Skip to main content

Quick Start (5 minutes)

This guided exercise moves a set of Desktop screenshots into an Archive folder, showing how the dual-pane model, search, selection, and the queue fit together.

Before you begin​

  • Make sure you have a few files on your Desktop whose names contain “Screenshot”. To create some quickly on macOS: press ⇧⌘3 for the whole screen, ⇧⌘4 to capture a selection, or ⇧⌘5 to open the screenshot toolbar (save location is Desktop by default).
  • Create a destination folder (we’ll auto-create it in the steps if it doesn’t exist).

Keyboard legend: ⌘ Command · ⌥ Option · ⌃ Control · ⇧ Shift · ⏎ Return · Space

Step 1 — Open the source and destination​

  1. In the left pane, navigate to your home folder ~.
  2. In the right pane, navigate to ~/Pictures/Archive.
    • If it doesn’t exist, press F7 (New Folder), type Archive, and press ⏎.
tip

Keyboard-only: Use ⇥ to switch panes; ↑/↓ to move, ⏎ to open, ⌫ (or ← with Lynx-like nav) to go up.

Screenshots

Step 2 — Find the files quickly​

  • Press ⌥F7 to open Find Files.
  • In the Search for field, type: Screenshot
  • In the Search location: Current folder (recurse via Search in Sub-Folders if your screenshots are nested).
  • Start the search, then focus on the search results.
  • Select a file then click on Show in filelist
  • The left pane will navigate to ~/Desktop, where the screenshot files are
Find Files

Step 3 — Select what you want to copy​

  • Sort by Date (click the Date column header twice) to get newest first.
  • Select the latest items using any of these methods:
    • Range: click the first, ⇧-click the last (or ⇧ + ↑/↓).
    • Pick list: ⌘-click to add/remove items.
    • Toggle: highlight an item and press Space.
tip

Mark menu → Select all with same extension or Expand/Shrink selection for pattern-based picks.

Step 4 — Copy left → right​

  • Ensure left pane is active (⇥ if needed).
  • Press F5 (Copy). Review the confirmation dialog to verify the destination path (right pane).
  • Confirm to start the transfer.

Direction rules: Copy/Move always flows from the active pane → to the inactive pane.

Copy files

Step 5 — Watch and manage the transfers​

  • Open Transfer Manager with ⌘J.
  • Observe the new entry.
  • Click on Open Target Folder to quickly navigate to the target folder.
Transfer Manager

Step 6 — Verify the results​

  • In the right pane (~/Pictures/Archive), press ⌥ + Space to Quick Look a few files.
  • Check the Info bar (below the list) for selected/total counts and size.
Verify Results

Step 7 — Try the variants​

A) Move instead of copy​

  • Repeat the selection and press F6 (Move). Choose Overwrite All. The transfer manager will remove sources after a successful transfer.

B) Batch rename the destination files​

  • In the right pane, select the new files → Commands menu → Multi Rename → add a sequence (e.g., Archive_[C]) → preview → Start.
Batch Rename

Keyboard-only drill​

  1. ⇥ to left pane → ~/Desktop. ⇥ to right pane → ~/Pictures/Archive (create with F7 if needed).
  2. ⇥ back to left pane → ⌥F7 (Find Files) → *Screenshot* → enter.
  3. ⇧+↑/↓ to range-select newest → F5 copy → confirm.
  4. ⌘J check queue → ⇥ to right pane → Space Quick Look to validate.

Troubleshooting​

  • Nothing appears in Search: Make sure you searched the correct pane and folder (Scope). Try Screenshot.
  • Permission errors: Grant necessary permissions. See First-run Setup.
  • Slow copies to removable media: In Preferences › Operations, test the alternate byte-by-byte copy method for legacy drives.

Clean up (optional)​

  • To reset, delete the copied files from ~/Pictures/Archive (select → F8), or move them back with F6.

What you learned​

  • Pane focus and directionality (active → inactive)
  • Fast discovery with Find Files and sorting
  • Selection techniques (range, toggle, patterns)
  • Safe, observable operations in the Transfer Manager
  • Quick visual verification with Quick Look
  • How to extend the workflow with Move and Batch Rename

Next steps