On macOS, you can’t cut files with a right-click as you can on Windows. In this article, we will show you an equally simple method for your Mac system. Let’s find out how to cut and paste files, text and images on Mac.
Cut and Paste files on Mac: it’s this easy
Many of you know the problem. You want to move a file so that it is no longer in the original folder but only in the new folder. On Windows systems, this works simply via the right-click menu. This is not possible with macOS.
With Parallels Desktop, you can use macOS and Windows in parallel on your Mac:
Cut and paste file in Mac – keyboard shortcut
To cut a file on your Mac, you proceed similarly to a Windows computer. The keyboard shortcuts differ only slightly:
- Open the Finder and select the desired file with one click.
- Press the key combination “Cmd ⌘ + X”.
- Click the mouse on the folder to which you want to move the selected file.
- Press the key combination “Cmd ⌘ + Alt + V” to paste the file again.
- You can cut written text with the key combination “Cmd ⌘ + X” and paste it with “Cmd ⌘ + V”. This key combination works in every program, browser, and terminal.
Cut and paste files in Mac – by mouse
There is an easier way to cut and paste files into another folder. All you need is the touchpad or a mouse:
- Open the Finder.
- Hold down the file with the left mouse button and drag it to the desired folder.
- Release the mouse button, so the file is moved to the new folder.
The file is now only in the new folder.
Cut and Paste text on Mac with the keyboard or mouse
If you want to move text from one place to another, for example, from one document to another, you have two options. You can either do this with a keyboard shortcut or with the mouse. We will now show you both ways.
Cut and paste text with the keyboard
You can easily cut and copy the text on a Mac by using various keyboard shortcuts. First, press the first key and keep it pressed. Then press the second key and release both keys at the same time. And now to the combinations so that you succeed in cutting on the Mac:
- Select the text by clicking with the left mouse button at the beginning of the text and move the mouse to the end of the text while keeping the button pressed. Release the mouse button when the desired text is selected.
- Now press the Command key (capital key) and, at the same time, also the Command key (Mac key). Keep them pressed.
- If you want to remove the text in this place and place it in another, press the “X” key. If you want the text to stay in both places, copy it with the “C” key.
The text is now copied to the clipboard, and you can switch to the document where you want to paste the text. There you click with the mouse on the appropriate place, hold down the Command key (capital key) and, at the same time, the Command key (Mac key) and then press the “V” key. Release all keys, and the text appears.
Cut and paste text with the mouse
The more complicated way to cut text on the Mac is to use the mouse. The procedure is almost the same as with the keyboard shortcut. If you want to cut text on the Mac, it works like this with the mouse:
- Select the text by clicking with the left mouse button at the beginning of the text and move the mouse to the end of the text while keeping the button pressed. Release the mouse button when the desired text is selected.
- Move the mouse over the selected text and right-click on it.
- A menu will appear where you can select “Cut” to move the text from the first document to a second one. If you want the text to remain in both documents, select “Copy” instead.
- Go to the place where you want to paste the text. Click the right mouse button and select “Paste”.
The text is now pasted into the new document or in another place. You can repeat the process as often as you like.
Cut and paste images on the Mac
Want to use Cut Mac to move text or images from one place to another? On the one hand, it saves a lot of time because you don’t have to rewrite everything. For another, it lets you combine different documents into one document. There are a variety of ways to cut text or images with the Mac.
It’s not always text that you want to cut on your Mac. Sometimes you want to cut images on the Mac. Depending on the document type, you can cut an image in exactly the same way as you can cut text. This is how you use Cut Mac to move text and images from one place to another.
Cutting images from a document
If you want to copy an image from a document to another location, you can do this as described in the instructions for the text. Simply select the image, choose the “Cut” option using the keyboard shortcut or the mouse, and paste the image into a new location. Just as you would do with a text according to the instructions.
Cutting images on the Mac using the Finder
To copy an image from your desktop or from another folder on your Mac to another folder, you can also use the cut function on your Mac. The best way to do it is like this:
- Right-click on the image in the Finder.
- Now select “Copy” here.
- Go to another location on your Mac and right-click again – this time on a free space.
- Now press “Paste object” in the menu.
The image has now been copied to the new location. If you want to delete it from the old location, you can do so by right-clicking on it and selecting “Move to Trash“.
Copy images on Mac by screenshot
However, some PDF files do not allow you to cut or copy an image. Then we help ourselves with a screenshot of the document. You can paste the screenshot at another place.
- Press the Command key (capital key) and, at the same time, the Command key (Mac key). Keep them pressed.
- Press the Shift key (Control key) and keep it pressed as well.
- Press the 4 key and release all keys.
- Click with the crosshairs on the upper left corner of the image, hold the mouse down and drag the crosshairs to the lower right corner. This way, you mark the area where you want to take a screen capture.
- You can now paste the image from the clipboard to any location by right-clicking again on a free space and then select “Paste”.
This way, you can cut images on macOS even if the document is actually a protected PDF.
Our conclusion
If you want to cut a text, image or file on your Mac, you can do it in just a few steps. Decide on a key combination or use the mouse, depending on what is easier for you. This way, you can quickly and easily move text and images from one place to another. Are you interested in this topic, or do you have any questions? Then feel free to write to us in the comments.
