Home > Questions

Why does drag-drop only copy files instead of moving on Mac?

10.14.6 is installed on my Desktop Mac Pro, which has the same configuration as my MacBook Pro—the same updates for every application, etc. When I drag an object or file into a folder on my MacBook Pro, it automatically "Moves." I have to move the original file or item to the trash since on my Mac Pro, it gets "copied" instead of being saved. It's slightly inconvenient, but hardly the end of the world. I've experienced all this; does anyone know what configurations are causing this? Despite having full permissions as Administrator and no files locked.

Best Answered by

Amanda Wong

Answered on Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Make sure you move files within the same partition when you drag-drop files, otherwise, it only copies the selected files on Mac.

If you want to move the files from one partition to another partition on your desktop Mac Pro, you should hold the Command key when dragging-dropping the selected items. In case it still fails to move files on Mac, you can try other ways:

1. Right-click to move files on Mac with iBoysoft MagicMenu. This right-click enhancer for Mac provides a Move option so that you can right-click the selected item and choose Move from the right-click menu to a desired location.

2. Use the keyboard shortcut Option + Command + V

3. Right-click the file you want to move and choose Move from the context menu, press and hold the Option key, and right-click on your desktop again to choose Move Item Here.

4. Run the "mv" command in Terminal to move files on Mac