05-11-2012, 06:01 PM

As a long time windows user I am used to copy and paste files. There is no direct equivalent in OSX Lion as far as I know (which sadly to say is not very far).
A work around is first to duplicate the file and then drag the duplicated file to the desired directory and then finally rename it to the original name.
Question: Is there a better way ????
John

05-11-2012, 07:02 PM

There is a Move feature, but it's hidden at first. Right click on the file you want to move and copy it. Navigate to the new location. While holding down the Option key, right click in the folder. There should be an option that says "Move Item Here". Choose that and there you go!

It's basically the same as in Windows, except you have to hold the Option key as paste the item.

05-11-2012, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by Oneironaut

There is a Move feature, but it's hidden at first. Right click on the file you want to move and copy it. Navigate to the new location. While holding down the Option key, right click in the folder. There should be an option that says "Move Item Here". Choose that and there you go!

It's basically the same as in Windows, except you have to hold the Option key as paste the item.

This works well to move a file, but is not different from just dragging the file to the new location. It does not work to copy a file to another directory, maintaining the original file in its original directory.
John

05-11-2012, 07:46 PM

Lion has Copy and Paste. If you press Command + C you are ready to copy. Go to new location. If you press Command + V you will copy a version of the file to this location. If you press Command + Option + V then you get a cut and paste.

05-11-2012, 08:08 PM

Or simply go into Edit in the Menu Bar.

05-11-2012, 08:12 PM

Or on your trackpad, if you have one, just enable the right click feature and all you have to do is tap it with 2 fingers, which displays the right click menu. Under system preferences, click trackpad, then select secondary click.

05-11-2012, 09:59 PM

Originally Posted by Pigstick

Lion has Copy and Paste. If you press Command + C you are ready to copy. Go to new location. If you press Command + V you will copy a version of the file to this location. If you press Command + Option + V then you get a cut and paste.

Thanks, This works fine.
The other comment made by harryb "simple go into Edit in the menu bar" is out of my reach. I don't know what is meant by this.
John

05-12-2012, 01:42 AM

Do you have right-clicking enabled on your mouse? If so, you just right-click on a file and choose "Copy" from the context menu that pops up. Then navigate to wherever you want to paste the file, right-click again and choose "Paste".

What harryb meant is that the usual edit functions (cut, copy, paste, etc) are also found under the Edit menu in your menu bar, which runs along the top of your screen. With a Finder window open and the file you want to copy selected, click on the Edit menu and there you can access Copy and Paste from the drop-down list.

So basically there are three ways you can copy and paste a file: by right-clicking on it, using the Edit menu in your top menu bar, or using the shortcut keys. It depends on what's easiest for you. But you won't be able to right click on anything unless it's been enabled in your mouse settings in System Preferences.

05-12-2012, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by jott

As a long time windows user I am used to copy and paste files. There is no direct equivalent in OSX Lion as far as I know (which sadly to say is not very far).
A work around is first to duplicate the file and then drag the duplicated file to the desired directory and then finally rename it to the original name.
Question: Is there a better way ????
John

I think you haven't enable your trackpad right click gesture.
FOLLOW THIS IF YOU USE TRACKPAD
System Preferences
Trackpad
Point & Click tab
Tick the check box on "Secondary Click".
you should be able to use/view copy and paste.

FOLLOW THIS IF YOU USE MAGIC MOUSE
System Preferences
Mouse
Point & Click tab
Tick the check box on "Secondary Click".
you should be able to use/view copy and paste.

OR USE SHORT CUT KEYS as mentioned by @pigstick.
command+C - copy
command+X - cut
command+V - paste

05-12-2012, 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by Oneironaut

Do you have right-clicking enabled on your mouse? If so, you just right-click on a file and choose "Copy" from the context menu that pops up. Then navigate to wherever you want to paste the file, right-click again and choose "Paste".

What harryb meant is that the usual edit functions (cut, copy, paste, etc) are also found under the Edit menu in your menu bar, which runs along the top of your screen. With a Finder window open and the file you want to copy selected, click on the Edit menu and there you can access Copy and Paste from the drop-down list.

Right clicking on a file does not do anything. Left or right clicking only selects the file.
You have to right click the 5th icon on the menu bar. See attachment. I presume you associate this icon with the Edit menu.

05-12-2012, 08:23 PM

Hi,

Right clicking on a file does not do anything. Left or right clicking only selects the file.

Not sure why right click copy and paste is not available to you, I can do this with just one file or holding down the cmd key multiple files.

05-12-2012, 08:23 PM

Then you're not right clicking correctly. Right clicking always brings up copy. There are many ways to either copy/paste or simply cut/move.

Set the trackpad to right click by making sure that tap to click is enabled * trackpad preferences* and use two fingers to gently tap the trackpad. That is right click. One gentle tap is left click.

Doug

05-13-2012, 06:50 AM

Mysterious things are happening here. Repeated selections of the "testfile" finaly producedv the desired puldown menu. No matter how often I repeated the selection, it never again failrd to produce the pulldown menu. Hover, once in a while it produced a different pulldown menu. I did not do anything different, just selected the testfile in the same way.
If I wanted to produce this odd pulldown menu, I would not know how to go about to generate it in a deliberate way. Only by repeated selection could I get it. Maybe once out of 10 or 20 tries.
Any ideas how this is generated???
John.

05-13-2012, 07:01 AM

Originally Posted by jott

Mysterious things are happening here. Repeated selections of the "testfile" finaly producedv the desired puldown menu. No matter how often I repeated the selection, it never again failrd to produce the pulldown menu. Hover, once in a while it produced a different pulldown menu. I did not do anything different, just selected the testfile in the same way.
If I wanted to produce this odd pulldown menu, I would not know how to go about to generate it in a deliberate way. Only by repeated selection could I get it. Maybe once out of 10 or 20 tries.
Any ideas how this is generated???
John.

I think that is because you double-clicked on the actual filename and it highlighted itself in blue as shown in your image. Here you can manually rename the filename by typing over the existing one.

Have you also considered using the "Make Alias" function ? The Alias file can then be stored in a different place and will constantly update itself when you change the original.

05-13-2012, 08:09 AM

@jott, you CLICK the file name and then you right-click on it. That's why you are getting that blue color.

DO THIS
-click on the file icon then right click on it. DO NOT CLICK THE FILE NAME because you will accidentally double click it.


Careful with double click and click. They give completely different result.