What is the difference between sending a file and dragging a file

Get free ground shipping on all U. Shop now. Sometimes you will need to move a file from one folder to another, or copy a file from one folder to another, leaving the file in the first location and placing a copy of it in the second.

You can move or copy a file or folder using a variety of methods. If the file or folder and the location where you want to move it are visible in a window or on the desktop, you can simply drag the item from one location to the other. Moving a file or folder on the same disk relocates it whereas dragging it from one disk to another copies it so that it appears in both locations.

When the destination folder or drive is not visible, you can use the Move to or Copy to commands or the Cut to move , Copy, and Paste commands on the Home tab to move or copy the items. Click or tap the Paste button on the Home tab. Click to view larger image.

You can copy or move directly to a folder or drive. In File Explorer, select the files or folder you want to copy or move, click or tap the Copy to or Move to button on the Home tab, and then select a destination or click or tap Choose location to select the one you want. Right-click or tap-hold the selected files or folders, drag to the destination folder, and then click or tap Copy Here or Move Here.

To move the selected items, drag them to the destination folder. To copy the items, hold down the Ctrl key while you drag. When you right-click or tap-hold most objects on the desktop or in This PC or File Explorer, the Send To command, located on the shortcut menu, lets you send, or move, a file or folder to a new location on your PC computer.

For example, you can send a file or folder to a removable disk to make a quick backup copy of the file or folder, to a mail recipient as an electronic message, or to the desktop to create a shortcut.

You can also use the Send To command to move a file or folder from one folder to another. To send a file or folder, right-click or tap-hold the file or folder you want to send, point to Send To on the shortcut menu, and then click or tap the destination you want. You can transfer files using a disk. You can copy files from your PC computer to a disk if you need to either transfer files from one stand-alone PC computer to another.

You can also save a copy of important files to prevent losing them in the event of a power failure or a problem. You can use several methods: copy and paste, drag and drop, and the Send To command.

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At the bottom of the dialog, you can enable the View the destination option if you want to go to the destination folder after the file transfer is complete. Got a comment? Spotted an error? Found the instructions unclear? Send feedback about this page. Go to page content Go to main menu Go to the search field. When working with applications and files, you will often use the Copy , Cut , Move , Delete and Paste actions.

It is important to understand the differences between them and how they work. Copy: makes a duplicate of the original file, which can be moved or edited without altering the original.

Cut: in the case of items inside a file, Cut deletes the content from the screen, but keeps it in memory see below. Delete: in the case of items inside a file, Delete deletes an item from the screen without storing it in memory. In the case of files or folders, Delete deletes items from the screen but moves them to the Recycle Bin. Move: moves an item from one location to another ie FolderA to FolderB.

The first thing to notice is that the Cut action is almost always used with things inside a file, and not with files, folders or applications themselves, whereas Delete can be used with anything. The second thing is that there is an important difference between the Cut and Delete actions when they are applied to an item inside a file text, image etc. When you cut an item, it disappears from your screen but is kept on the virtual clipboard, so you can recover it using the paste option.