I accidentally moved over 2,000 files from my "downloads" section in finder to my desktop. How do I get them off of my desktop while keeping the files that were already on my desktop there?The only option to sort them in finder is by date last opened

ncoallier Said:

"I accidentally moved over 2,000 files from my 'downloads' section in finder to my desktop. How do I get them off of my desktop while keeping the files that were already on my desktop there?The only option to sort them in finder is by date last opened"

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Relocating All Moved Files:

See if this works --essentially pseudocode:

1. Click: on the Desktop
2. Click: Go menu
3. Select: Enclosing Folder
4. Click: Desktop icon
5. Click: View menu
6. Select: as List
7. Click: View menu
8. Hover Over: Group By
9. Select: Date Created
10. Relocate: your files back using Drag & Drop

Edit > Undo

... although it may be too late for that. If so, you can restore a Time Machine "local snapshot" which takes only a couple of minutes: Restore your Mac - Apple Support

how many files were originally on the desktop?

It may be easier to move everything to downloads, then copy/move the few that were on the Desktop back to the Desktop.