Cut and paste files in Finder with ⌘X and ⌘V.
On a Mac, ⌘X does nothing to a file in Finder. FinderCut is a free menu bar app that makes ⌘X cut files and ⌘V move them into the folder you have open, the way it works on Windows. There's nothing new to learn: they're the same keys you already use for text.
Free for everyone. No trial, no licence key, no account.
Or click a file in the window and use your own keyboard. Ctrl+X and Ctrl+V work here too.
Without FinderCut, moving a file takes a drag or a hidden shortcut.
Without FinderCut
Finder only lists ⌥⌘V in the Edit menu while you hold down ⌥, so most people never find it. The other way is dragging the file into a second Finder window.
With FinderCut
The same keys you use to move text, now for files.
What FinderCut actually does is press Finder's own keys for you. Your ⌘X reaches Finder as ⌘C, and the next ⌘V reaches it as ⌥⌘V. Finder still does the copying and the moving, exactly as it does when you press those keys yourself.
What happens when you press each key
FinderCut only changes ⌘X and ⌘V, and only in Finder. These are all the cases it handles.
| You press | Where | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| ⌘X | Finder, with files selected | Finder copies them, and FinderCut remembers that you want them moved. They stay where they are until you paste. |
| ⌘V | Finder, after ⌘X | Finder moves the files into the folder you have open. One file or many, folders too. |
| ⌘X | Finder, with nothing selected | Nothing is cut. Your next ⌘V is a normal paste. |
| ⌘V | Finder, after you copied something else | A normal paste. Copying other files or any text after ⌘X cancels the move, so you never move something you didn't mean to. |
| ⌘V held down | Finder | One move, not a stream of copies. Holding ⌘X doesn't repeat either. |
| ⌘X ⌘V | Renaming a file, Finder's search box, Go to Folder | They cut and paste text, as always. |
| ⌘X ⌘V | Any app other than Finder | Whatever that app always does. FinderCut doesn't touch them. |
| ⌘C ⌥⌘V | Anywhere | Unchanged, along with every other shortcut. |
Setting it up
- Download FinderCut and open it.
It has no window. It sits in your menu bar as a small icon.
- Switch it on in Accessibility.
The first time you open it, macOS asks. Go to System Settings, Privacy & Security, Accessibility, and turn on FinderCut. That one switch is the only permission it needs. The FAQ below says why it needs it.
- Check for the scissors.
Within about two seconds of turning the switch on, the warning triangle in your menu bar becomes scissors. You don't have to restart anything. From then on, ⌘X and ⌘V move files in Finder.
Who doesn't need it
If you're happy dragging files between two Finder windows, keep doing that. FinderCut saves you the drag and nothing else.
If you use a different file manager instead of Finder, it won't help. It only listens while Finder is the front app.
If you want settings, there are none. It changes ⌘X and ⌘V, and you can't pick other keys.
And one thing Windows users notice: on Windows a cut file turns faded until you paste it. Finder has no way to show that, so the file looks exactly the same until you press ⌘V.
FinderCut is free. Rushan's other four Mac apps cost money.
Each one fixes a different everyday Mac annoyance: Tpad for trackpad gestures, ManyMin for time spent in each app, Focus Lock for hiding distractions, and Notch Icons for menu bar icons stuck behind the notch. They're US$9.99 each, or all four for US$19.99 with one key. You don't need to buy anything to keep using FinderCut.
All 4 Mac apps
One key unlocks every paid app below on your Mac.
FinderCut ⌘X and ⌘V to move files in FinderFree for everyone
Tpad trackpad gestures you chooseUS$9.99
ManyMin time per app and site, live on screenUS$9.99
Focus Lock hides everything except your taskUS$9.99
Notch Icons reach icons hidden by the notchUS$9.99- New paid Mac apps released before 31 Dec 2027Included
- Bought one at a timeUS$39.96
Two apps bought one at a time cost US$19.98. All four cost US$19.99.
FinderCut: free, no strings
Just this app, on as many Macs as you like.
- No trial that runs out, and no licence key
- No account and no email address
- Nothing in the app asks you to pay
Tax is added where it applies. The checkout page shows the exact total before you pay.
Questions
Is FinderCut really free?
Yes. There is no trial, no licence key and no account, and nothing in the app asks you to pay. Rushan sells four other Mac apps. FinderCut is the free one, so you can see how he builds things before you spend anything.
Why does it need Accessibility permission?
macOS only lets an app see and change the keys you press if you switch it on in System Settings, under Privacy & Security, then Accessibility. FinderCut uses that for two things: to change ⌘X and ⌘V while Finder is the front app, and to check whether you are typing in a text box. Every other key goes straight through untouched. The app has no code that connects to the internet, so nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Does it change Finder's own ⌥⌘V?
No. FinderCut only acts when ⌘ is the only modifier key you are holding, so ⌥⌘V, ⌘C and every other shortcut reach Finder exactly as before. The ⌘V you press after ⌘X is passed to Finder as ⌥⌘V, so Finder does the move itself, the same way it does when you press ⌥⌘V by hand.
What if I press ⌘X in a text field?
It cuts the text, as it always has. While you are renaming a file, typing in Finder's search box or in Go to Folder, FinderCut leaves ⌘X and ⌘V alone. In every app other than Finder it does nothing at all.
What if I press ⌘X and then change my mind?
Nothing has happened to the file yet. ⌘X only copies it, and the move happens when you press ⌘V. If you copy something else in between, like some text or other files, FinderCut cancels the move and your next ⌘V is a normal paste.
How do I know it is working?
Look for the scissors in your menu bar. Click them and the menu says "⌘X cuts files in Finder and ⌘V moves them". If the Accessibility switch is off, the scissors become a warning triangle and the menu has a button that opens the right page of System Settings. The same menu has "Quit FinderCut Until Next Login" if you want it off for a while.
Get ⌘X and ⌘V working in Finder
Free. Open it, switch it on in Accessibility, and the next file you cut in Finder moves when you paste.