On Windows you select files, press Ctrl+X, open another folder and press Ctrl+V. In Finder, Cut is greyed out for files. Moving files with the keyboard still works on a Mac — it just happens the other way round.
In Finder: copy, then move
- Select the files and press ⌘+C.
- Open the folder you want to move them to.
- Press ⌥+⌘+V. The files are moved, not copied.
You can also hold ⌥ (Option) while the Edit menu is open: Paste Item turns into Move Item Here.
The difference to Windows: you decide to move when you paste, not when you cut. If you change your mind, just paste with ⌘+V — that makes a copy and leaves the original where it was.
Moving by dragging
- On the same drive, dragging moves.
- To another drive, dragging copies. Hold ⌘ while you drag to move instead.
- Hold ⌥ while you drag to copy on the same drive.
The shortcuts side by side
| Windows | Finder | CrossDriver Files | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cut | Ctrl+X | — | Ctrl+X or ⌘+X |
| Paste (move) | Ctrl+V | ⌘+C, then ⌥+⌘+V | Ctrl+V or ⌘+V |
| Undo the move | Ctrl+Z | ⌘+Z | Ctrl+Z |
Ctrl+X and Ctrl+V, like on Windows
CrossDriver Files is a free file manager for Mac that works like Windows File Explorer, cut and paste included:
- Select files, press Ctrl+X (or ⌘+X), open the destination and press Ctrl+V. Cut, Paste and Move to are in the right-click menu too.
- Moving to another drive copies first, verifies the copy against the original, and only then removes the original. If the cable comes loose or the disk fills up, the original stays where it was and you're told why.
- If a file with the same name is already there, you choose in the Replace or Skip Files dialog: replace, skip, keep both files, or decide for each file. Replaced files are moved to the Trash first, never overwritten in place.
- Ctrl+Z undoes the move.
It works alongside Finder and doesn't change any system settings, so you can use whichever fits the task.