How to Move a Folder on Mac [3 Ways]

If you’re new to the Apple ecosystem or your first time using a Mac, you might need some organizational tips for files and folders. This is especially important if you’re switching from a Windows system, as file organization is done differently on the Mac.

To move a folder on Mac you can use multiple methods. Well, the easiest of them is simply copying and pasting the folder you wish to move. Simply select the folder you want to move. Press Command + C on your keyboard to copy it. Now, wherever you wish to move it, you can use Command + V to paste the folder there. Furthermore, the same can be done by simply using the drag-and-drop option.

This article details various ways in which you can move files and folders around on your Mac. The first step should be to learn how you can relocate, copy or cut files from one place to another when you’re using a Mac for the first time. 

This is also because how you copy, cut, and paste things on a Mac differs from how it is done on Windows. Nevertheless, there are a couple of ways in which you can relocate files on your Mac which we will discuss in this article briefly.

How to Move a Folder on Mac

Here are some of the ways you can try to move a folder on Mac. Let us get down with it below.

1. Copy-Paste Function

This is the most basic method to move a file around on mac: creating a copy of a specific folder or file and then pasting it into the destination folder to move it. Furthermore, you can refer to the steps given below to see how it is done.

• Power on and sign in to your Mac. 
• Head over to the Finder application and open a window. 
• Look for the file that you want to copy and select it. 
• After selecting it, press the Command-C shortcut to copy the file. If you want multiple files, you can pick them by holding down the Command key and then using the copy shortcut to copy them all at once.

• Once that is done, head to the destination folder where you want to move it. 
• Paste the files using the Command-V shortcut.

• Alternatively, you can copy the files by selecting them, using the two-finger gesture to draw out the contextual menu, and click on Copy from the list. The same can be done for pasting filers. 

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2. Using Drag and Drop 

You can also move files and folders on your Mac using drag and drop very helpful feature. Follow the steps given below to learn how it is done.

• Power on and sign in to your Mac. 
• Head over to the Finder application and open a window. 
• Now, look for the file that you want to move. 
• Select the file, and head to the Finder application to open another Finder window using the two-finger gesture to draw out more options and select New finder window from the list. 
• Within this new Finder window, open the destination folder where you want to move the file. 
• Now make sure both of these Finder windows are side by side. 
• Select the file you want to move, drag it to the destination folder, and drop it there. 
• This will move the file from your initial location to the destination folder. This method is different from the previous one as this one does not leave behind any copies. The file moved into the new destination folder will be the only version of it. 

3. Using the Title Bar

This is an unconventional way to move files around on your Mac, but it works if you already have the file on your screen. Follow the instructions given below to see how it is done.

• Power on and sign in to your Mac. 
• Open any file within Preview or any of the native Mac applications. 
• Click on the small chevron icon beside the name of the file. 
• Here you can change the location where the file is saved. 
• You can rename the file to anything you want, then click on the box beside the Where option. 
• Choose the location where you want to save the file, and you’re done. 

This method is, unfortunately, limited to files as it cannot move entire folders. 

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Why Can’t I Move My Folders On Mac?

If you are facing trouble moving files or folders on your Mac, it could be due to improper permissions which need to be changed. Refer to the following instructions to see how you can fix this issue.

• Power on your Mac and sign in to it. 
• Now, open a Finder window and look for the file you want to copy. 
• Once you’ve found it, select the file and use the two-finger gesture to show it to the contextual menu. 
• From the list, click on the Get Info option. Alternatively, you can also use the Command-I shortcut to do the same. 
• Click on the chevron symbol next to the Sharing & Permissions option to expand this section. 
• Click on the small lock icon at the bottom of the window and enter the administrator password to make changes to the permissions of the files.

• Now, change the permissions to Read & Write or Read only. The Read & Write option allows users to open the file and make changes to it; read-only enables users to access the file but not make any changes to it. 

Conclusion

That’s it for this article, folks; now you know how to move files and folders on your Mac. As you must’ve noticed, Mac does not have a cut option. Instead, if you want to cut files from one place to another, you can do that by dragging and dropping the files.

This might be a little different if you’re coming from a Windows system, but you’ll get used to it quickly. You also have the option to change how you drag files and folders in the System Preferences; you can change it to a three-finger drag if that suits your preferences better.

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