Recently, I’ve stumbled upon an app called moveAddict that will give Mac users the ability to mimic Cut and Paste feature of Windows. If you are one of the switchers from the Windows land, you might want to check this one out.
The Mac Way To Cut And Paste
But before we discuss the app, let’s look at how Mac OS X handles the cut and paste problems. First of all, the process is called “move” in the realm of Mac. You can do this simply by selecting the files that you want to move then drag and drop them to the new location that you want them to be.
However, the process works differently according to the nature of the destination. If you move the files to another location within the same disk partition, the files will be cut and pasted. If the new location is in different partition or different drive, the files will be copied (indicated by the small green plus sign). To override these default modes, you can hold Command button on your keyboard while dragging and dropping and the files will be cut and pasted wherever you move them. On the other hand, holding Option button will always copy the files.
Using moveAddict
There’s nothing wrong with Mac’s move modes, but they rely so much on mouse. So if you prefer keyboard navigation over the rodent, why not trying to get your hands on moveAddict? Having other options is never bad, right? The first time you run the app, you will be greeted by the Welcome window telling you basic things about the app.
Then the app will quietly reside on the menubar, ready to act on your command. By default, it uses similar command to cut and paste in the windows world: “Command + X” to Cut and “Command + V” to Paste. But you can change this if you want.
Using it is a matter of selecting a file and hit Command + X, then selecting the new location before hitting Command + V. However there are other settings that you can customized from the “Preferences” window, such as: Telling the app to start at login, changing the default shortcut key combination, and adding color tag to files.
From the Advanced tab you have access to enable moveAddict’s Finder toolbar for easy access to its function right from Finder. However, I personally think that this extra features beats the real purpose of the app, which is doing quick cut and paste without the need of mouse.
In general, this app is the kind of app that you would want to add to your Mac system, totally forgot about it, accept it as part of the OS, and wonder why your friend’s Mac can’t do the trick. The app comes in two version: the unlimited Pro version and the limited free version. Do you know other similar apps? Share them using the comment below.
