10 Ways To Move Files From One Folder To Another In the Finder

[@C.R.Gaines]

Hey Gary. Converted from 30 year PC guy to MacBook pro last week. I really appreciae your high quality information and presentation. Super helpful. Thank you!

[@cjc363636]

Hi, same here, but about 10 years ago. Gary has helped me tremendously in learning the ins and outs of Macs and MacOS. And with this Finder lesson, still is very much now. Welcome to the best 'unofficial' Mac Genius on the Web!

[@ojustaboo]

Very similar, moved a few months ago, hardest thing I found was remembering the menu for opened things is at the top of the screen rather than the top of whatever windows open. I also still forget that there's an "Option" key, only a few mins sago I asked if there was a way to do something and it turns out all I had to do was use the option key. I would never go back to Windows, everything just seems to work reasonably flawlessly (the only problems being me not knowing what I'm doing) . Was going to spend a good £2k on getting a new Windows PC for my music, (I'm retired, play just for fun), wife and adult kids bought me this 2nd hand M1 Pro as following surgery I couldn't sit in my music studio for quite a few months, after using it for a few months, I'm not going to bother buying a new PC, this just seems so smooth, it just seems to work. Bought a "CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station", all I do is plug 1 cable into my Mac book and I can use all my music equipment, my widescreen monitor etc etc etc, everything just works superbly. Considering I only have 16GB RAM and my old I7 PC had 64, this runs 100 times better lol. Very Very happy, this site has been amazing helping with me transitioning

[@billx4266]

i love macos, but this stuff explained here, is just as simple in windows....

[@C.R.Gaines]

@@billx4266 Yeah, sorta i guess. But for me it completes my eco system as I have all other apple products - iphone, iPad, airpods, watch and use iCloud as primary storage solution.

[@Oldnose63]

Same here. Trying to work on iOS after 35 years of Windows and I would be lost without Gary. Gary is the Help function Apple should have provided. I’ve control C/V-ed so much and couldn’t get my head around moving documents with Finder. On my 2019 MacBook Pro it doesn’t work at all

[@paulcamalin5236]

To learn new things from your videos you really need to watch the entire video and not scrubbing it. I always learn new stuff! 🙏

[@karayuschij]

Mac user since the first Mac… I still learn something interesting on your channel! Thank you Gary!

[@hridaymehta4179]

As a 4-month old macbook user from a 3 years consistent Windows user, I could not have been more glad to finally make the shift from Windows to MacOS. Since I already have an iPhone and AirPods, the ecosystem is slowly but surely growing. Your videos are really helpful to me for delving deep into QoL features in the Mac that make work more efficient along with the countless ways in which a user can complete tasks on this operating system. I learn something (a lot of things) new after watching a video of yours. Thank you.

[@snappycattimesten]

Copy (cmd c) and Move (option cmd v) was a revelation to me and allowed me to stick with then os X, when I switched from windows.

[@georgee3401]

Very useful tips. Learned some new approaches. Many thanks!

[@cjc363636]

Gary, can't thank you enough for this! Finder is so capable, but kind of arcane if one isn't used to how it does its magic. Saving this video in my bookmarks - I'll be back for sure for refreshers.

[@jonaskern8045]

Great video, thanks so much! Love your energy :) Got exactly what I came for, plus a little more, plus your grounding and relaxing energy. Dankeschön! :)

[@rdfuhr]

Thanks, Gary, for all the helpful tips. Another way to move a file, which I often use, is via the mv command in the Terminal. If your current working directory is where you want to move a file, you can invoke mv . - here the “.” signifies that the destination of the file to be moved is your current working directory.

[@garynagle3093]

Great video. Love learning new tricks. Thanks

[@clennam62]

Thanks Gary. I learned several new things here, as I’ve mostly used Command-option V or had to have 2 windows open.

[@botch3936]

Excellent summary; thanks Gary! (all these years, and only now did I learn how to open a second Finder window; d'Oh!).

[@AnilAtluriWord]

Quite an exhuastive learning Gary! thank you.

[@Erin-Thor]

Cool! Little things like knowing to command click the title to see the path are what makes me love your channel! ❤ I bounce between devices and platforms all day. If you are looking for video ideas, consider an iPad version of this using “Files.” Thanks!

[@MaiElizabeth]

That!!! That was what I was looking for! Thanks Gary 2:52

[@151ldur]

Number 8! Genius!!

[@Johnthetripper]

So many gems here, thanks again Gary

[@dougdina]

Great video, Gary !! That was very helpful. That one method of dragging the folder to the toolbar is mind blowing!! Thanks so much.

[@marklaurendet1861]

Great tips, I have implemnted some of the shortcut folders in the finder as I watched to see which way helps me the most

[@cheekyoscar1353]

Great , i've been wanting to use copy and paste for years . And now I know how to ... 👍👍👍

[@sriramprakashravichandran5248]

Thank you Gary 😊

[@artysanmobile]

Apple’s desktop Finder is where we can see the very best the company has to offer. I know it’s not exactly rocket surgery, but if you’ve ever tried an alternative, say their own Files App, you’ll see how perfectly developed the Finder is. As it’s the number one most used part of the OS, its perfection is easy to appreciate. Hot tip: For those who like List mode to the exclusion of all others, park your right hand with index finger on CMD key and third finger over the four arrow keys. This lets you explore folder structure quickly and in depth while never opening the nasty Columns mode.

[@rgarlinyc]

Thanks Gary - and you have to trust I'm being honest here, but this was one time I already knew all 10 of your revealed ways! Ha ha and don't worry, I will always be back to see your next video!

[@andreabernardini9998]

Super useful video!!!! Thanks🙏

[@chucksaeger7500]

Excellent!

[@bevintx5440]

If you know the correct folder is in the 2nd tab, then you can drop the file directly on that tab without switching to it. That makes it easier when moving multiple files. You have to time the drop so that it happens before Finder switches to the 2nd tab. It takes a little practice, but it is very useful l

[@loisskiathitis8926]

A very useful and informative video tutorial today! Thank you, Gary! 👏🏻❤️

[@desertpatient]

Thanks bunches

[@philiprand3720]

Fantastic as usual. One observation: sometimes, if I drag an item, depending on scroll to reach the new destination, I occasionally have trouble convincing Safari to scroll down. What might I be doing wrong? In any case, I continue to think you deserve some sort of Nobel.

[@macmost]

Not sure what you mean. How is Safari involved?

[@philiprand3720]

A mistake: …l occasionale have trouble, when dragging an item located further down on the Finder to get Safari to scroll downwards until I reach the folder where I want to place that item. The screen sometimes refuses to react when I am at the bottom.

[@stefanocson6237]

great

[@simpsonbergman2185]

The last one was new to me. I never used Move To in an app before.

[@SingleMalt77005]

I am confused about the Recents and Downloads options in Finder. I typically move my downloads into their destination folders. If I see one of them listed under Recents or under Downloads, and choose to delete it, am I only deleting it from those folders (if that is what they are) or am I also deleting it from my destination folder? I want to protect myself from myself so I do not delete and lose a file by mistake. Another way of posing my question: If I have organized my files into destination folders, is deleting them from the folder the only way to delete them or can they also be deleted from the lists under Finder's "Recents" and "Downloads" lists?

[@macmost]

See kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5O8apZ6iLeNrsU to understand the Recents "list"

[@SingleMalt77005]

@@macmost Thanks a bunch.

[@nunuvyurbiz123]

One interesting thing is that you can't use Move To... (or by trying to 'relocate' by clicking on the file name, and change Where) to move a file to the trash. I work around this by creating a folder on my desktop named Send to Trash, with a folder action to delete items when they appear. So now I can use Move To... (or changing the Where) to move it to that folder, and it goes in the trash.

[@GWillWin]

Was aware of most of those methods, but always pic up a tidbit or 2 from your videos.

[@lisagarrett6966]

Hi Gary, I'd like to know how to bring the keyboard up while watching a KZbin video so I can stop commercials. Thank you..

[@macmost]

Keyboard up? Not sure what you mean by that. Sounds like it doesn't have to do with moving files though, so try asking with more details here and I'll try to help: macmost.com/ask

[@l3martin]

11. Use the CLI ;-)

[@macmost]

Not "In the Finder" though.

[@qwe1231]

One word: Yoink.

[@ArifIbnSayed]

Off topic: please help me how to split row and column in pages. ❤

[@macmost]

Not sure what you are trying to do. Ask with more details in my Q&A form: macmost.com/ask

[@ArifIbnSayed]

@@macmost How to split columns in a table in the Pages app on Mac?

[@stephenbridges2791]

I guess I am an old timer. I usually just copy and paste or copy and move. I like a clean desktop, too. So, I rarely move it there.

[@ojustaboo]

Is there a way to open finder, right click on something and select "Open in new window" rather that "Open in new tab" please?

[@ojustaboo]

Ah, hold down option key

[@spitNsawdust]

It’s moving multiple files from one window to another I have a problem with, I select a bunch, go to drag them across, and only one file goes, it’s so frustrating.

[@macmost]

Not sure what you could be doing wrong. Make sure once you have multiple files selected that you aren't clicking on one file first, then dragging. You need to just click+drag as one action, not click then click again and drag.

[@spitNsawdust]

@@macmost thank you. I could be clicking again, I’ve been used to windows for years, you’ve helped me so much 🙏🏻

[@Pterodactyl-kn3ve]

My guess is that there are so many ways because all it really does is update the FAT table but the 1’s and 0’s are still in the same place on the HDD.

[@habiofabio]

Wtf...ctrl-z and ctrl-v. Thats how you doit.