How to select multiple files on Mac

macOS is an intuitive and innovative operating system. Over the years, Apple has revamped and evolved its proven platform several times, but a number of core features have been there all along. One of them is the ability to select multiple files at once.

There are different ways to perform this action, and we will give you detailed instructions for each method.

Select one at a time

This is the best option if you’re looking to select a variety of files in a folder but don’t necessarily want to do them all. To select different files, the easiest way is to hold Order and click on the desired files. As long as you hold down the Command button, you can select as many files as you want. They will be highlighted in blue so you can easily see which ones you selected.

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Click and drag

If you want to recover a large group of files fairly quickly, you can always click on an empty space and drag. This will create a box that you can resize as you drag. Just place it over the desired files and they will be automatically selected.

From there, you can click on the group and then drag and drop it to another folder or delete it in bulk. Whatever you want to do.

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Select All on Mac

If you want to quickly recover all the files on your desktop or in Finder, the best way is to simply press Cmd+A. This will select everything in that section, whether it’s two files or two hundred. This is great for quickly moving items or deleting items in bulk.

First and last

If you want to select multiple files arranged from top to bottom, you can easily grab the ones you want by clicking the first one, then holding Shift and clicking the last one. This will select these files and everything else.

For more Mac tips, check out our tips and tricks guide. You can also read our review of the latest MacBook Pro and our comparison between the MacBook Pro M2 and the M3 model.

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