My MBA is my first Mac and the cut and paste function is something I use a lot in Windows to move files. How do you enable this on a Mac? Is there a keyboard short cut that works as a substitute? I am on Snow Leopard btw.
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How do you cut and paste in Finder?
- Thread starter saintforlife
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Just Use
Copy and paste, or just drag the folders or files to the required destination...
Copy and paste, or just drag the folders or files to the required destination...
Well that is just stupid. Now I have to go back to the folder I copied the files from and delete them. Why are people forced to do this extra step? Why can't Apple just include the 'Cut' option in right click next to the 'Copy' option. If you can enable copy, how hard is it to enable cut? I just don't get some things with Macs. Just because they happen to not use/like it doesn't mean there are other who actually need and use them.
There are numerous threads on this issue already. There are various third-party solutions that add cut and paste, but I'm not sure how well they work with Lion.
As for why; Apple decides what functionality you need. People should understand that by now.
i was told that the logic was that if you cut a file, and suddenly your machine powered off without pasting it first, you lost the file. so its a precaution measure.
but i agree with you. it was one of the few things i truly missed from windows.
but i agree with you. it was one of the few things i truly missed from windows.
I can tell you from experience that I find that to believe. The file is truly not 'cut' from its original location unless you 'paste' it at a new location. Done it multiple times on Windows, many times I've Ctrl-Xed something and totally forgotten to paste it and the original file is always there.
If you hold "Alt" as you drag a icon it will copy it to where you dragged it, you can drag through your directories just hover over a file and it will open.
Also the poster above is correct.
Command+C copies the files or documents, note they won’t be ‘cut’ yet
Command+Option+V pastes the documents into the new location, cutting it from the prior locating and moving it to the new location
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What a load of bollocks. There is no reason why cut and paste should not be a function.
I have changed over from PC to MBA this year, and Apple rocks, but this sort of narrow mindlessness is just petty.
tut
I have changed over from PC to MBA this year, and Apple rocks, but this sort of narrow mindlessness is just petty.
tut
There basically is in Lion. As mentioned by others it's more of a copy then move but the result is identical.
There are a couple of apps that might help you with your transition. One is called Totalfinder which adds functionality to finder and adds cut/paste menu options.
The other is called Pathfinder and is a replacement for finder. Either one is good but Pathfinder has a lot more functionality and options.
Good luck!!
Is this tip applicable only to Lion? Because it doesn't seem to work for me on Snow Leopard. For 'Alt' I am just pressing the 'Option' button because it has both 'alt' at the top and 'option' at the bottom. Am I doing something wrong? Do I need to press an extra key to activate the 'alt' function on the 'option' key?
Apples narrow mindlessness is petty? The functionality is there, it's just called something different.
Yes, it's only been added in lion. I would suggest checking out path finder as others have suggested. I've been using it for a couple of years and I like it. It has more sensible sorting options and other functionality that makes it worth its price, in my opinion.
Fixed that for you. (cmd+D is duplicate, ie create a copy of the file in the same directory - so still somewhat accurate)
The time you take to open your destinatin folder and move the file/folder is a lot less then the time you take to cut and paste.
Its ridicoulous, but taking the time to second press the mouse, drag the cursor to "cut", make sure its on cut, left click the selection, second click again on the destination, move he cursor to paste, make sure its set to paste, press left click.....MAN......
just click once and move. simple as that lot faster, thanks apple for obligating me to get used to this.
Once you get used, you never miss cut.
Its ridicoulous, but taking the time to second press the mouse, drag the cursor to "cut", make sure its on cut, left click the selection, second click again on the destination, move he cursor to paste, make sure its set to paste, press left click.....MAN......
just click once and move. simple as that lot faster, thanks apple for obligating me to get used to this.
Once you get used, you never miss cut.
Agreed, file maintenance/management is superior in windows in part because of cut/paste.
You can however get an app called Path Finder which adds that cut/paste functionality into file management.
That sounds like a major pain in the balls.
TotalFinder is far superior. You get your choice of contextual menus to cut and paste, or use the keyboard commands to cut and paste; cmd+x to cut, and cmd+v to paste (essentially move).
On top of having REAL cut/paste functionality, TotalFinder gives you this;
1) Adds tabbed finder windows
2) Splits the window to compare two folders
3) Adds this to the default Finder, thereby not replacing it, but improving it.
Theres a lot that Apple does right, but there are a few things that apple fails miserably at;
1) Mouses (theyve always sucked)
2) Removal of proper Expose in OS X 10.7 and 10.8
3) The green button to maximize windows (doesnt actually maximize)
4) The finder
----------
See my previous comment above.
You won't regret TotalFinder, its what The Finder should have been by now.