Select Multiple Files on Mac: Cmd-Click, Shift and Drag
Nemo · · 4 min read
To select multiple files on a Mac, hold Cmd and click each file you want in Finder. For a run of files in a row, click the first, then Shift-click the last. To grab a group by area, click on empty space and drag a box around them. Cmd+A selects everything in the folder. Once they are selected, anything you do (drag, copy, Cmd+Delete) applies to all of them.
Which way should you use?
| You want | Do this | Works best in |
|---|---|---|
| Files scattered through the folder | Cmd-click each one | Any view |
| A continuous run of files | Click the first, Shift-click the last | List and column view |
| Files close together on screen | Drag a box from empty space | Icon and list view |
| Everything in the folder | Cmd+A | Any view |
| Everything except a few | Cmd+A, then Cmd-click the ones to drop | Any view |
| Nothing | Option+Cmd+A, or click empty space | Any view |
How do you select files that aren’t next to each other?
Click the first file, then hold Cmd and click every other file you want. Cmd-clicking a selected file removes it from the selection, so you can fix a mistake without starting over. The selection count shows in the window’s status bar (View, Show Status Bar) if you want to be sure.
How do you select a range of files?
Switch to list view with Cmd+2, which makes ranges predictable. Click the first file, hold Shift, and click the last: everything between them is selected. Sort first (click a column header such as Date Modified) so the files you want sit together. With the keyboard, hold Shift and press the Up or Down arrow to grow the selection one row at a time.
In icon view Shift-click behaves more like Cmd-click and adds single items, which is one reason list view is easier for big selections.
How do you drag to select?
Press on empty space in the window (not on a file) and drag. A box appears, and every file it touches is selected. Hold Cmd while you start a second box to add to the selection instead of replacing it. In list view, start the drag in the blank area to the side of the names.
What can you do with the selection?
- Move it: drag it onto a folder; our guide on how to move files on a Mac covers the Cmd and Option variations.
- Copy and paste it: Cmd+C, then Cmd+V in the destination, or Option+Cmd+V to move. See cut and paste on a Mac.
- Trash it: Cmd+Delete.
- Rename them all at once: right-click and choose Rename for a batch rename with find and replace or numbering.
- Compress them: right-click, Compress, for one zip file.
If the files you want are spread across many folders, a search can gather them first: how to find a file on a Mac shows how, and you can select within the results like any folder.
How do you select files with the keyboard only?
You can do it without touching the trackpad. Type the first letters of a file’s name to jump to it, then hold Shift and press Down to extend the selection in list view. Cmd+A selects everything; from there Cmd+Down opens the selection, and Cmd+Delete moves it to the Trash. In the terminal, patterns do the same job for many files at once: mv *.pdf ~/Documents/ acts on every PDF in the folder without selecting anything.
How will selection work in Monok’s Files pane?
Monok is a Mac browser with tabs that split into panes and a terminal in them. Since version 0.1.1 it has Files, a native file manager pane, and selection follows the same conventions you already know:
- A click-drag rectangle selects a group.
- Cmd-click adds or removes single items.
- Shift-click selects a range.
- Drag the selection onto a folder, in the list or in the Favorites sidebar, to move it.
- Cmd+Delete moves the selection to the Trash after a confirmation.
You open a Files pane by typing / in the Magic Bar, and split it next to a page or a terminal pane with Cmd+D. See it on the home page.
FAQ
How do I select multiple files on a Mac trackpad?
Hold Cmd and click each file, or press on empty space and drag across the files with one finger held down (or three-finger drag if it is turned on in Accessibility settings).
Why does Shift-click not select a range?
You are probably in icon view. Switch to list view with Cmd+2 and Shift-click selects every file in between.
How do I deselect one file?
Cmd-click it. The rest stay selected.
When did Monok’s file manager ship?
In version 0.1.1. Get it on the download page.