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Level 1

24 points

10.6.6 - Finder: edit -> cut disabled

why is 'cut' disabled under edit? how do I move files from one location to another? (10.6.6)

(when you right-click on a file only "move" option is "move to Trash"...;-)

can I config OS to fix this? it's really not very practical...

thank you...

iMac

Posted on Mar 28, 2011 2:13 PM

Best reply

azri

Level 1

4 points

Posted on Apr 1, 2011 10:49 PM

the short answer is that it is not disabled because it doesn't exist.

now, let's get some things straight. firstly let me just say that i have been a mac user for years, and i have never even owned a computer that ran windows 7.

having said that, with all due respect, it seems as though some of you folks have never even used windows before.

_*1. if you cut A and then cut B, it will NOT lead to data loss, you will NOT lose A.*_

what happens when you Cut:
i. file/folder is copied to the clipboard.
original item is NOT deleted.

what happens when you Paste after Cut:
i. item is copied to the destination.
ii. original item is deleted.

this means that if you perform 2 successive cuts, there will not be any 'unnecessary data loss'. in such a case, the first item will be restored its original position.

the ONLY exception to this is when you are cutting text from a text field. however, every discussion i have come across, including this one, is with regards to Finder, in which case it is not an issue. +*ironically, Cut is possible in mac when editing text fields.*+

again, i am not trying to offend anyone when i say that anyone who has a decent understanding of how windows works would know this.

_*2. You cannot move files between disks.*_

that is right, you cannot move files between disks. all you can do is copy them. rather than upgrade the hard disk on my macbook i for one connect it to a total of 3TB of external storage, which makes sense because that capacity does not even exist for laptop hard disk drives.

anyway, in the event that you try to drag and drop (i am not a fan of the whole keyboard dance thing, read below) files between HDDs, the file is only copied, not moved. this is in contrast to when the origin and destination are on the same disk, and the file is moved.

clearly, for someone like myself who transfers large amounts of data between disks, it becomes a hassle. if i dont move data out of my macbook HD it would get filled and i would have a problem.

on a side note, i am not a fan of the whole keyboard fingerdance simply because it is not intuitive. it is something that needs to be trained. to perform a shortcut you actually need to first recall what the shortcut is. you do not need to remember what a click is. even if it isn't a single step, all i need to perform are a succession of clicks, each prompting the next.

obviously, you can't stop someone like me; i use Path Finder.

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48 replies

thomas_r.

Level 7

31,989 points

Apr 2, 2011 4:06 AM in response to azri

_*1. if you cut A and then cut B, it will NOT lead to data loss, you will NOT lose A.*_

That is the way it works on Windows, yes. It is also inconsistent with how cut works in _all other cases_. It can either be dangerous or inconsistent, not both. Of course, it's Apple's choice not to implement this, and if you really want it, use the [Apple feedback page|http://www.apple.com/feedback>. I wouldn't expect things to change, though... neither option seems like it would be appealing to Apple.

_*2. You cannot move files between disks.*_

You've never tried holding down the command key while dragging files from disk A to disk B, I take it?

Feb 5, 2013 9:37 PM in response to kali90

To "cut and paste" do the regular cut: "Command + C" and then do "Alt + Command + V" and it will cut the folder/file into the new location.

These BS answers of how "cutting is bad m'kay" were getting ridiculous.

Jun 11, 2013 2:39 AM in response to scigeek64hd

Thanks scigeek64hd, you've probably saved me hours of drag-dropping with that post. It's a shame this feature isn't more discoverable.

Jun 21, 2013 11:40 AM in response to scigeek64hd

Thanks to you also, scigeek64hd.... These guys with their so called "Level 6" and "Level 7" should be ashamed of themselves for not knowing this simple tip!

thomas_r.

Level 7

31,989 points

Jun 21, 2013 1:20 PM in response to wisam.safi

These guys with their so called "Level 6" and "Level 7" should be ashamed of themselves for not knowing this simple tip!

That simple tip did not exist back in 2011 when our responses were posted. It's a new feature, added in Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion), which wasn't released until 2012.

Jul 9, 2013 4:33 PM in response to Niel

I like the Mac and I am replacing all of my windows laptops to Macs. But this is just so lame. I've used Ctrl-X, Ctrl-V on windows for 20 years and never lost any files that way.

On a MacBook with only a track pad and no mouse, it's sooooo difficult to move files without knowing the "oh you have to hold the Alt key and then you'd discover a new menu" thing. You can justify it whatever way you like, but this is just lame.

Lanny

Level 6

13,183 points

Jul 10, 2013 12:43 AM in response to Tomei Ningen

That's because most Mac people drag and drop their files as opposed to using Cut & Paste. Cut, copy, and paste are generally used for just text.

Kurt Lang

Level 9

58,266 points

Jul 10, 2013 7:15 AM in response to Tomei Ningen

If your MacBook supports Mountain Lion, then upgrade it. Then you'll have Cut & Paste with the keyboard.

walczyk

Level 1

5 points

Aug 18, 2013 11:48 AM in response to Kurt Lang

Technically, you'll have Copy & Move with the keyboard.

Kurt Lang

Level 9

58,266 points

Aug 18, 2013 12:02 PM in response to walczyk

It's the same result. Command+C to copy the data info, Command+Option+V to move.

But yes, you are correct. It would indeed be confusing for users to look for a Cut command in the menus for files and folders when there isn't one. Apple made "Move" the second command rather than the first.

And even that isn't in the menu. It shows Command+V for paste, which would of course give you everything in two places. You have to know to hold down the Option key to make paste a "Move".

Edit: Reminder to anyone new reading this topic. This only works in Mountain Lion, 10.8.x (and presumably the upcoming Mavericks, 10.9.x). You won't find this ability in Snow Leopard.

Peer67

Level 1

0 points

Oct 25, 2013 5:04 PM in response to scigeek64hd

Thank you so much scigeek64hd . I never bothered to login to the support pages to post a reply, but this was so annoying and your simple answer made me so happy, I actually setup a ApplID just to say thanks. Loosing data, bad practice; sorry guys: that is BS, never lost a file with cut and paste in 20 year of Windows, for the simple reason one cannot loose data over this as the cut will not happen if the paste doesn't succeed.

kiym

Level 1

4 points

Feb 1, 2014 12:24 PM in response to kali90

OS X's Copy>Move ( cmd + C, cmd + alt + V) actually works a bit differently from Windows' Cut>Paste.

On Windows, the file that you cut will simply be copied to the clipboard, and ctrl + V will simply paste it and delete the original file. The file remains in the clipboard, so you can paste copies of it again as many times as you want.

However, cmd + alt + V on OS X will just keep moving the file. It will not create copies after the first move. You can, though, create copies if you switch to cmd + V after the first cmd + alt + V.

I find the OS X version more intuitive and consistent, since I sometimes move files from one location in Windows, and then change my mind. Normally, I'd have to re-cut the file, or just paste it and then come back and delete the file, whereas with OS X, I just press cmd + alt + V again.