How to select multiple files on macOS
Knowing how to select multiple files in Mac is essential when you need to move, copy, or delete more than one item at a time. File selection is simple when you only need a single file, but it gets more nuanced when your selection is varied — that is, when you need to pick certain files and skip others.
How to select multiple files in Mac using Finder
File selection can be contiguous (the files are selected in the order they appear in Finder), or it may be non-contiguous (the files you want to select are not in any particular order, appearing in different rows or positions in Finder).
macOS allows you to select all files in a folder, select files contiguously up to a certain row or file, or select files randomly (non-contiguously). Understanding which method to use in each situation will save you a lot of time.
1. Select all files – macOS
You can select all files in a folder by:
Keyboard shortcut: Command+A
Touchpad gesture: Click and drag over all files
2. How to select multiple files in Mac contiguously
To select files contiguously in a folder, the most straightforward method is to click the first file in the range, hold Shift, then click the last file. Finder will highlight every file in between. This works best in List view and Column view, where files have a clear linear order.
Mouse or trackpad (recommended):
- Click the first file you want to include in the range.
- Hold down the Shift key.
- Click the last file in the range. Every file between the two clicks will be selected.
Keyboard (alternate method):
- Select one file.
- Hold down the Shift key.
- Use the Right arrow key to begin selecting files.
- To make a larger selection, you can use the Down arrow key and select entire rows of files at once.
Touchpad gesture: Click and drag over the files you want to select.
3. Select files non-contiguously (random) – macOS
Random or non-contiguous file selection requires using both the keyboard and the trackpad together. You cannot rely on just one input method to select files out of order. If your trackpad isn’t working, you can connect a mouse to your Mac and click with it instead.
Command-click works as a toggle: clicking an unselected file adds it to your selection, and clicking a file that is already selected removes it. This means you can correct a mistake mid-selection without starting over. Knowing how to select multiple files in Mac using Command-click gives you precise control over exactly which files are included.
In List view and Column view, you can start with a Shift-selected range and then use Command-click to exclude individual files you don’t want. In Icon view, Command-click remains the main way to cherry-pick files from anywhere in the folder.
- Open Finder.
- Navigate to the folder you want to select files in.
- Select the first file you want to include in the selection.
- Hold down the Command key.
- With the Command key held down, click the next file you want to select.
- Continue clicking the files you want to include in the selection, making sure you keep the Command key held down.
4. Combine Shift and Command to refine a selection
Once you understand Shift-click and Command-click individually, you can combine them to build large selections and fine-tune them without starting over.
- Use Shift-click to select a broad range of files — for example, all files from the beginning to the end of a month in List view.
- Hold Command and click any file you want to add that falls outside the range. It will be added to the existing selection.
- Hold Command and click any already-selected file you want to remove. It will be deselected while the rest of your selection stays intact.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until your selection includes exactly the files you need.
For example, if you need to move a month’s worth of project files but want to leave out a few drafts, Shift-click the whole range first and then Command-click each draft to remove it — no need to rebuild your selection from scratch.
5. Select files by dragging in List, Column, and Icon view
Dragging to select files works differently depending on which Finder view you are using, so it helps to know the right starting point before you drag.
List view and Column view: Click on an empty area to the left of the file name or icon — not directly on the file name or icon itself — and drag down or across. Starting the drag on a file name or icon will move the file rather than create a selection rectangle.
Icon view: Click on any empty area of the folder window and drag to draw a selection rectangle around the files you want. All files that fall inside the rectangle as you drag will be highlighted. This is the most reliable way to select a block of nearby files in Icon view, since Shift-click does not select a continuous range in that view the way it does in List or Column view.
Conclusion
Learning how to select multiple files in Mac becomes straightforward once you understand how Finder’s behavior changes depending on the view you are using. In List view and Column view, Shift-click reliably selects a continuous range from one file to another. In Icon view, however, Shift-click does not select a range the same way — if you need to grab a block of files there, use a drag-selection rectangle instead, or switch to List view for easier range selection.
The other key difference from Windows and Linux is that macOS uses the Command key where those systems use the Control key. Command-click adds or removes individual files from a selection, and combining it with Shift-click lets you build and refine large selections without starting over. For a full overview of keyboard shortcuts available in Finder, you can refer to Apple’s official macOS keyboard shortcuts guide.
Whether you are organizing a project folder or preparing files for upload, knowing how to select multiple files in Mac using these techniques will make your workflow significantly more efficient.
