If you came from Windows, the first surprise in Finder is that Command-X does nothing to a file. The Mac does have cut and paste for files. It just does the cut at the end instead of the start, and it hides it behind one extra key.
- Select the file or folder in Finder.
- Press ⌘ C to copy it.
- Open the folder you want it in.
- Press ⌥ ⌘ V. The file moves there and leaves its old folder.
The move: Command-C, then Option-Command-V
Apple's own list of Mac keyboard shortcuts describes Option-Command-V as moving the files on the clipboard from their original location to the current one. That is a cut and paste in everything but name. It works for one file, a selection of many, or whole folders, and it works between disks too.
If you prefer menus: copy the file, open the destination, click the Edit menu and hold Option. Paste Item turns into Move Item Here. The same swap happens in the right-click menu inside a folder.
Why Finder has no Cut for files
The usual explanation is safety. A cut on Windows marks the file as leaving before you know where it is going; on a Mac, nothing moves until you paste. Copy something, get distracted, copy a sentence from an email, and on a Mac your file is exactly where it was. You lose the clipboard entry, never the file.
Command-X does still work in Finder, but only on text: while you are renaming a file, it cuts the selected part of the name.
Drag to move, drag to copy
Most file moves on a Mac are drags, and the rule behind them is in Apple's guide to organizing files with folders: a drag within the same disk moves, and a drag to another disk copies. Two keys override it.
| What you do | What happens | To change it |
|---|---|---|
| Drag within the same disk | Moves the file | Hold Option to copy |
| Drag to another disk | Copies the file | Hold Command to move |
| Drag with Option and Command | Makes an alias | The original stays put |
| Command-C, then Command-V | Copies the file | Works across disks |
| Command-C, then Option-Command-V | Moves the file | Works across disks |
Watch the pointer while you drag. A green plus means a copy is about to happen, and a small curved arrow means an alias. No badge means a move.
Cut, copy and paste keys at a glance
| Keys | Does | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| ⌘ X | Cut | Text only, not files in Finder |
| ⌘ C | Copy | Text and files |
| ⌘ V | Paste | Text, or a copy of a file |
| ⌥ ⌘ V | Move here | Files in Finder |
| ⌥ ⇧ ⌘ V | Paste and match style | Text in most apps |
| ⌘ Z | Undo | Undoes a move or copy in Finder |
Moving files from several folders at once
Here is where Finder runs out of road. Option-Command-V moves one selection from one folder. Copy three files from Downloads, then two from Desktop, and the second copy replaces the first on the clipboard. Gathering a set of files from around the Mac means a stack of Finder windows or several trips.
The fix is a holding place. Droppy's file tray takes files from as many folders as you like and keeps them together until you drop the whole set where it belongs.
- Drag the first file to the top of the screen, or shake it while dragging. The tray opens to take it.
- Go to the next folder and do the same. Repeat for every file you need.
- Open the destination folder and drag the whole pile out of the tray onto it.
The drag out follows Finder's rule: to a folder on the same disk the files move, to another disk they copy. If you would rather always copy and never touch the originals, turn on Protect originals in Settings, General, File handling. With Auto-remove on, the tray empties itself as you drag files out.
Moving files in Terminal
For scripts, or when a folder is too large to watch in Finder, mv moves files and folders. For example, mv ~/Downloads/report.pdf ~/Documents/ moves the report into Documents. Be careful: mv replaces a file with the same name at the destination without asking, and there is no Command-Z in Terminal.
When a move does not work
- Move Item Here is missing. You need something on the clipboard first: copy the file with Command-C, then hold Option in the Edit menu.
- The file is in use. Quit the app that has it open and try again.
- You do not have permission. Select the folder, press Command-I, and check Sharing & Permissions at the bottom of the window.
- The disk is read-only. Many Windows-formatted drives can be read but not written by macOS. Copy to another disk instead.
Remember three things
- Option-Command-V is the Mac's cut and paste: copy first, move on paste.
- Command while dragging moves to another disk; Option while dragging copies within one.
- For files from many folders, gather them in a tray and move them in one drag.
Frequently asked questions
Can you cut and paste files on a Mac?
Yes, in two steps. Select the file in Finder and press Command-C, then open the destination folder and press Option-Command-V. The file moves to the new folder and leaves the old one. Finder simply calls it a move instead of a cut.
Why doesn't Command-X work on files in Finder?
Finder only offers Cut for text, such as a file name you are editing. For files, macOS copies first and decides at paste time: Command-V makes a copy, Option-Command-V moves the original. Until you paste, nothing has left its folder.
How do I move a file to an external drive instead of copying it?
Hold Command while you drag the file onto the drive. Without a key, dragging to another disk copies; with Command held, the file is moved and removed from the original disk.
Can I undo a move in Finder?
Yes. Press Command-Z right after the move, or choose Edit, Undo Move, and the file goes back where it was.
How do I move files from several folders at once?
Finder's Option-Command-V moves one selection from one folder. To gather files from several folders, drag each into a holding place such as Droppy's file tray, then drag the whole pile to the destination in one move.
What is the shortcut for paste and match style on a Mac?
Option-Shift-Command-V pastes text with the formatting of the place you paste into. It works in most Mac apps, including Mail, Notes and Pages.