How to move files to external hard drive without copying​？

I. External hard drive

When dealing with large amounts of data, you might want to move files to an external hard drive rather than just copying them. Copying can take up double the space (both on the original drive and the external drive), and moving is a more efficient way to transfer data when you no longer need it on the original storage location. In this guide, we’ll explore different methods to achieve this on various operating systems.

II. Windows Operating System

A. Using the Cut and Paste Function

Locate the Files

Open the File Explorer by pressing the Windows key + E. Navigate to the folder that contains the files you want to move. You can do this by using the left – hand pane to browse through your drives and folders. For example, if your files are on the C: drive in a folder called “Documents”, you would expand the “This PC” or “Computer” option in the left pane, then expand the C: drive, and finally select the “Documents” folder.

Select the Files

You can select individual files by clicking on them. To select multiple contiguous files, click on the first file, then hold down the Shift key and click on the last file in the group. To select multiple non – contiguous files, hold down the Ctrl key and click on each file you want to select.

Cut the Files

Once the files are selected, you can cut them. There are several ways to do this. You can right – click on the selected files and choose “Cut” from the context menu. Another option is to use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + X. This action removes the selected files from their current location and stores them in the clipboard, which is a temporary storage area in the computer’s memory.

Paste the Files to the External Hard Drive

Now, connect your external hard drive to your computer. Wait for it to be recognized by the system. It should appear in the File Explorer under “This PC” or “Computer”. Navigate to the folder on the external hard drive where you want to move the files. Then, right – click inside the folder and choose “Paste” from the context menu, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + V. The files will be moved from the original location to the external hard drive.

B. Using the Command Prompt

Connect the External Hard Drive

Plug in your external hard drive and make sure it is recognized by the system. You can check its drive letter by opening the File Explorer. For example, it might be assigned the drive letter D: or E:.

Open the Command Prompt

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type “cmd” and press Enter. The Command Prompt window will open.

Use the Move Command

The “move” command in the Command Prompt allows you to move files and directories. The basic syntax is “move [source] [destination]”. For example, if you want to move a file called “example.txt” from the C:\Documents folder to an external hard drive with the drive letter D: in a folder called “Transfer”, you would type “move C:\Documents\example.txt D:\Transfer”. If you want to move a whole directory, you would use a similar syntax. For example, to move a directory called “ProjectFiles” from C:\ to D:, you would type “move C:\ProjectFiles D:”.

Note that you need to have the correct permissions to move the files. If you encounter an “Access Denied” error, you may need to run the Command Prompt as an administrator. To do this, right – click on the Command Prompt shortcut and choose “Run as administrator”.

III. macOS

A. Using the Finder

Connect the External Hard Drive

Plug in your external hard drive. It should mount automatically and appear on the desktop and in the Finder sidebar under the “Devices” section.

Locate and Select the Files

Open the Finder. Navigate to the folder that contains the files you want to move. You can use the sidebar to quickly access common locations like your home folder, Documents, Pictures, etc. To select files, you can click on them. To select multiple files, you can hold down the Command key and click on each file you want to select.

Move the Files

There are a few ways to move the files. You can drag and drop the selected files onto the icon of the external hard drive in the Finder sidebar or onto the volume of the external hard drive that appears on the desktop. Another option is to right – click on the selected files and choose “Move to [External Hard Drive Name]” from the context menu. The files will be moved from their original location to the external hard drive.

B. Using the Terminal

Connect the External Hard Drive

As with the Finder method, first connect the external hard drive and let it mount. You can find its mount point by opening the Disk Utility application and looking at the details of the external hard drive. It might be something like “/Volumes/ExternalDriveName”.

Open the Terminal

You can find the Terminal application in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder. Open it.

Use the mv Command

The “mv” command in the Terminal is used to move files and directories. The basic syntax is “mv [source] [destination]”. For example, if you want to move a file called “document.pdf” from your home directory (usually represented as “~”) to an external hard drive with a mount point of “/Volumes/ExternalDriveName/Transfer”, you would type “mv ~/document.pdf /Volumes/ExternalDriveName/Transfer”. If you want to move a directory, the syntax is similar. For example, to move a directory called “Photos” from your home directory to the external hard drive, you would type “mv ~/Photos /Volumes/ExternalDriveName”.

Be careful when using the Terminal commands as incorrect usage can lead to data loss. Make sure you have the correct paths and file names before executing the commands.

IV. Linux

A. Using the File Manager (e.g., Nautilus for Ubuntu)

Connect the External Hard Drive

Plug in your external hard drive. In most Linux distributions, it will be detected automatically and mounted. You can usually find it in the file manager under the “Devices” or “Volumes” section.

Locate and Select the Files

Open the file manager (e.g., Nautilus in Ubuntu). Navigate to the folder that contains the files you want to move. You can use the left – hand pane to browse through your directories and drives. To select files, you can click on them. To select multiple files, you can hold down the Ctrl key and click on each file you want to select.

Move the Files

You can move the files by dragging and dropping them onto the folder of the external hard drive in the file manager. Another option is to right – click on the selected files and choose “Move to” and then select the destination folder on the external hard drive from the menu.

B. Using the Command Line (Terminal)

Connect the External Hard Drive

Connect the external hard drive and identify its mount point. You can use the “mount” command in the Terminal to see a list of mounted devices and their mount points. For example, it might be mounted at “/media/user/ExternalDriveName”.

Open the Terminal

Open the Terminal application. In most Linux distributions, you can find it in the applications menu or by using a keyboard shortcut (e.g., Ctrl + Alt + T in Ubuntu).

Use the mv or rsync Command (for Advanced Users)

The “mv” command is similar to that in macOS and Windows. The basic syntax is “mv [source] [destination]”. For example, if you want to move a file from the “/home/user/Documents” folder to an external hard drive mounted at “/media/user/ExternalDriveName/Transfer”, you would type “mv /home/user/Documents/file.txt /media/user/ExternalDriveName/Transfer”.

The “rsync” command can also be used for moving files in a more advanced way. It has the advantage of being able to handle more complex file transfer scenarios, such as resuming interrupted transfers. The basic syntax for moving a file is “rsync -av –remove – source [source] [destination]”. For example, “rsync -av –remove – source /home/user/Documents/file.txt /media/user/ExternalDriveName/Transfer”. The “-av” options stand for “archive” and “verbose”, which means it will preserve file attributes and show detailed output during the transfer, and the “–remove – source” option ensures that the source file is removed after successful transfer, effectively moving the file.

V. Precautions and Troubleshooting

A. Data Backup

Before moving any important files, it’s always a good idea to have a backup. This can be on another external drive, a cloud storage service, or a network – attached storage (NAS). In case something goes wrong during the move process, such as a power outage or a hardware failure, you can restore the files from the backup.

B. File System Compatibility

Make sure that the file system of the external hard drive is compatible with your operating system. For example, if you have a Windows computer, a drive formatted with NTFS is usually a good choice. However, if you want to use the external hard drive with both Windows and macOS, you might consider formatting it with exFAT, which is supported by both operating systems. In Linux, most file systems can be read and written to, but some advanced features of certain file systems might require additional software or configurations.

C. Drive Recognition Issues

If your external hard drive is not recognized by your computer, there are several things you can do. First, try plugging it into a different USB port. Sometimes, a particular port might be faulty or not providing enough power. If it’s a USB – powered external hard drive, you can also try using a USB hub with its own power supply. You can also check the device manager (in Windows) or the system log (in macOS and Linux) to see if there are any error messages related to the external hard drive.

D. Permission Issues

Permission issues can occur when moving files. In Windows, make sure you have the appropriate user rights to move the files. In macOS and Linux, you might need to adjust the file permissions. In Linux, the “chmod” command can be used to change the permissions of files and directories. For example, if you want to give the user full access to a file so that it can be moved, you can use the command “chmod u + rwx [file – name]”. In macOS, you can adjust the permissions through the Get Info window of the file or folder.