How do I "cut" a file on OS X?

Question

I'm a newbie on the Mac world and I'd like to know if it's possible to cut a file using a shortcut (like Ctrl+X on Windows).

On Lion you can move files after copying them with ⌥⌘V (Move Item Here). — Lri, May 06 '12 at 10:32

score 65 · Answer 1 · edited Apr 04 '15 at 16:08

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It is possible to cut-paste files/folders in Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion)’s Finder (so, since at least 2011), but the Mac OS X way is slightly different from the Windows way. This method works in other versions of Mac OS X as well.

⌘-C (copy first)
⌘-⌥-V (now move to it’s destination)

So, the steps are very similar to copy-paste, but holding ⌥ (option key) moves the file/folder instead of copies it.

You can also have a look in the edit menu after copying a file - press ⌥ while looking to see the difference: “paste” changes to “move item here.”

edited Apr 04 '15 at 16:08

Giacomo1968

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answered May 25 '12 at 14:18

Joel Purra

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Author, mark it as answer. – Dmitry Oct 08 '15 at 17:35
This is mind-numbingly unintuitive to me. Maybe I'm just too "stuck in my ways" or something. – byxor Oct 02 '19 at 13:06
@byxor Might seem non-intuitive, but depending on how the OS actually stores the content (in memory) after it has been "cut" could lead to all sorts of trouble if something happens before the move operation completes. So, most implementations splits this into a three part process chain, macOS just doesn't call it "cut", but the same thing happens using cmd+opt+v at target folder after a cmd+c copy: `Copy->Paste->Delete Original`. – C. Sederqvist Apr 21 '21 at 00:39
@C.Sederqvist, the way it works in Ubuntu at least is that you `Ctrl+X`, which does a copy (and remembers it's a cut), then `Ctrl+V` somewhere else, which changes the location of the file. That way it's impossible to delete a file with `Ctrl+X`, while still remaining consistent with text editing, etc. – Elliott Mar 04 '22 at 06:59

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 01 '14 at 18:14

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I like XtraFinder

It's an enhanced version of Finder. You get Cut & Paste and a bunch of other features.

And it's free.

answered Dec 01 '14 at 18:14

Ivan Morgillo

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score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Oct 23 '15 at 10:34

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The method using ⌘-C and ⌘-⌥-V is by far the easiest and arguably the most efficient way to cut / paste files in the Finder if that's all you want.

If you're going for 3rd party extensions or applications and want an awesome Finder replacement, I'd suggest giving Pathfinder (http://www.cocoatech.com/pathfinder/) a try.

It's the most feature rich Finder replacement out there...

answered Oct 23 '15 at 10:34

C. Sederqvist

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**⌘-C ** doesn't cut, it copies – clhy Oct 23 '15 at 15:39
Not when it is followed by ⌘-⌥-V. That's like the whole point. Then it moves e.g. cuts in practice. ⌘-V would do a copy -> paste. – C. Sederqvist Oct 24 '15 at 19:40

gloschtla · Answer 4 · 2017-11-29T09:10:10.110

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If you can't miss ⌘X in macOS, then choose ForkLift 3!

This alternative file manager is better than Mac's native 'finder'. In its Menu entry /Edit you can find the needed command to cut selected files, amongst other relevant shortcuts for file operations.

You can get ForkLift 2 it in the official App Store for free.

edited Nov 29 '17 at 09:10

answered Nov 29 '17 at 08:55

gloschtla

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How do I "cut" a file on OS X?

4 Answers4

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