How to Select Multiple Files on Mac at Once with Keyboard

Cassie
Last updated: Sep 26, 2023
Summary: This post introduces how to select multiple files on Mac with keyboard. Some tips to help you fix can’t select multiple files on Mac are also provided.

Check below for how to select multiple files at once on your Mac, including adjacent or nonadjacent files.

how to select multiple files on Mac

How to Select Multiple Files on Mac (Nonadjacent)

  1. Click the first file you want to select.
  2. Press and hold the Command key on your keyboard.
  3. Click each item one by one to select multiple items.
  4. After selection, you can copy and paste, drag and move, mass delete, or do other actions to the files.
how to select multiple files on Mac
tip
To deselect one item after you select multiple files, you can press Command and click the target item.

Related: How to Undo or Redo on Mac | Mac Undo/Redo Shortcut

How to Select Multiple Files on Mac (Adjacent)

Way 1. Click the first file, press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard, and click the last item to select the sequential files and folders on Mac.

Way 2. Click near the first item, press and hold your mouse, and drag over all the items to select adjacent multiple items on Mac.

How to Select All on Mac

Way 1. Open the folder and click any file in it. Press the Command + A keyboard shortcut to select all items in the folder on Mac.

Way 2. Open the folder in Finder, click the Edit tab in the menu bar, and click Select All.

Fix Can’t Select Multiple Files on Mac – 5 Tips

Tip 1. Make sure to press the right key or keyboard shortcut. Make sure your keyboard is working well.

Tip 2. If you can’t select multiple continuous files by using the Shift key, you can try the Command + Click method to select the files you want.

Tip 3. The Shift + Click method doesn’t work in the Icon view. In the Finder app, you can go to the target folder, and choose the List or Column view option in the toolbar to show items. Then you can use the Shift key to select multiple adjacent files on your Mac computer.

Tip 4. Restart your Mac computer.

Tip 5. Update your Mac system to the latest version.

Delete Large, Duplicate, and Junk Files on Mac

Your Mac computer may run slow after long-time usage. You can use some cleanup methods to clean and free up more space for your Mac.

BuhoCleaner is a professional Mac cleaner program to help you boost your computer performance in all aspects.

This program helps you find and remove all junk files on your Mac with one click. You can also use it to analyze your disk space to find large files or duplicate files. You can directly delete unnecessary files from your Mac to free up space.

It also lets you completely uninstall unneeded apps on your Mac.

You can also use it to manage or disable startup items on your Mac to improve your Mac’s startup speed.

It is extremely intuitive and novice users can operate it with ease.

Download and install BuhoCleaner on your Mac computer to try it now.

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Bottom Line

This post simply explains how to select multiple files on your Mac with the keyboard. Some possible tips to fix "can’t select multiple files on Mac" are also included. Hope now you can easily select items on your Mac.

Cassie

Cassie has been writing about technology for her entire career life - over 10 years. She enjoys diving into how Apple products work and then breaking it down in a way that anyone can understand.