I drag-copied a folder from my Time Machine backup to my user folder on my new Mac. When I drag that folder to Users > Me > Documents, it says "Preparing to Copy..."
Is there a way to actually *move* the folder rather than *copying* it, maybe a key combo you hold down while dragging?
Mac mini, OS X El Capitan (10.11.4)
You use the Time Machine Restore application that is in your Dock to retrieve content from your Time Machine backup drive.
In the Finder, dragging and dropping files in your user account will move them. Pressing the option key will present a green plus symbol indicating a copy operation.
Alternatively, and perhaps confusingly, you can select a file/folder icon, and then control/right-click. From the pop-up menu, choose copy. Then click at the destination where you want the file object placed, and if you just want to copy it there, then choose Paste Item. If you want to move it, press the option key, and choose Move Item Here.
And a third option is to use command+C to copy the file object, and command+V to copy it at the new location. To move it, same command+C to copy, and then option+command+V to move it.
In general, if you want to move a folder from one drive to another, you could option drag.
HOWEVER, you should NEVER do this with a Time Machine backup. You could corrupt the backup, and possibly ALL your backups, because of the way Time Machine stores backups (often as "links" rather than actual redundant copies of the data).
And let me add that moving a folder instead of copying a folder is a time saver but it has risks. If the move fails, the items at the destination and source may be left in an indeterminate state and unrecoverable. It is much safer to do the move, verify the destination files are good, and then go back and delete the original files.
The OS only does the copy instead of move when the source and/or destination is not in your personal workspace (home folder).
Viking and Duane both nailed it. Whenever you use TimeMachine to restore something definitely do it through the TimeMachine program and not just copying from the TimeMachine drive. And in this case you do not want to move the folder. If you moved the folder it would no longer be part of the TimeMachine backup.
And take it from someone who has been burnt by move - don’t - just don’t. Copy, check, then delete.
Move a folder rather than copying?
