How to Select Multiple Files on Mac

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select multiple files mac

A good deal of the Mac users knows how to select one or two files in macOS. However, some have trouble coping when it comes to selecting multiple files especially when the list of files in question is long and disorganized.

So how do you select multiple files on a Mac?

  • Using the click and drag approach
  • The Shift + Click command
  • The Command + Click approach
  • Using select all

Click and Drag or Shift + Click to Select Continuous Group

If the files you want are in a continuous list, you can select them by Clicking, holding and dragging over the files you want to select. The curser draws a transparent outline that highlights anything that falls within it. Once you’re done covering all the continuous files you want, you can release your right click.

Alternatively, you can click on the first file in the list and click the last file on the list with the Shift key depressed.  This works best when the files are in the list view.

Select Multiple Non-Continuous Files

If you want to select individual files that aren’t next to each other on the list, you will have to use the Command + Click option. All you have to do is scroll to the file you want, press and hold the Command key and click on the file. This will give you multiple disjointed selections.

You can mix the approach with the drag to select or shift + click option by selecting a bigger list and using Command + Click to deselect the few files you don’t want in the list.

Command + A to Select Everything

Finally, you can use the Command + A command to select everything on your open Finder window. You can also activate this option by clicking the edit window in the Finder view and choosing ‘select all’ in the menu.

Remember to activate the Finder Status Bar when working with multiple files as it will constantly update, telling you how many files are selected and their size.