Nicholas Warren
1 minute read

Using An Alias In MacOS

Aliases. We use them without realising, but understanding a little more about them can help you to leverage parts of the OS that you hadn't been able to previously. In our latest video we delve into the area of links with specific focus on Aliases and how to use them within MacOS.

Methods for creating an alias

Select the file, folder, application or disk you would like to make an alias for and then

  • Select File > Make Alias from the menu.
  • or use the shortcut ⌃⌘A (Mojave on-wards) or ⌘L (High Sierra and older).
  • or right (or control) click and choose Make Alias from the contextual menu.
  • or hold down ⌥ + ⌘ and drag the item to the desired location.

Quick-Tip

There are often many ways to achieve the same thing in MacOS. Quite often you have the choice of a menu item, a contextual menu item, drag and drop operation or shortcut. Most of the menu commands have the shortcut written next to them.

Show the original location of the files an alias points to

Select the alias and then

  • Select File > Show Original.
  • or use the shortcut ⌃⌥⌘A (Mojave on-wards) or ⌘R (High Sierra and older).
  • or right (or control) click and choose Show Original from the contextual menu.
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