Member Avatar for gortonsfi

OS X 10.4.5 here.

I have a simple question. In the Finder menu bar there's an 'edit' menu with a "cut" option. I have never seen an instance where that option isn't disabled.

Does anyone know why or seen an instance where the "cut" function does work in the Finder?

Thanks

Jeff

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Nice thread — good catch by and a sensible follow-up from . Short version: Finder historically doesn’t implement a Windows-style “Cut” for filesystem items the way it does for text, so the Edit > Cut entry is usually inactive unless you’re editing text. Apple later added a copy‑then‑move workflow (so you don’t lose data by “cutting” before a successful paste). (apple.stackexchange.com)

If you want to move files using keyboard/menu controls, use the macOS method: select the item and press ⌘C (Copy), go to the destination, then press ⌥⌘V (Option‑Command‑V). The Finder’s Edit menu also shows “Paste Item” which changes to “Move Item Here” when you hold Option — that is the effective Cut+Paste for files. You can also right‑click and hold Option inside the destination to change Paste → Move. (support.apple.com)

A couple of practical rules to remember: dragging between folders on the same volume moves by default; dragging to a different volume copies by default. Use Option to force a copy, Command to force a move while dragging, and watch for the little “+” badge that indicates a copy. These behaviors explain why macOS uses copy+move semantics rather than a permanent “cut” state. (support.apple.com)

If Move/Paste doesn’t work: confirm you actually copied first, make sure Finder is the active app, check destination permissions and free space, and verify the target disk isn’t read‑only (NTFS drives are typically read‑only on macOS without drivers). If shortcuts seem broken, check System Settings → Keyboard → Shortcuts or whether an app has hijacked the key combo. Apple’s support pages cover common copy/move failures and permission/disk format issues. (support.apple.com)

For power users a Terminal move is simple:

mv /path/to/source/file.txt /path/to/destination/

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Member Avatar for scuubaman

that feature becomes active if you are editing a block of text. For example if you hi-lite a block of text in the text edit application.

Member Avatar for gortonsfi

that feature becomes active if you are editing a block of text. For example if you hi-lite a block of text in the text edit application.

That is 100% correct.

But that doesn't explain why it's an option in the Finder app. There are lots of menu options in many programs and they don't all appear in the Finder app. Surely there is a reason apple included 'cut'.

Member Avatar for scuubaman

this feature appears anywhere you can edit text including the finder where you can edit names of files, apps and such.

Member Avatar for gortonsfi

ah, good man, I guess I hadn't thought to try it on the name of an icon itself

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