How to move files and folders on Mac computer? 4 ways to explain!

If you want to organize the files and folders on your Apple Mac computer, you may consider moving some content. By moving items, you can create a more organized file structure to work more efficiently or find what you need faster.

We'll show you how to move files and folders on macOS using drag and drop, shortcuts or right-click menus, Terminal, and more so that you can use the method that makes more sense or that you're most comfortable with.

Method 1: Use drag and drop on Mac

On Apple Mac computers, the easiest way to move files and folders is through drag and drop. Whether you're rearranging icons, widgets, and shortcuts on your desktop, or moving items to other locations on macOS, this method is very convenient and easy to use.

1. Move between two open windows

You can move a file or folder between two open windows by dragging it from the first window to the second window Move files or folders between. When you release it, you will see the item in its new location.

2. Move files and folders in the same window

If you want to move items in the same window, such as moving files into subfolders, you can also Do this.

Drag the item up or down to the desired location → release when the file is above the folder

3. Using tabs in the Finder application

You can also move files or folders using tabs in Finder. Drag an item from the current tab onto another tab and release.

4. Using the Sidebar in the Finder Application

Another way to use drag and drop to move items is in the Finder Sidebar.

Drag the item from its current location to the sidebar location you want to move it to.

5. Move a file or folder with the same name

If you move a file or folder to a location where a file or folder with the same name already exists, you will receive a message notifying you. From there, you can choose to replace or keep files, or replace or merge folders. Let's see how it works.

Here, we use drag and drop to move the file to a folder where a file with the same name already exists. You'll see a pop-up message asking if you want to replace, keep both, or stop.

Replace: Overwrite existing files with moved files. Keep Two: Keep both files and rename the moved file by adding "copy" to the name. Stop: Do not move files.

Although similar, you have another option when moving a folder with the same name. You can choose to replace or stop, just like with files, but you can also merge folders.

Replace: Overwrite the existing folder with the moved folder. Merge: Merge folders into one folder containing all items from both folders. Note: You will only see the Merge option if one folder contains items that are not in the other folder. Stop: Do not move the folder.

Method 2: Use the right-click menu on your MacBook

Another way to move files and folders on your Mac is to move to a new folder. If you do this with a folder, the folder you move will become a subfolder within the new folder. You can do this easily by selecting the item and using the shortcut or right-click menu.

Do one of the following to select a file or folder: Select adjacent items by selecting the first item and holding down the Shift key, then selecting the last item in the group. Select non-adjacent items by selecting the first item and holding the Command key while selecting each additional item. Right-click or Control-click to display the menu. Select New Folder (X items). Give the new folder a name and press Return.

You will then see your file or folder in the new folder you created.

Method 3: Use Terminal

Maybe you like to use Terminal to manage projects on your Mac. You'll be happy to know that you can move files and folders using Terminal commands.

Use Launchpad as normal or open Terminal from Applications → Utilities. Then, enter the Move command (mv), which includes the current file or folder location and the new location – basically the shortened file or folder path. For example, we will move a file named My-File.rtf from the Desktop folder to the Documents folder using the following command: mv ~/Desktop/My-File.rtf ~/Documents Press Return to run the command , you should see the file in its new location.

To move a folder, simply use the location and name of the current folder and the new folder.

Here we will move the folder named New in the Desktop folder to the folder named New2 in the Documents folder using the following command: mv ~/Desktop/New ~/Documents/New2 Press Return to run the command and you should see the first folder moved to the second folder.

Method 4: Using Title Bars on Mac

Another way to move items on Mac is to use title bars. This only works for files, but gives you a quick way to select their new location. Let's look at a few examples using different applications.

First, we move the Pages document from its existing location to its new location.

Click the arrow next to the file name in the title bar. Select or enter a new location in the location field. Press Return and your file will be moved to the new location.

As another example, we will move a Microsoft Word document.

Click the arrow next to the file name in the title bar. Select or enter a new location in the Location field. Press Return and your file will be moved to the new location.

Although the name of the location field may vary from application to application (as shown above), you can easily move the current document using this title bar method.

Move Things Easily

Whether you use one method or a combination of methods, you can move files and folders on your Mac quickly and easily. Create a reasonable file structure, place frequently used folders on the desktop, and find files faster with simple operations. Let us know which method you prefer for moving files or folders!

The above is the detailed content of How to move files and folders on Mac computer? 4 ways to explain!. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!