Home Forums Mac Software Mac Operating Systems Drag and Drop now creates an alias, dosn't move

10.10.5 MBP (mid 2010) but have also observed on MBP (mid 2015) running 10.11

Back in the old days (a couple of months ago, anyway), I used to be able to drag and drop a file from one location to another. Now, however, drag and drop creates an alias, which is not quite useless, but damned inconvenient. How do I get the old behavior back?

I already know (and do when I remember) that holding the option key doesn't create an alias, it copies -- which means I can delete the original file (almost always my intent) without losing the content. But not only do I have to remember to hold the key down (I'm really old so it's teaching the old dog...), and then I have to go delete the original.

I'm also already aware that getting a file out of the Appications folder requires (and has for some time) this reach around your back to scratch method; none of the files I'm talking about are in any kind of special location.

I'm not sure of any benefit; the alias files are listed as the same size as the original (unless there's some arcane sleight of hand at work to confuse us silly users).

Please help me get my simple drag and drop back!
Thanks for any help.

Hi, tony,

I can't help you, but welcome to FineTunedMac.

" . . . holding the option key doesn't create an alias, it copies . . . "


Instead, try holding down the COMMAND key (not Option Key) when you drag. That should move the original file to its new location and neither copy it nor make an alias.

Note: There are some "Apple" folders and files that will only let you make an "alias" when you drag and drop . . . i.e. the original - under normal use - cannot be moved from its original position (although some high-tech wizards may be able to do so with resetting permissions, etc. Way beyond me, however).

Hope this helps.

I am unable to duplicate your problem on any of the Macs here running El Capitan unless the files are in protected system folders. If you are willing to forego El Capitan's System Integrity Protection features and make your system more vulnerable to malware exploits you can find instructions for disabling SIP on the internet and that may restore the behavior you are wanting.

Disabling SIP is strongly NOT advised and has been compared to running in root mode full time. So I will leave the how to up to you to discover — or not.

I can see that running with SIP disabled is potentially dangerous, but won't the illusion of the "invulnerability" of the platform dissuade creators and distributors of (Edit: new) malware?

Who'll waste their time targeting the minimal number of (presumably) sophisticated, careful users who are running unprotected?

Edit: Granted that existing malware is still out there and that running unprotected leaves users more at risk of it than they were at the outset (I'm assuming that with SIP disabled malware can be installed without authentication.), but the exploits are all well-known and no worse than relatively easily reversible in the unlikely instance one stumbles over them.