Move a file with cut and paste
Move a file into the right folder without dragging it across the screen and hoping.
The buttons you pressed exist on every screen, but they are usually hidden in a menu. The keyboard is always right there.
Hold the first key down, tap the second, let go. It is the same movement as holding Shift to make a capital letter.
Key points
- Use Cmd instead of Ctrl on a Mac, and change nothing else
- Move a whole file with Cut and Paste, rather than dragging it and hoping
- Take as long as you need between the cut and the paste
What to remember
- Cut then paste moves a file. Copy then paste leaves the original and makes a second one.
- A cut file waits until you paste it. Take as long as you like finding the folder.
Try this
Find a file sitting on your desktop that belongs somewhere better. Press it once, Ctrl+X, open the folder it should live in, and Ctrl+V. No dragging, no dropping it in the wrong place.
Practice: Move a file with cut and paste. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.