If I were to ask you what one hundred people what feature is missing from GNOME, I would probably get (close to) 100 different answers. However, one of the most requested features (even though not always official) is a quick file preview feature, similar to what we can find on macOS.

Interestingly, that "feature" already exists in the form of GNOME Sushi, a super fast and efficient previewer for GNOME Files (ex Nautilus), the default GNOME desktop file manager.

What's even more interesting is the fact that with each new GNOME release, people start remembering that GNOME Sushi is a thing and flock to GNOME-based distros (Ubuntu, Fedora, etc.) forums (and community channels in order to request/propose that Sushi be included in the next release.

Sushi is a free and open-source project and has been "here" for well over 10 years. GNOME Sushi is actually a DBus-activated service. Using it requires users to simply "hit" the Space Bar on their keyboards in order to quickly preview selected files.

Sadly, it's 2024 and Sushi being the default file previewer on GNOME still didn't happen. Fret not, installing it is as easy as pie, easy as cake, or easy as Sushi? (bad joke, probably).

To install the app, pop open a Terminal instance, and type "sudo apt install gnome-sushi" (for Ubuntu), or "sudo dnf install sushi" (for Fedora). That's it, no extra hassle is required since the app runs quietly in the background. Simply open "Files," select a file, and tap the Space Bar.

For such a small tool, GNOME Sushi really works wonders. It's abilities cover anything from basic photo, audio, video, and plain document formats to XML, SVG, and even complex media formats (enables playback of all content supported by GStreamer, for instance).

Sushi must be one of the most underrated true-and-true GNOME apps out there. At the end of the day, I can also understand that having it integrated into most GNOME-based distros by default would mean a lot more work for the team behind said projects.

Nevertheless, GNOME Sushi is a cool little app, at least in my eyes. Install it, try it, and see if it fits your style as well.