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[4 Fixes] How to Move/Transfer Files in Windows 11
If you are in need to organize your files or folders in Windows 11, you can refer to the solutions this article has provided. Thus, you can easily move your files to a new location.
By Clytze Updated on October 25, 2022
Scenario
No move to option in Windows 11
Windows 11 does not have move option in File Explorer, some people have suggested the use cut paste option that may work with small files like a picture or a download app, but not with super large files. With move option your file will still be visible until the folder is completely moved, this way if any interruptions occurred during the transaction you can still recover your files, therefore it will only corrupt the file it was in process of moving. Are there any other options I can apply?
- Question from Microsoft Community
Why move files in Windows 11?
When organizing files or folders in Windows 11, you often want to move files to a new location, for example, move files to another local folder, move files to an external hard drive, or even transfer files from external hard drive to PC. Once you operate such tasks, you need to know there is a difference between moving and copying files and folders.
Moving a file will allow you to change its current location to the desired location and will not leave a copy of the same file in the original place. When you copy a file or folder, you make an exact copy of the selected items and then paste the copy into a new location on your computer.
Moving files is a simple process. Maybe you don’t need a reason to move one of your files. Or you may just want to arrange your files and keep them in an orderly manner. Or maybe there is an error where you are currently storing your files and you need to move them to avoid being affected and losing your data in a crash.
Well, in the following part I will show you how to cut and paste files and folders to a new storage place quickly in Windows 11.
4 simple ways of how to move files in Windows 11
To help fix the task of how to move files from one folder to another in Windows 11, I have presented 4 quick and easy methods for you. You can try them one by one until you find the one that works best for you. Now, let’s get ready to start.
Method 1: Move files from one folder to another using cut and paste
Since having updated to Windows 11, some features have disappeared. One missing feature in Windows 11 seems to be the Move to option, which is used to be present in the ribbon bar of File Explorer in Windows 10. But don’t worry, in this part, I will show you how to use Cut and Paste to transfer files to another location.
1. Press Windows + E to open File Explorer, and click on This PC from the left side list.
2. Navigate to the files and select them, tap Cut (Scissor-shaped icons) on the ribbon.
3. Find the new place that you want to store the files, and then tap Paste on the ribbon.
Tip: Alternatively, you can use the shortcuts to finish this operation. Press Ctrl + X to Cut the files, and Ctrl + V to paste them.
Method 2: Move files in Windows Command Line
The move is an internal command found in the Windows Command Interpreter (cmd) that is used to move files and folders. The command is more robust than a regular move operation, as it allows for pattern matching via the inclusion of Wildcards in the source path. Follow the steps below to move files in Windows using the move command.
1. Press Windows + R to open the run box and type in cmd.
2. In the command prompt, type in: move＜name with full source path＞＜destination path＞
For example, if you want to move a file named "XX.doc" to the "C:\Folder 1" folder, you would type the following command, then press the Enter key.
move XX.doc C:\Folder 1
Tips:
♣ If you’d like to move multiple files, you can separate the file names with a comma.
♣ Unlike File Explorer, the move action cannot be reversed. So you must know exactly what you are moving to. Once start you cannot undo the move.
Method 3: Add Copy/Move to folder to Windows 11 context menu
Microsoft has removed the Copy to and Move to from the context menu. But here you can make some changes to Windows registry so that you can add these two features and you will be able to move or copy any file. Now let's see how to add Move to Folder and Copy to Folder to the context menu of Windows 11.
1. Press Windows + R together and open the Run dialog box, Type regedit and then press Enter.
2. Under the Registry Editor window, you need to go to the following registry key:
Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\
3. Right-click on ContextMenuHandlers to create a new subkey and then select New, tap on Key.
Tips:
If you want to add Copy to Folder, simply rename the new subkey: {C2FBB630-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}
If you want to add Move to Folder, rename the new subkey to: {C2FBB631-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}
4. Now whenever you right-click on a file or folder, you will get two options in the context menu, namely Move to Folder and Copy to Folder.
By adding these features directly to the Windows 11 context menu, you will no longer use mouse clicks and keyboard shortcuts to move or copy files from one folder to another folder.
Method 4: Transfer files with best free file move tool
When you try Command Prompt to move a file, you may lose or corrupt the file due to improper operation or typing the wrong command. So excluding the above two methods, I highly recommend the best free file move software, AOMEI Backupper Standard for you. It can help you sync files or folders easily and quickly, and you can select more than one at the same time to finish the task to eliminate the hassle of manual selection. Learn more features about it:
► Various sync methods: In addition to Basic Sync, the software offers three other advanced sync modes. You can upgrade to the advanced version if you need.
►Various sync locations: It not only supports sync files to a local folder, but also supports external hard drive, network drive, cloud drive, etc.
►The free version only supports Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista. For server users, try AOMEI Backupper Server.
Follow the graphic tutorial below to sync files in Windows 11.
Step 1. Download this freeware on your computer, click Basic Sync under the Sync option.
Step 2. Click Add Folder to select the files and folders that you want to synchronize to your desired place. You can click the plus icon to add more folders to sync at the same time.
Step 3. Expand the drop-down menu of the second bar to select a destination to store the folders.
Options: You can write comments for your task and set an email notification.
Schedule Sync: Set the automatic sync frequency for daily, weekly or monthly.
Step 4. Confirm your settings and then click Start Sync to perform the operation.
Notes:
»» If you are wondering Windows 11 how to move files to another drive, you can select the target drive as the destination.
»» If you use AOMEI Backupper to move files, the original files are still there. If you don’t want the original files anymore, just delete them manually.
Summary
The above are all about the 4 ways to solve how to transfer files in Windows 11. Whether you try the Windows Cut and Paste, use the move command, add Move/Copy to Folder, or ask help from the best free file move tool – AOMEI Backupper, I wish you can tackle your problem as desired. Sincerely, I recommend you to adopt the third way, for it has many powerful features that can assist you easily and quickly move your files to the desired location.
In addition, AOMEI Backupper is not only a file move tool, it can do you a lot of favor with Backup & Restore & Clone features, such as fixing Windows 11 issues gaming, or creating a full backup of your Windows 11, etc. Download it to your computer and you will be spared a lot of trouble. Why not try it now?
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