You're sitting there, staring at a cluttered desktop or a Downloads folder that looks like a digital junk drawer. You need to move fifty photos. Or maybe you're trying to trash a dozen old PDFs that are eating up your iCloud storage. If you try to click them one by one, you’ll be there until dinner. Honestly, knowing how to select multiple files in mac is one of those basic skills that everyone thinks they know until they're actually staring at a grid of icons and realize they're just clicking aimlessly. It’s not just about clicking; it’s about using the right "modifier keys" so you don't accidentally launch three apps at once.
MacOS isn't always intuitive. Apple loves their hidden shortcuts.
Most people just drag a box over everything. That works. Sometimes. But what if the files aren't next to each other? What if you want to skip every other one? That's where things get sticky.
The Shift-Click vs. Command-Click Confusion
Here is the fundamental rule that most users mix up because Windows does it slightly differently, or they just haven't touched their settings in years. You've got two main "modes" of selection.
The "Batch" Selection (Shift)
If your files are all lined up in a row—think of it like a train—you use the Shift key. You click the first file. You hold down Shift. You click the last file. Boom. Everything in between gets highlighted. It’s fast. It’s efficient. It works best in "List View" or "Columns View" where there’s a clear start and end point.
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The "Cherry-Picking" Selection (Command)
This is the one you’ll probably use more often. Let’s say you have twenty files but you only want the three that are named "Final_Version_v4." You hold down the Command (⌘) key. While holding it, you click each individual file you want. If you accidentally click one you didn't want? Just click it again while still holding Command, and it deselects. Easy.
You've probably noticed that if you try to use Shift in "Icon View" (those big squares), it acts a bit weird. It usually selects everything in a rectangular block. If that’s not what you wanted, switch to Command.
Dragging the "Selection Box" Like a Pro
Sometimes you don't want to touch the keyboard at all. You just want to use the mouse or trackpad. This is technically called "click-dragging."
- Find an empty spot of white space near the first file.
- Click and hold.
- Drag your cursor over the files you want.
A faint gray box appears. Anything the box touches gets selected.
But here’s the expert tip: You can combine this with the Command key. If you already have some files selected and you want to add a whole group of others, hold Command and then do the drag-box move. It adds that new group to your current selection.
Most people don't realize you can also "lasso" files in the middle of a list. You don't have to start from the top. Just make sure you start your click in the "dead space" of the folder. If you click directly on a file name and start dragging, you’ll just move that one file instead of selecting others. It’s annoying. We’ve all done it.
Selecting Everything Fast
Need to move the whole folder? Don't waste time dragging. Command + A.
That’s the "Select All" shortcut. It’s universal. It works in Finder, it works in Word, it works in your browser. If you're wondering how to select multiple files in mac when there are thousands of them, this is the only way to go.
How to Select Multiple Files in Mac Using Different Finder Views
The way you see your files actually changes how easy it is to select them. Apple gives us four main views: Icons, List, Columns, and Gallery.
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In List View, the Shift-click is king. Because everything is vertical, it’s very predictable. You know exactly what’s between file A and file B.
In Gallery View, selecting multiple files is actually kind of a pain. It’s designed for looking at big previews of photos, not for bulk management. If you find yourself struggling to select things in Gallery view, just hit Command + 2 to jump into List View, do your selection, and then hit Command + 4 to go back.
Selecting Files That Are Not Next to Each Other
I see people get frustrated with this constantly. They select ten files, then they try to scroll down to find the eleventh, and suddenly—poof—the first ten are deselected because they clicked the background by accident.
To avoid this, use the Command key religiously.
- Select your first few.
- Scroll carefully.
- Hold Command before you click the next one.
If you're on a laptop, using two fingers on the trackpad to scroll while keeping one finger hovering over the Command key is the "power user" stance.
What About the "Edit" Menu?
If you hate keyboard shortcuts (though you really should learn them), you can use the Menu Bar at the top of your screen. Click Edit, then click Select All.
But there isn't a "Select Multiple" button in the menu. MacOS relies on those modifier keys (Shift and Command) to distinguish between a single click and a multi-selection. There is no toggle switch for this in the system settings. It's baked into the core of how the OS functions.
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Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
- The "Double Click" Disaster: If you double-click while trying to select multiple files, you'll just open all of them. If you have 50 images selected and you accidental double-click, your Mac is going to have a minor heart attack trying to open 50 windows of Preview. If this happens, hit Command + Option + Escape to Force Quit if things freeze up.
- Renaming by Accident: If you click a file that's already selected and wait a second, Mac thinks you want to rename it. To stop this, just hit the Escape key.
- The Trackpad "Drag" Fail: If your trackpad isn't selecting when you drag, check your System Settings. Go to Accessibility > Pointer Control > Trackpad Options and make sure "Use trackpad for dragging" is turned on. Some people prefer the "three-finger drag" which makes selecting multiple files much easier on the wrists.
Why Does This Even Matter?
Managing files is about "cognitive load." If you’re spending ten minutes just trying to highlight the right documents to send to your accountant, you're losing focus on the actual work.
Real-world example: A photographer friend of mine used to manually move photos into folders one by one. She didn't know about the Command-click trick to skip the blurry shots. Once she learned it, her sorting time dropped by 70%. It’s a tiny bit of friction that adds up over a year.
Actionable Steps for Better File Management
If you want to get faster today, start by changing your Finder defaults.
Open Finder, go to Settings (Command + ,) and under the "General" tab, set "New Finder windows show" to your most used folder. Then, go to the "Advanced" tab and check "Show all filename extensions." This makes it way easier to see exactly what you're selecting so you don't accidentally mix up a .jpg and a .png.
Next time you have a mess of files:
- Hit Command + 2 for List View.
- Use Shift + Click for the big chunks.
- Use Command + Click to remove the files you don't actually need.
- Right-click and select "New Folder with Selection." This is a killer feature. It takes everything you just highlighted and tucks it into a brand new folder instantly.
Stop clicking one by one. Your Mac is built for speed, and once you get the rhythm of Shift and Command into your muscle memory, you'll never go back.
Practical Next Steps:
- Open your Downloads folder right now and try the Shift-click on the top five files.
- Practice holding Command and clicking three random files.
- Try the Right-Click > New Folder with Selection trick to see how much time it saves you when organizing projects.