Golden Gate finder - junk programming.

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Level 1

5 points

Golden Gate finder - junk programming.

Since PowerBook G4 [yes, I've been a Mac user for nearly 3 decades - only computer I've ever owned. Longer if you count a year working with Apple 2C back in the 80's... when dinosaurs roamed the earth], click and drag to select multiple files has worked in every view and with every OS. Now, with Golden Gate, Apple has decided [for us] that it's not important anymore, and they've removed that exceptionally important feature. Is that a glitch [never is] that's being fixed or is it yet another Apple "we'll never change that" issue, that they change without so much as the slightest concern for what users want.

If you didn't catch on - I'm a bit annoyed.

Posted on Oct 30, 2026 8:37 PM

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Answer 1

leroydouglas

Level 10

208,290 points

Oct 30, 2026 9:41 PM in response to davebodia

davebodia wrote:

click and drag to select multiple files has worked in every view and with every OS. Now, with Golden Gate, Apple has decided [for us] that it's not important anymore, and they've removed that exceptionally important feature.

Is that a glitch [never is] that's being fixed or is it yet another Apple "we'll never change that" issue, that they change...

Have you shut down and restarted to compare your results...(?)

To trouble shoot further a SafeBoot Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support and compare your results there

Login and test. Rebooting as normal can sort many anomalies like yours.

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Answer 2

TheLittles

Level 10

211,207 points

Oct 30, 2026 8:56 PM in response to davebodia

"Golden Gate finder - junk programming.: [...]click and drag to select multiple files has worked in every view and with every OS. Now, with Golden Gate, Apple has decided [for us] that it's not important anymore, and they've removed that exceptionally important feature.[...]"

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Dragging & Dropping Multiple Files Between Finder Windows:

Dragging & Dropping multiple files between Finder windows works just fine for me in Golden Gate. Dragging & Dropping something over to Recents is something has has never been an option, as it would mix up the caches and directory. As for selecting multiple items, use [command + click] for each item; [shift + click] for a group of selected items; or [command + A] for select all. Click on a highlighted item for Dragging & Dripping.

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Answer 3

davebodia Author

Level 1

5 points

Oct 31, 2026 11:18 AM in response to Donkey_Hotey

Click & Drag to select multiple files (fence selection, apparently - I've never heard that term before), still works in List View and Icon View. It does NOT work in Detail View. I have a 23' MBP running GG .2, nothing unique about my system. The issue is not a system glitch anyway, it's the way it was programmed.

Do a Google search, you'll find pages of people complaining about the same thing. Maybe someone else could explain it better so you'd understand the problem, as all I can describe is Click & Drag to select multiple files in Detail View.

Thanks again for the reply.

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Answer 4

Oct 30, 2026 10:42 PM in response to davebodia

I 100% have no idea what you're talking about. I just tried doing a fence-selection and move, in Finder on 27.0.1 and it works fine. I double-checked on iPad / Magic Keyboard and it works fine there too.

Instead of a rant and accusations, maybe take a breath and take another look at what's going on?

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Answer 5

Oct 31, 2026 10:50 AM in response to davebodia

<< click and drag to select multiple files >>

Could you please elaborate on EXACTLY what process (step by step) that you want to be using that is no longer working?

You have left me and several others far behind, because your description above is somewhat ambiguous as to exactly what is not working.

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Answer 6

Kurt Lang

Level 9

73,637 points

Oct 31, 2026 11:57 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

ONLY in Column view, you can no longer drag a selection rectangle over Contiguous multiple files and select them?

If that is in fact what we're trying to figure out, there is a catch.

If, the next column has dead space at the bottom, you can start below the last item listed and drag upwards to grab a fenced selection.

If there is nowhere to start the cursor in a blank area of a column, you can't do it.

Is this different from previous versions of the Mac OS from who knows how far back? I don't know as I generally avoid column view.

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Answer 7

davebodia Author

Level 1

5 points

Oct 30, 2026 9:53 PM in response to TheLittles

Dragging & Dropping works fine. Dragging & Dropping to Recents is irrelevant to me as I don't use Recents and have always removed that title from the finder. [command + click] requires two hands for what's been a one-handed action since G4. What are people without two hands supposed to do?

Apple programmed it so you can only do one thing at a time. Often I'm writing with one hand and using the mouse with the other. Now I have to set the pen down, do the keyboard click, then pick my pen back up and continue writing... over and over and over... Apple literally had to remove that basic but imperative feature for it not to work anymore.

Honestly, I'm not surprised. Apple hasn't cared what users want since Steve died. I also won't be a bit surprised when Apple entirely drops their computer line and sticks with iPhones only. Mark my words, for the next 5 years they'll repeatedly state "we'll never stop production of computers", then the following year, "we're stopping production of computers". They're famous for doing that - and they're gonna do it again.

I don't know what to do. I refuse to use anything that has to do with Gates, and using a Linux is basically learning a new language - which I'm not good at. Before I return this thing I'll probably do a system reset and try to install Sequoia (I'll try to install Mountain Lion first, I'd be in paradise if that worked but I'm not holding my breath).

Thanks for the replies, btw.

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Answer 8

TheLittles

Level 10

211,207 points

Oct 30, 2026 10:05 PM in response to davebodia

"Dragging & Dropping works fine. Dragging & Dropping to Recents is irrelevant to me as I don't use Recents and have always removed that title from the finder. [command + click] requires two hands for what's been a one-handed action since G4. What are people without two hands supposed to do?[...]"

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Accessing Spaces and Maneuvering Items with One Hand:

Why make it any harder than before --use two hands. But, otherwise, start with the following. Using the trackpad, you can select items, and move around to different textboxes using the tab key and then Use [command + tab] to get between windows. Use right-click for copy and paste.

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Answer 9

davebodia Author

Level 1

5 points

Oct 30, 2026 10:55 PM in response to TheLittles

"Why make it any harder than before --use two hands."

Using two hands for something that's been a one-handed thing in every Mac OS since G4 is draggin' knuckles. Granted, I'm not using the finder all day, but I do use it often, and the two-handed technique is a text book definition of 'harder than before'. I'd actually prefer to have a laptop without a trackpad at all. I don't even know how people can use those things. I completely disable mine.

Next problem [of mine], I can't write with my left hand. Next problem, I can't use a trackpad with my left hand (although I can use a mouse). Other than that, all I can do with my left hand is stop a rocket ship at 3rd base or on the pitcher's mound.

It may be that I'm just an old-fashioned guy who expects companies to do what users want... something Apple hasn't done in nearly 2 decades. They don't do what we want - they tell us what we want because we're not smart enough to know, smh. It's quite disrespectful actually.

Oh man... I now hate this thing more than before. I just dl'd Sequoia from the app store. It went through the entire 16gb dl then told me I can't install on this computer (which is factually incorrect), and wiped the entire dl. I'll find elsewhere to dl, if that doesn't work - it's being returned.

Thanks again for the replies.

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Answer 10

davebodia Author

Level 1

5 points

Oct 30, 2026 11:06 PM in response to Donkey_Hotey

You have 100% no idea what I'm talking about then offer me suggestions? This issue is a common complaint with GG.

Not a clue what a fence-selection is (Google doesn't know either), and maybe Apple didn't remove it in GG.1, but click-drag for multiple files does NOT work with GG.2.

Maybe do a little Google search, there are plenty of people complaining about it.

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Answer 11

davebodia Author

Level 1

5 points

Oct 30, 2026 11:11 PM in response to leroydouglas

I restarted Finder, when that didn't work I restarted the computer - nothing changed. Someone below said it works with .1 (although he admitted he has no idea what I'm talking about), and maybe it does. But one thing for sure, it does NOT work with .2.

If someone who knows what I'm talking about (who's also running .1), could check on this that'd be great.

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Answer 12

Oct 30, 2026 11:42 PM in response to davebodia

Okay, I just installed the latest update. Everything works fine.

You said you were going to "return it". A new machine? I'm on a four month old MacBook Neo.

So either I don't understand what you're trying to do or you have a unique problem.

A fence selection is what that box is called when you click and drag across files in the Finder. That's a selection fence. Things inside it or in contact with it, get selected.

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Answer 13

Oct 31, 2026 6:06 AM in response to davebodia

davebodia wrote:

Before I return this thing I'll probably do a system reset and try to install Sequoia (I'll try to install Mountain Lion first, I'd be in paradise if that worked but I'm not holding my breath).

Any MacBook Pro that is old enough to run Mountain Lion as a host OS is too old to run Sequoia. The Early 2013 MBPs are the most recent MBPs that can run Mountain Lion, and they can't run anything later than Catalina.

To run Sequoia on a MacBook Pro, you need

An Intel-based MacBook Pro with a hardware model year of 2018 or later, or
An Apple-Silicon-based MacBook Pro with a M1-, M2-, M3-, or M4-family chip. (MacBook Pros with M5- and M6-family chips are too new to run Sequoia as a host OS.)

macOS Sequoia is compatible with these computers - Apple Support

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Answer 14

Oct 31, 2026 6:18 AM in response to davebodia

davebodia wrote:

Oh man... I now hate this thing more than before. I just dl'd Sequoia from the app store. It went through the entire 16gb dl then told me I can't install on this computer (which is factually incorrect), and wiped the entire dl. I'll find elsewhere to dl, if that doesn't work - it's being returned.

If that MacBook Pro has a M5-series chip in it, the message is correct.

Macs cannot run any version of macOS earlier than the one first shipped with their particular model. The 14" M5 MacBook Pro first shipped with macOS 26.0 (Tahoe). The 14" and 16" M5 {Pro/Max} MacBook Pros first shipped with macOS 26.3 (Tahoe). So none of the M5-series MBPs can run Sequoia as a host OS.

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Answer 15

Oct 31, 2026 11:48 AM in response to davebodia

Let me test my understanding"

ONLY in Column view, you can no longer drag a selection rectangle over Contiguous multiple files and select them?

¿Is that correct?

What happens instead, do they not get selected at all?

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