Finder why do you COPY when I want MOVE

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Level 1

9 points

Finder why do you COPY when I want MOVE

I am having issues with Finder which i'm begging to think ae some crazy boffin at Apples deliberate ide of a joke as it makes no sense.

1) My main issue is that it copies when i NEED to move files. Sometimes lots of files some times files that degrade when copied so copying is not the required process. How can i make Finder MOVE without copying?

2) Now when I do copy why won't finder place the copied file into the folder i'm telling it to copy into. It always places the copied file into the root directory and then I then have to Move it to the right folder, but it does not move (see 1 above) it copies it into this folder and i now have to delete the file in the root directory. I can oercome this by doing what I would normally do to move the file in the first instance as it will copy it but thats crazy.

Please how do i copy and move the way normal people would copy and move?

If not am i the only one this annoys?

Do users ever succesfully get Apple to change things or should i resign myself to thats how they do it, put up with it or by a PC?

Hopefully not, please help.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.4), Time Machine

Posted on Jun 4, 2012 4:03 PM

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Answer 1

gse520 Author

Level 1

9 points

Jun 4, 2012 5:21 PM in response to thomas_r.

A further more frustrating point. How am i supposed to quickly move large amounts of data between mac and external hard drives without coping them. I want a quick move, no copy? Cheers.

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Answer 2

thomas_r.

Level 7

31,983 points

Jun 4, 2012 4:29 PM in response to gse520

Generally, the Finder copies when you move an item from one volume to another, or when there is a permissions issue preventing a move (such as a lack of write permissions on the original item). It also always copies when you hold down the option key when dropping an item. You didn't really give much information about where you're moving files from and to, so it's hard to say what the reason might be.

Also, regarding #1, note that there is no such thing as files that degrade when copied in the Finder. If you are thinking of lossy file formats like JPEG, those do not degrade when copied, they degrade when the JPEG data is read into an image editor and then written back out again. You can copy a JPEG file all you like without loss.

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Answer 3

gse520 Author

Level 1

9 points

Jun 4, 2012 4:44 PM in response to thomas_r.

Thanks Thomas, forgive my ignorane but what do you mean by volume? Is that a root folder. I think you are right and it allows me to move within the same folder structure without copying but I'm used to being able to move files anywhere and the OS carries out a move and not a copy. If im moving between volumes is there i can do to mave Finder Move and not copy?

Thanks for the info on jpgs that was my concern, again, forgive my ignorance, again. Know that i still want to move and not copy.

On my second point, why does finder copy files into the base root and not into the folder i'm trying to move/copy into? Does holding down the option key when selecting the destination folder help here? I'm not sure how much info to give here. Im moving from one folder to another and droping the file onto the selected new folder but instead of the file being placed or even copied into this selected folder it is copied into the base root directory. Do i need to wait until that folder actuall opens up in finder before releasing it so Finder is aware where it needs to go?

Cheers G

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Answer 4

thomas_r.

Level 7

31,983 points

Jun 4, 2012 5:35 PM in response to gse520

forgive my ignorane but what do you mean by volume?

A volume is what most people think of as a hard drive. Those are actually different things, though. The hard drive is the physical medium, the volume is the set of data structures that shows up as a "hard drive" on your computer. These terms are usually used interchangeably, but the difference is important, because one physical hard drive can be split up (partitioned) into more than one volume.

On my second point, why does finder copy files into the base root and not into the folder i'm trying to move/copy into?

Can't say that I've ever seen that behavior. If you are dragging a file, move it over a folder and that folder highlights, then you can simply drop it and it will move or copy into that folder. If you miss the folder, the file will probably end up in the folder that contains the folder you were trying to hit, or even a higher level folder, depending on the view you're using. If you're seeing the file go into the root level of the hard drive, I would think that you are not properly hitting the folder, you're not properly identifying the root of the hard drive or there's something very wrong with your hard drive (or system). But without actually seeing what you're doing, I can't say anything for sure.

How am i supposed to quickly move large amounts of data between mac and external hard drives without coping them. I want a quick move, no copy?

Hold down the command key to force a move instead of a copy in that case.

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Answer 5

Jun 5, 2012 8:55 AM in response to gse520

If the data is not already on the external disk, there is no way to get there without copying it.

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