How To Select Multiple Files On Your Mac (2023)

Published 2021-11-17

At WeTheGeek, we often come across individuals asking how to select multiple files on Mac. Well, this guide is dedicated to them, it provides step-by-step ways to tackle more than one file in one go. So, whether you are a new MacBook newbie or just need a refresher, keep reading this article!

Like other operating systems, Mac offers a couple of methods to select and manage files in a batch. If you’ve ever used Windows before, you may find several similarities in how it’s done, but there are slight differences that are enough to confuse a Mac newbie when it comes to the macOS UI.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at four different methods to select more than one file on Mac.

How To Choose Multiple Files On MacBook? (2023)

Keep in mind: Although we are using the term ‘file’, you can apply the following steps to select almost anything stored on your folder, be it apps, games, sub-folders, etc.

METHOD 1 = How To Select Numerous Adjacent Files On Mac?

If the very files you are trying to select are stored in a sequence (in a continuous or connected series), selecting all of them is effortless. Simply, follow the instructions shared below:

STEP 1 = Launch the Finder window on your Mac and find the files you wish to select. (If it’s a folder, where all your files are stored, open it).

STEP 2 = Make sure the Icon View option is not selected as the View Type. As this method won’t work in the Icon View type. You can try changing it to either List, Columns, or Gallery as well.

(You can refer to the screenshot below to learn how you can change the View Type.)

STEP 3 = Once the View Type is changed, simply select the first file, appearing on your Finder Window.

STEP 4 = Now, press and hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and simply hit on the last file on the window.

That’s it! Finder will automatically select all the files on the folder. Isn’t it a super easy method to select more than one file on a Mac?

Additional Info: To deselect one file when numerous items are selected: Command-click the file.

METHOD 2 = How To Choose Multiple Non-Adjacent Files On Mac?

Well, there’s a way to select multiple files on Mac, no matter if they are not stored next to each other. You can follow the workaround shared below to choose items that are scattered in a folder. To get started, all you need to do is:

STEP 1 = Open the folder and click on the very first file stored on it you wish to select.

STEP 2 = Simply hit and hold down the Command key and click on the next file you wish to select.

Repeat the process for each file you wish to select so that you can implement a specific action for numerous files at once.

Must-Read: 5 Useful & Quick Tips To Clean Unnecessary Files On Windows

METHOD 3 = How To Select Numerous Files Using Mouse/Trackpad?

Here comes another method to select numerous files located next to each other in a folder on Mac. We will be using a Mouse in this method, but you can take the help of the Trackpad also, according to your convenience.

STEP 1 = Simply, open the folder, from where you wish to select multiple files on Mac.

STEP 2 = Click on the very file, stored in your folder.

STEP 3 = Now, simply drag the pointer down and keep going down the folder without releasing the mouse or trackpad button.

Hope this method saves your time while selecting more than one file on a Mac. Let’s check out another workaround to select different items in a folder.

METHOD 4 = How To Choose Multiple Files In A Folder On Mac?

Last but not the least, here we are discussing one of the most commonly used methods to highlight multiple files on Mac. Simply, use the shortcut keys shared below to execute the operation.

STEP 1 = Open any folder of your choice, from where you wish to select multiple files on Mac.

STEP 2 = Now, click on any file and hit the shortcut keys = Command + A.

Alternatively, if you are not able to use the keyboard due to any hardware/software-related issue, here’s what you can do.

STEP 3 = Navigate to the Finder’s Menu bar and go to the Edit tab. From the drop-down menu that appears, click on the Select All option.

This way, all the files stored in the specific folder will be automatically selected. Quite easy, right?

Additional Tip

Additional Information = If The Reason, You Want To Select Multiple Files On Mac, Is You Need To Delete Them, Here’s What We Want To Suggest:

Most of the time, you select more than one file on Mac if you want to get rid of those old/large unwanted files that are just scattered all over your hard drive and just occupying tons of space. If you wish to delete such files in one go, then we recommend using Disk Clean Pro, it’s an effective Mac Cleaner & Optimizer Tool that offers several modules, including Old & Unused Files, Large Files, and Old Downloads.

Using these particular modules, you can easily run a scan, identify these useless files taking a lot of storage space on Mac and delete them with a click.

To learn more about this brilliant optimization utility, check out this unbiased review on Disk Clean Pro!

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