How To Select All On Mac: 5 Steps (with Pictures) - WikiHow Tech

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This helped me How to Select All on Mac The easiest way to select and copy text with your keyboard or mouse Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: November 30, 2025

• Using a Keyboard Shortcut
|
• Using a Mouse or Trackpad
|
• Q&A

|Show more |Show less X

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 158,401 times.

This wikiHow teaches you how to quickly select all of the items or text in a given window so you can perform an action on all of them at the same time.

Steps

Method 1 Method 1 of 2:

Using a Keyboard Shortcut

1. 1 Locate the items you wish to select. They can be in a document, web page, or even contained in a folder in your Mac's Finder.
2. 2 Click anywhere in the window. Position the cursor and click inside the window that contains the text, images, or files you wish to select. Advertisement
3. 3 Press ⌘ and A simultaneously. The ⌘ keys are on either side of the space bar. Everything in the active window should be highlighted. Now you can move, delete, copy, or cut the highlighted items all at the same time.
   • Alternatively, click on Edit or View in the menu bar at the top of the screen, then click on Select All.
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Method 2 Method 2 of 2:

Using a Mouse or Trackpad

1. 1 Select all files displayed as icons. Open a finder window and maximize it so that you can see everything inside a given folder.
   • Place your cursor in the top-left corner of the folder. Be sure to hover over a blank space within the folder and not over an individual file.
   • Click, then drag the cursor to the bottom-right corner. All the files, folders, and images in-between will be selected.
2. 2 Select all files displayed in a list. Open a window or application with its contents displayed in list view.[1]
   • Click on the first file or item in the list.
   • Press and hold the shift key.
   • Click on the last item in the list.
   • The entire list between the first and last items should be highlighted and selected.
   • Now you can perform an action (move, copy, cut, delete, etc.) on all of the files at the same time.
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Community Q&A

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• Question How do I select a group of thumbnails on a Mac? Community Answer You should press Cmd A on a Mac keyboard; on any other keyboard, press Ctrl A to select all. To select a group, just click and drag with the mouse over the thumbnails you want to select and Cmd click to deselect any individual files. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 10 Helpful 8
• Question How do I delete a file on Mac? Joseph Bill Community Answer Right click on "file," then click "Move to Trash." After that, go to the trash can at the bottom right of your screen. At the top right corner of the pop-up, you will see "Empty." Click it, then you're done. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 1 Helpful 0

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References

1. ↑ http://macefficiency.com/selection/finderselection.html

About this article

Co-authored by: wikiHow Staff wikiHow Staff Writer This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 158,401 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 6 Updated: November 30, 2025 Views: 158,401 Article SummaryX

With your cursor, click inside the window that contains the items or text you want to select, then press the command (⌘) and "A" keys at the same time. Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 158,401 times.

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Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Co-authored by: wikiHow Staff wikiHow Staff Writer Click a star to vote Co-authors: 6 Updated: November 30, 2025 Views: 158,401

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