How to Select Icons
Beginners often have difficulty selecting multiple icons. They end up moving or copying those icons rather than selecting them. The problem is caused by dragging when you should be clicking. So let's make sure you understand basic mouse terminology first:
Primary mouse button: The mouse button on the left. Also called just the mouse button for short.:
Secondary mouse button: The mouse button on the right. Also called the right mouse button.
Point: Move the mouse pointer (without holding down any mouse buttons) so that the mouse pointer is resting on the item.
Click: Point to the item, then tap (don't hold down) the primary (left) mouse button.
Double-click: Point to the item, then tap the primary (left) mouse button twice. Do not hold down any mouse buttons.
Right-Click: Point to the item, then tap (don't hold down) the secondary (right) mouse button. Again, no holding down any mouse buttons.
Ctrl+Click: Hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard (do not hold down any mouse buttons), point to the item you want to select, then tap (don't hold down) the primary (left) mouse button
Shift+Click: Hold down the Shift key on the keyboard (do not hold down any mouse buttons), point to the item you want to select, then tap (don't hold down) the primary (left) mouse button.
Drag: Point to the item, then hold down the primary (left) mouse button while moving the mouse.
Right-Drag: Point to the item, then hold down the secondary (right) mouse button while moving the mouse.
Drop: Release the mouse button after dragging.
If any of the above is news to you, you may want to print this page and study it often. All instructions you ever read, whether they be in this course, in Help, in a printed manual, or on a Web page, will use this same terminology.
Now, before we start talking about selecting icons, let's look at some preliminary steps:
1. The first step to selecting icons is, of course, to open the folder that contains the icons you want to select. For the purposes of this article, I'll assume you already know how to open a folder.
2. Optionally, once you're in the folder that contains the icons you want to select, you can choose whichever view you think will make the job easiest. Use the Views button in the toolbar to choose a view.
Click
here to see an animation of selecting views
3. Optionally, you can arrange the icons into some kind of order, such as alphabetically by Name, or by Type. To arrange icons, you can either choose View > Arrange Icons from the menu bar in the folder you're viewing, as below...
...Or, you can right-click some empty space between icons to get to the same options:
Anyway, let's say you're in your folder, you've selected a view, and now you're ready to start selecting icons (to move, copy, delete or whatever). There are several different methods available for selecting icons. You might want to try them all. Then use whichever one is easiest and most convenient for you. Click any link below to see how to select icons using that method.
Select using key+Click (Ctrl+Click and Shift+Click)
Once the icons you want to work with are selected, (no matter how you selected them), you can right-click any selected icon to view a shortcut menu of things you can do with those selected icons, as below.
Remember, whatever you do next affects all the selected icons equally. That's true whether you choose an option from the shortcut menu that appears, as well as when you drag the selected icons to some other location to move or copy them.
