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OS X File Management

This chapter is from the book

Moving & Copying Items

In addition to moving icons around within a window or on the desktop (see Chapter 2), you can move or copy items to other locations on the same disk or to other disks by dragging them:

  • When you drag an item to a location on the same disk, the item is moved to that location.

  • When you drag an item to a location on another disk, the item is copied to that location.

  • When you hold down o while dragging an item to a location on the same disk, the item is copied to that location. The next few pages provide instructions for all of these tech niques, as well as instructions for duplicating items.

Tips

  • You can move or copy more than one item at a time. Begin by selecting all of the items that you want to move or copy, then drag any one of them to the destination. All items will be moved or copied.

  • You can continue working with the Finder or any other application—even start more copy jobs—while a copy job is in progress.

  • In Mac OS X, you can also copy Finder items using the Copy and Paste commands under the Finder's Edit menu. I explain how to use Copy and Paste in Chapter 7.

To move an item to another location on the same disk

  1. Drag the icon for the item that you want to move as follows:

    • To move the item into a specific folder on the disk, drag the icon onto the icon for the folder. The destination folder icon be comes selected when the mouse pointer moves over it (Figure 32).

      Figure 32Figure 32 Drag the icon onto the icon for the folder to which you want to move it...


    • To move the item into a specific window on the disk, drag the icon into the window. A border appears around the inside of the destination window (Figure 33).

      Figure 33Figure 33 ...or drag the icon into the window in which you want to move it.


  2. Release the mouse button. The item moves.

Tip

If the destination location is on an other disk, the item you drag will be copied rather than moved. You can always delete the original after the copy is made. Deleting items is discussed later in this chapter.

To copy an item to another disk

  1. Drag the icon for the item that you want to copy as follows:

    • To copy the item to the top (or root) root level of a disk, drag the icon to the icon for the destination disk (Figure 34).

      Figure 34Figure 34 Drag the icon to the destination disk's icon...


    • To copy the item into a folder on the disk, drag the icon to the icon for the folder on the destination disk (Figure 35).

      Figure 35Figure 35 ...or to a folder icon in a window on the destination disk, ...


    • To copy the item into a specific window on the disk, drag the icon into the window (Figure 36). When the item you are dragging moves on top of the destination location, a plus sign in a green circle appears beneath the mouse pointer. If the destination is an icon, the icon be comes selected.

      Figure 36Figure 36 ...or to an open window on the destination disk.


  2. Release the mouse button. A Copy window like the one in Figure 37 appears. When it disappears, the copy is complete.

    Figure 37Figure 37 A window like this indicates copy progress.


Tips

  • You cannot copy items to a disk that is write protected or to a folder for which you don't have write privileges. When you try, the green plus sign changes to a circle with a line through it. I tell you about write-protecting disks later in this chapter.

  • If a file with the same file name already exists in the destination location, an error message appears in the Copy window (Figure 38). Click Stop to dismiss the window without making the copy, or click Replace to replace the existing file with the one you are copying.

    Figure 38Figure 38 If a file with the same name already exists in the destination, Mac OS tells you.


  • Because copying small files happens so quickly in Mac OS X, you probably won't see the Copy window (Figure 37) very often. It doesn't have time to appear!

To copy an item to another location on the same disk

  1. Hold down o while dragging the icon for the item that you want to copy onto a folder icon (Figure 39) or into a window (Figure 40). When the mouse pointer on the item you are dragging moves on top of the destination location, a plus sign in a green circle appears beneath it. If the destination is an icon, the icon becomes highlighted.

    Figure 39Figure 39 Hold down o while dragging the item onto a folder...


    Figure 40Figure 40 ...or into a window on the same disk.


  2. Release the mouse button. A Copy window like the one in Figure 37 appears. When it disappears, the copy is complete.

Tips

  • When copying an item to a new location on the same disk, you must hold down o. If you don't, the item will be moved rather than copied.

  • If a file with the same file name already exists in the destination location, an error message appears in the Copy window (Figure 38). Click Stop to dismiss the window without making the copy, or click Replace to replace the existing file with the one you are copying.

To duplicate an item

  1. Select the item that you want to duplicate.

  2. Choose File > Duplicate (Figure 41), or press $% D D .

    Figure 41Figure 41 Choose Duplicate from the File menu.


    or

    Hold down o while dragging the item that you want to duplicate to a different location in the same window. A copy of the item you duplicated appears beside the original. The word copy is appended to the file name (Figure 42).

    Figure 42Figure 42 A duplicate appears beneath the original.


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