Tray1. Reach a hidden window with Mission Control
Before starting the drag, press Control + ↑ to see open windows in Mission Control. Choose the destination, then arrange it alongside the source when you can. With both drop targets visible, drag directly between them.
If the windows cannot share the screen, copy the file in Finder first, use Mission Control to switch windows, then paste into a destination that accepts files. This avoids holding a drag while searching. Apple documents this copy-and-paste route in its Mission Control guide.
2. Spring-load a folder or open a file with a Dock app
Hold a file over a folder in Finder to open that folder during the drag. Folder spring-loading and its delay are adjustable in macOS Pointer Control accessibility settings. You can also drop a file onto a compatible Dock app to open it, even when that app is not running.
Good when the destination is already in the Dock. Opening a file this way is different from placing it in a particular window; that still depends on the app and the file type. Apple explains the built-in options in its Dock guide.
3. Stage Manager
Stage Manager lets you group app windows so the source and destination can be visible together. Add the windows you need to a group, position them, then drag the file between their visible drop areas. You can toggle Stage Manager in Control Center when you want to change back. Apple explains grouping and the recent-app display in its Stage Manager guide.
4. Put it down somewhere and come back
A shelf gives the files a visible place to wait. Drop them once, let go, and find the destination before picking them up again. This is useful when you are collecting files from several places or expect to be interrupted before the transfer is complete.
- Open the corner. Start dragging a saved file toward Tray's chosen screen corner. A real file drag opens the shelf without requiring an empty-handed hover first.
- Drop the file on it. Drag the file from the first window onto the arc and let go. The file does not move on disk — the card is a reference to where it already is.
- Go and find the destination. Close the first window, switch spaces, open whatever you need. The shelf keeps the file.
- Drag it off again. Open the corner again and drag the card into the destination window. It arrives as the file itself, exactly as if it had come from Finder.
Parking a file on the shelf does not copy or move it. The card holds a reference to its existing location; removing that card leaves the original alone. When you drag it into another app, that app handles the drop. For the difference between shelf entries and disk actions, see what it does and does not replace.
Which one to use
- Both windows visible. Drag directly between them.
- Destination is one space away. Mission Control.
- Destination is a folder or Dock app. Spring-load the folder, or drop onto an app that can open the file.
- You do not know yet, or it will take a minute to find. Put it on a shelf. Tray is one.
Moving between Finder folders does not have to involve a drag. Copy the selected files with Command + C, open the destination, then use Option + Command + V to move them there. See Apple’s Finder keyboard shortcuts.