How to Cut and Paste on Mac: Text and Files
Nemo · · 4 min read
To cut and paste text on a Mac, select it, press Cmd+X, put the cursor where it goes and press Cmd+V. Files are different: Finder has no Cut for files. Select the file, press Cmd+C, open the destination folder and press Option+Cmd+V. The Option key turns Paste into “Move Item Here”, so the file leaves the old folder instead of being copied. Cmd+Z undoes the move.
Why doesn’t Cmd+X work on files?
If you come from Windows, you’ve hit this. You press Cmd+X on a file in Finder and nothing happens, because Cut in Finder only works on text, such as a file name you are editing. In Finder the move happens at paste time instead: you copy, then decide at the destination whether it’s a copy or a move.
The cost of not knowing is small but daily: duplicate files piling up in two folders because every “move” was a copy.
What are the shortcuts?
| Task | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Cut text | Cmd+X |
| Copy text or files | Cmd+C |
| Paste | Cmd+V |
| Paste without the source formatting | Option+Shift+Cmd+V |
| Move copied files here (Finder) | Option+Cmd+V |
| Undo the last action | Cmd+Z |
How do you move files with copy and paste?
- In Finder, select the files. Cmd-click adds items one at a time.
- Press Cmd+C.
- Open the folder they should go to.
- Press Option+Cmd+V. You can also open the Edit menu and hold Option: “Paste Item” becomes “Move Item Here”.
If a file with the same name is already there, Finder asks whether to keep both, stop or replace. Keep both renames the new one, so nothing is lost while you decide which copy to keep.
How does dragging decide between move and copy?
Dragging is the other way to cut and paste, and it follows one rule: on the same disk, dragging moves; to another disk, it copies.
| Drag | Result |
|---|---|
| To a folder on the same disk | Moves |
| To another disk | Copies |
| Holding Option | Copies, even on the same disk |
| Holding Cmd, to another disk | Moves |
Watch the pointer: a green plus sign means a copy.
Why does Option+Cmd+V sometimes do nothing?
Three usual reasons. First, the files were never copied: Cmd+X does nothing on a file, so the clipboard still holds whatever you copied before. Copy them again with Cmd+C. Second, the clipboard holds text, not files, because you copied something else in between. Third, you can’t write to the destination, such as a disk image that opened read-only or a folder you don’t own; Finder asks for a password or says you don’t have permission. When in doubt, open the Edit menu with Option held and read what Paste says.
Can you cut and paste in Terminal?
In the shell, a move is mv:
mv ~/Downloads/report.pdf ~/Documents/
There’s no clipboard step and no undo, so check the destination. The Mac Terminal commands guide covers mv, cp and the rest, and the guide to hidden files explains why some files only show up there.
What will Monok’s Files pane do?
Monok is a Mac browser with tmux-style panes and a native terminal. Since version 0.1.1 it also has a Files pane: a native file manager that splits next to a page or a terminal like any other pane.
For moving files, the plan is drag and drop:
- Select several items with a click-drag rectangle, Cmd-click or Shift-click.
- Drag them onto a folder in the list, or onto a folder in the sidebar’s Favorites, to move them there.
- Cmd+Delete moves the selection to the Trash after a confirmation.
Type / in the Magic Bar to open a Files pane at your home folder, or /name to find a file by name. Nothing opens until you press Return or click. The home page shows what ships in 0.1.0 today, and the keyboard shortcuts guide covers the browser side.
Try it: the current version has the browser, the terminal and Files. Download Monok for Mac, free while in preview, macOS 14 or later.
FAQ
What is the shortcut to cut and paste a file on a Mac?
Cmd+C to copy it, then Option+Cmd+V in the destination folder to move it.
Why is Cut greyed out in Finder?
Finder’s Cut only applies to text. For files, copy and use Option+Cmd+V.
How do I undo a move?
Press Cmd+Z in Finder right after the move.
Does Monok have a file manager?
Yes. Since version 0.1.1, type / in the Magic Bar for a Files pane. Get it on the download page.