Dragging files creates shortcut?

Holding the option key allows you to drag a copy. Delete the orginal if that is your intent?

Apple has "locked down" the Applications folder to reduce the risk of people moving Applications in such a way that subsequent updates for those applications fail.

Might I ask why you are reorganising your Applications folder? If it is for the purpose of making it more organised for launching applications - have you tried LaunchPad? It is easily reorganised, and doesn't affect the physical location of the applications.

I just want to be able to move the file without making copies or shortcuts and without having to delete the original.

Hold down the command key while dropping.

You'll see what is going to happen by the badge on the drag icon.

A curly arrow is an alias (default from Apps folder), a Green + is a copy, and nothing is a move.

Leroy already noted that the option key will give a copy.

Note that these work on other drag operations, also.

By default, a move happens on the same volume, and a copy happens across volume boundaries. However, holding down the modifier keys will alter the default behavior.

Did you ever find a fix to this? I recently bought a new laptop and this drives me crazy. It also has a similar problem moving files to and from the root of my hard drive folder, it doesn't create a short cut then, but it will create a duplicate of the file instead of moving it.

alanchrishughes wrote:

Did you ever find a fix to this? I recently bought a new laptop and this drives me crazy. It also has a similar problem moving files to and from the root of my hard drive folder, it doesn't create a short cut then, but it will create a duplicate of the file instead of moving it.

The "fix" is, don't use Yosemite. That is the way it's security model works.

So there's just no fix for it?

Another fix would be don't store files/folders on the root of your hard drive. Use your home folder as it was designed.