Is it normal for the "Cut" menu item to not work in Finder?

[jdavtz]

Hi, I'm new to OS X, and having some troubles as I can't get Finder to 'cut' files I've selected to then paste elsewhere. I know there are a variety of workarounds, but is this how my mac is meant to be? It came pre-installed with some version of Tiger which I updated to 10.4.2 before I noticed if this problem existed before doing the update.

If there's any patch to enable the greyed-out Cut item in the Edit menu, plese let me know! Or if everyone else can cut files, let me know so I can contact apple (again) and tell them that their support agent (who told me it's 'expected behaviour') was wrong. (Someone on a different forum said they can cut files with their two macs).

Thanks for any help!
-Jon.

 

[croshtique]

You can 'copy' files from one location to another but not 'cut' them. It's been normal behaviour since OS X hit the scene I think.

 

[stridey]

This is normal Mac behaviour. The rationale behind the decision is that if you cut a Finder item, and then copy something else, accidentally writing over the cut item in the clipboard, the item is gone forever. Drag and drop is the preferred method.

 

[rainman::|:|]

Yep, cutting is akin to moving, which has always been drag-and-drop on Mac, since way before OS X. And of course there are Terminal commands.

 

[20rogersc]

Cutting is just not meant to be.

Instead (which is an easy option):
Just open up the two finder windows, one which contains the file you want to 'cut', the other it's destination. Then just drag and drop - easy as that!

::20ROGERSC::

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

The Mac Finder is more of a drag'n'drop thing, not like Explorers cut'n'paste. One of the harder things to adjust to for those switching from Windows, but you'll get the hang of it, eventually.

Dragging files within a volume moves them. (Option-dragging copies.)

Dragging files from one volume to another copies them. (Cmd-dragging will move.)

Cmd-Option-dragging files will create shortcuts.

Enjoy your Mac, don't fight it with your Windows ways...

 

[kalisphoenix]

I still think this is #$%^ing retarded. It's absolutely ridiculous to have it in the menu when its function when dealing with possibly important files is completely inconsistent with its behavior in every other application known to man.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I still think this is #$%^ing retarded.

Then get a Dell with Windows XP.

 

[kalisphoenix]

Then get a Dell with Windows XP.

Hahaha wtf? Why's your ***** hurting all of a sudden? All I did was point out an interface inconsistency, and all of the sudden I lose the right to operate a Mac?

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Hahaha wtf? Why's your ***** hurting all of a sudden? All I did was point out an interface inconsistency, and all of the sudden I lose the right to operate a Mac?

The user interface on a Mac has ben consistent over time. I've been using Mac's since 1994 and are quite happy with the drag'n'drop way of moving files. Cut'n'paste might be convenient, but the chance of accidentally hitting cmd-C (or rather ctrl-C) after cutting a large amount of files you wanted to move and thus overwriting those files and loosing them is just too big.

If I want to take risk I'll do my file management in Terminal as root. Now that's really scary...

I'm not hurting, but in your former post both the statement, spelling and language showed signs of being written by either someone stupid or a windows loving troll and since it's not nice to assume someone's stupid I gathered you'd be happier with a PC...

 

[kalisphoenix]

The user interface on a Mac has ben consistent over time. I've been using Mac's since 1994 and are quite happy with the drag'n'drop way of moving files. Cut'n'paste might be convenient, but the chance of accidentally hitting cmd-C (or rather ctrl-C) after cutting a large amount of files you wanted to move and thus overwriting those files and loosing them is just too big.

That's spectacular. I wasn't arguing whether MacOS has been consistent over time, but rather whether it is internally consistent. Big differences. Personally, I hate losing files too, which is why every other OS/WM/DE I'm aware of with gui file operations doesn't remove the "cut" file from the fs until the "paste" command is completed. Quite simple, really.

If I want to take risk I'll do my file management in Terminal as root. Now that's really scary...

A matter of opinion. I love the terminal and, in fact, prefer it to the GUI for day to day work. If >console logins or other methods of disabling Aqua were more consistent, I'd probably boot into OS X's GUI only about 10% of the time.

But of course, since I pointed out that OS X's programmers haven't prioritized a clean and reliable method of disabling Aqua, that must mean I want to throw away my Mac and use OS/2 Warp

I'm not hurting, but in your former post both the statement, spelling and language showed signs of being written by either someone stupid or a windows loving troll and since it's not nice to assume someone's stupid I gathered you'd be happier with a PC...

Personal attacks Now I'm offended.

I'm not going to lie -- I do like PCs. But Windows XP is hardly my OS of choice. I prefer FreeBSD and Linux (a definite second). I even have some affection for BeOS and AmigaOS, and I've survived HP-UX. I'm trying to forget IRIX, but some seem to like it. And I like OS X the best, despite its ridiculous Finder and general lack of maturity in some areas (disabling the GUI reliably, for instance, or having programs work on both 10.2 and 10.3, et cetera). I really liked OS X even when it was called NeXTSTEP, and even a little more when it was called OPENSTEP and computers that could run it were actually affordable

There's a word for people who get offended whenever someone points out a flaw with something they like... gee... if I could only remember... guess I'm stupid

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Personal attacks Now I'm offended.

I have no interest of taking this further. I just want to say I meant to attack your statement, not you. If I offended you, then I'm sorry about that.

Just when someone, at a Mac forum, calls a long lasting Mac paradigm for, what was it, "#$%^ing retarded" (and until you quickly edited the post this was all that was there), and then goes into complete defensive mode when someone takes a tongue-in-cheek snipe at that statement I have to assume your looking for trouble...

 

[neocell]

Just curious now, I'm all for the drag and drop and very happy with that, but why is there cut in the menu options? I used cut a paste a bit with Windows, but like Mitthrawnuruodo says it's a little scary for the potential of loosing files. But WHY does OS X have it as a grayed out option? When is it usable? Just curious

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Just curious now, I'm all for the drag and drop and very happy with that, but why is there cut in the menu options? I used cut a paste a bit with Windows, but like Mitthrawnuruodo says it's a little scary for the potential of loosing files. But WHY does OS X have it as a grayed out option? When is it usable? Just curious

If you mark a file of folder, and click to change the name, the Cut option is no longer gray, and you can cut the text and replace it with something else, than paste the (old) filename wherever you want (if there's any need for that). So Cut works fine in Finder, you just cannot Cut files or folders.

 

[neocell]

If you mark a file of folder, and click to change the name, the Cut option is no longer gray, and you can cut the text and replace it with something else, than paste the (old) filename wherever you want (if there's any need for that). So Cut works fine in Finder, you just cannot Cut files or folders.

Thanks for quenching that curiosity.

 

[kalisphoenix]

I have no interest of taking this further. I just want to say I meant to attack your statement, not you. If I offended you, then I'm sorry about that.

I wasn't really offended... I was being dry. I'm irritated, but not offended.

Just when someone, at a Mac forum, calls a long lasting Mac paradigm for, what was it, "#$%^ing retarded" (and until you quickly edited the post this was all that was there), and then goes into complete defensive mode when someone takes a tongue-in-cheek snipe at that statement I have to assume your looking for trouble...

Yeah, I edited my post to clarify my position. One of the reasons the "Edit" button is there. And obviously I did it really @#$%ing quickly if my post was at 5:33, your response was at 5:34, and it doesn't have the little "Last edited by..." area. Meaning, if I understand the forum software properly, that I couldn't possibly have edited my post in response to yours.

Yeah, I guess you could look at me and think I'm a troll. Maybe you could have also looked at my signature and thought "hey, this guy owns at least two Macs (I've owned eight), has dropped some dough upgrading at least one of them, is proud enough of them to list them in his signature, and doesn't list any PCs or MS operating systems. Hmm. Maybe he's sincere when he criticizes a confusing detail of what is supposed to be the most intuitive hardware/software in existence!"

Yeesh. I even support the one-button mouse, for crying out loud

Edit: Reworded something ;-)