Copy or move files and folders

A file or folder can be copied or moved to a new location by dragging and dropping with the mouse, using the copy and paste commands, or by using keyboard shortcuts.

As an example, copying files can be useful when creating a folder which contains files to email to a friend or coworker, or when backing up individual files to an external disk.

Drag files to copy or move

  1. Open the file manager to the folder containing the item you want to copy.

  2. Click File ▸ New Window (or press Ctrl+N) to open a second window. Navigate to the folder where you want to move or copy the item in the new window.

  3. Click and drag the item from one window to another. By default, dragging an item will move it if the destination is on the same device (i.e. if both folders are on the same hard disk on your computer).

    Dragging will copy it if the destination is on a difference device, such as a USB storage device, however. You can override this:

    • To force the file to be copied, hold down the Ctrl key while dragging.

    • To force the file to be moved, hold down the Shift key while dragging.

Copy and paste files

  1. Select the item you want to copy by clicking on it once.

  2. Click Edit ▸ Copy, or press Ctrl+C.

  3. Navigate to another folder, where you want to put the copy of the item.

  4. Click Edit ▸ Paste to finish copying the item, or press Ctrl+V. There will now be a copy of the file in the original folder and the other folder.

Cut and paste files (to move them)

  1. Select the item you want to move by clicking on it once.

  2. Click Edit ▸ Cut, or press Ctrl+X.

  3. Navigate to another folder, where you want to move the item.

  4. Click Edit ▸ Paste to finish moving the item, or press Ctrl+V. The file will be taken out of its original folder and moved to the other folder.

Why can't I copy/move a file?

You can't copy or move a file into a folder that is read-only. Some folders are read-only to prevent you from making changes to their contents. You can change things from being read-only by changing file permissions.