Highlight is a macOS utility for previewing source code files directly in Finder using Quick Look. It is designed for developers, administrators, and technical users who want to inspect code, scripts, configuration files, and other text-based formats without opening a full editor or IDE. The app supports a wide range of programming and markup languages, and it can show highlighted previews with options such as line numbers, color schemes, and rendering settings. It also works with many plain-text and structured file types commonly used in development workflows. After installation, users launch the app once so macOS can register its Quick Look extension, then previews become available in normal Finder browsing. Published by Simone Baldissini, Syntax Highlight is a focused Mac utility for faster code review and file inspection.
Key features
- Preview source code files in Finder with Quick Look
- Highlight many programming, scripting, and markup languages
- Show code with configurable color schemes for light and dark mode
- Display line numbers for easier reading and reference
- Adjust rendering options for how highlighted previews are shown
- Open and inspect scripts, config files, and other text-based project files
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Safety overview
Status: Safe
This app is used to preview code files in Finder, so accessing files you select is normal for its purpose. It installs a Quick Look extension and may check for updates when the main app is launched. That behavior is typical for a developer utility, and removing the app mainly stops Finder from showing its enhanced code previews.
Recommendation: Keep Syntax Highlight if you use Finder to inspect source code or configuration files and want readable previews without opening an editor. If you do not use Quick Look for code, you can remove it with little impact beyond losing those highlighted previews.
Common paths
/Applications/Syntax Highlight.app
Preference paths
~/Library/Preferences/org.sbarex.SourceCodeSyntaxHighlight.plist
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