OS X :: How To Copy / Move Files With Only One Window
Jan 5, 2009
NOTE: I am doing this with Tiger. I have read complaints about how Windows Explorer is better than OS X Finder. One popular complaint is that it is impossible to copy/move a file from one folder to another folder outside the current one without two windows as Finder doesn't have a split window setup like Explorer. This simply isn't true. Mac OS X simply handles this differently than Windows. Heres how...
1. Open a window and go to the folder that you want to copy/move files to.
2. Drag that folder to your sidebar (+T)
3. Navigate to the folder that contains what you want to copy/move.
4. Drag your file(s) to the folder you just put in your sidebar to move them or hold 'option' and drag to copy them.
5. If you don't want the folder you copied to permanently in your sidebar just drag it out.
If your needs are more robust and you want to copy/move between many folders you can drag as many folders to your sidebar as you can fit. Plus your folders will be just as you left them when you go back to them (with the exception of the view). The sidebar doesn't have to be permanent and is your friend .
I was wondering if there's a way to move files instead of copy them via dragging with the mouse, or even a keyboard shortcut? I mostly run into this problem when I'm trying to move stuff to and from the Firewire External Drive I have connected to my Mac. It's kind of frustrating since I have to delete all the original ones, since I simply don't need them anymore.
I have two Macs, a desktop PM G5 and a laptop Black Macbook, both running 10.5.8. Currently when using the laptop I can see and access the PMG5 and its files through my wireless connection. I'm planning on picking up an external drive, and I'd just like this confirmed, as in its access ability. If I hook up the external drive to the G5 so I can leave it there, and access its files through the G5. will my laptop also be able to access it through the G5. In other words, when I access the G5 from the laptop over wireless, will the external drive appear as just another folder and/or device on the G5 and I'll be able to move and copy files just like I already do?
At times I would like to gather all files of a certain extension (aif or jpg or xlsx or¦) in one location. By adding the extension parameter to the finder's FIND command, I can easily see them all, but that's only the first half. How do I now move, or copy them all into a single folder, say, on the desktop?
I've looked at some other posts that have gone over how to move files to an external drive, and they all say to use command while moving. I understand this copies the file and deletes the original, but when you make a copy and delete the original, you lose some of the original data, such as creation date, etc... This makes storage and organization more complicated than it has to be.
I think I have found a flaw in OSX 10.6.4 file copying..I normall back up my files, by dragging from a folder on my HD to an identical folder on my external HD.The folder I am copying has 86 files in it, but there are only about two dozen new files added since my last back up.I have been telling it by the dialogue box, not to replace identical files in the back up folder, and clicking the check box to apply to all."but when I press the dont copy button, in the copy progress box it says it is copying 86 files. WTF is going on...!@#$%^&*().
Ok, so I love the ability to move a tab to its own separate window in Safari, but is there a way to move a window back into a tab? If not, this would be a nice little addition to the next version of Safari.
I was dragging some files from one folder to another inside the (Snow Leopard) Finder and accidentally dragged them up into the top bar of the Finder window itself. How do I remove them from this position? I can't drag them off because as soon as I click on them, they open.
When you have a window open in List View, scroll to the middle of the list and then copy a file from another location into that window. When the copy completes the destination window pops to the top of the list, losing your previous focus in that window.Â
When I move a window around the desktop, the image inside it distorts really badly. I have tried a new graphics card, but still does the same. I have booted up from a different system but still the same. It is a Mac pro 4.1 with a GT120 video card. Took the card to work today and tried it in my mac at work and it worked fine. Brought my video card and hard drive from work and put it into my mac at home and the same thing happened. Any body got any clue to what it is. Really don't feel like forking out for a new Logic board. Also, when I scroll down with the mouse, the text stretches in the window.
I have been using virtual desktops (VDT) for years and I often work 14 to 18 hours a day on my mac.. Â
I can reorder my spaces in MC but that seems to be about all I can do and it really is ******* me off. Â
I need to be able to drag a single window from 1 space to another space where I already have another application running. This was TRIVIAL in SPACES but seems impossible in MC.Â
example:Â I have a text file of notes in vi in one VDT and in another I have a browser window open to a customer location where I need to use or add to those notes with some complexity. I want to move that notes window from the VDT that it is in (because there are other apps there) to the current VDT so that I can easily use the notes and the browser together. I do NOT want to have to make the stupid vi window in ALL spaces. How do I do this?Â
another example: I have a browser with multiple tabs and I want to move ONE of them to another VDT. I can pull the tab to make another window.. But I can't move just that tab to another VDT!! How can I do that?Â
When attempting to move a file that will need administrator authentication, the authentication window to enter a password does not populate. Thus, I am unable to move the file.
When I have a folder open, say downloads, in a list view, and I delete a file, the scroll bar will automatically jump to the top of the list. It's absolutely non-sensical. One of the most annoying things ever when your trying to organize a long list of files. Happens in 10.8.5 and in Mavericks on two separate computers. It's worse in 10.8.5 as sometimes it will glitch out and do it even when I am scrolling down the list. . Kind of thing that makes you want to switch to windows. Â
I'm using Mac OS X 10.6. After copying some folders from external hard drive to PC these folders are now locked on Mac. There is no pencil in the Finder's lower left corner and there are no messages appear. I just simply can't open these folders.
I am preparing to upgrade to Mavericks. I want to put a bootable copy of Mountain Lion on an external hard drive so that I may run apps that aren't yet compatible with Mavericks.
we have a mac server running and have a windows based (XP) machine logging on to the domain. is there a way to enable offline files on the mac server so that a copy is saved on the windows machine and when the user relogs on to the domain the files get syncd?
I have a simple two drive set up on my G5, one for data, one for Applications & the OS. I think I've left too many items on the App & OS drive, and am wondering if you can tell me what else I should move. Or put another way , what standard file or folder names should be included in the OS & App drive, and what can be safely moved to the data only drive. . I've searched around the forums, MROOGLE, but with no luck... Here's an attached screen shot of my finder. the drive named "macintosh HD" is the drive want just for OS & Apps (not sure how to imbed the image right in the posting) It's the original 160GB drive that has only 35GB of space remaining. What can be moved, and will it make my machine and apps boot more quickly?
Why does Mac OX 10.6.8 keep making copies of a file anytime I download, copy, or move a file? It will copy, dowload or move the file, then begin making copies until I reboot. This makes it impossible to deal wit hfiles unless I want to spend a lot of time rebooting after every time, then deleting all the redundant copies.
I put in a DVD and I do not see an icon for the DVD. I was thinking that copying my photos, or a folder full of photos to a DVD with my Apple computers should be as easy as dragging and dropping them onto the DVD disc icon.
I do a lot of work that involves advertising, photography, video editing, DVD authoring, photoshop and illustrator files. The illustrator vector files are fairly compressed but the photoshop raster files can be extremely large. Sometimes, I have someone wishing to send me a large portfolio folder, or I find I may want to send a big file to someone else. As an example, I recently had an artist send me a hi-res portfolio of his book covers to be made into a promotional DVD for comic-con. One of the CD's he sent me had the wrong pics on it, so I had to wait for the correct pics to be sent, which delayed the project several days. I can compress a single file for emailing, but can not drop the resolution as a way to minimize folder size if the file is going to be printed. I work predominantly on a mac, but many of my customers use windows based operating systems.
What is the best method for sending and receiving large digital files from a variety of customers? If I get an FTP site, can I keep one client from accessing someone else's folders? I noticed that Skype allows for file transfer... is VOIP practical for sending large files? This month's macworld made mention of a bit torrent program for such a chore. What about using a bit torrent program such as Transmission for creating a bit torrent folder for moving large files to a single customer? Are paid services available? Is a paid service the best choice? I am looking for a method that I can both send and receive these large files. It should be easy enough for a less than tech savvy customer to send me files after I give them a minimal explanation of how to do it. Preferably, it would involve no cost to a customer, and no need for them to install software.
However, I am apparently too dumb to figure out how I can move (cut and paste at the same time) a folder from on location on my hard drive to another without going back to the original area and delete the folder after the "fake" moving process. It seems that MAC does not support the physical movement of a folderfrom location A to B.
Scenario: I have a folder called A I select the folder (click with mouse) I drag the folder to the desired destination B I release the mouse and what happens: MAC starts to copy the folder and its files.
I read on several forums and pages that it is possible if you hold down the command key (after you click the folder you want to move) but it does not work for me. Does anyone has a simple, short answer whether it is possible to move a folder which contains files from location A to B on my mac (same hard drive)? This cannot be true that this does not work in the FINDER. Even if I select the folder go in the Finder menu to "Edit" (cut is grayed out and not clickable) it does not give me the option to perform a cut and paste. So, does cut and paste work for folders on a MAC or not.
