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Moving file and folders

Dear all,

usually we can move file and folders within the same Hard Disk Drive (HDD).

I have a lot of HDDs (backups and Archives) and I often copy files and folders from an HDD to another one.

After a while I don't remember any more the source of each item... but this is not my problem.

The issue I'm going to share with you is that -while reorganizing one of my HDDs- I move folders from a location to another one (usually is another folder, of course) in the same HDD.

Well, my Mac (the Finder, I presume) instead of placing this folder in the NEW folder, it starts a copy of the folder. If I'm in a hurry, I surrender and I wait until the copy ends. Afterwards I delete the original folder and -before trashing it- the Finder asks my password!

I get what I want, however what happens is crazy!

I thought that it was related to user permissions: so I changed the privileges (of the folder I'm moving) putting all in free read&write mode for everybody, but this change didn't work.

I presume (so you can understand my forewords now!) that the folders I want to move are coming from an external HDD (that is the folders were not created natively on the HDD I'm managing), but -nevertheless- I believe that there is something else to understand to solve my problem.

Can you help me?

Thanks, many thanks

Alberto

PS- It's the first time I'm asking about this issue, but the same problem has been happening for many years regardless of the OS I was (and I'm) using....😔

MacBook Pro 15″, OS X 10.11

Posted on Apr 19, 2022 7:03 AM

Top-ranking reply

Alberto Ferrari1 Author

Level 1

28 points

Posted on Apr 19, 2022 8:28 AM

Thanks for your support.

Anyway I realized what I had to do.

First of all on my HDD there are only data. There is no system installed at all.

Second: To move freely my folders I had to change the permissions at HDD level. So I went to the info window of my HDD and I told to give the same permissions (that is... read&write to everybody) to every item on the HDD.

After this operation was accomplished, I could move my folders everywhere. (and no copy starting anymore!)

I understood that I don't have to change permissions of the folder I want to move, but the prmissions of the parent folder (that is... I have to set "read&write" to everybody).

Maybe there is a more sofisticated way to solve my problem, but this one works! ... and this is what I need!

Thanks again

Best

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Moving file and folders

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