HOW TO Make and use aliases on your Mac

1 Drag and drop

To create an alias, hold the Cmd and Opt keys, then drag an item to a new location. For instance, you could drag a file from the Downloads folder to the desktop and an alias is then created at that destination.

2 Other methods

Alternatively, pick a file in Finder, then select File > Make Alias. Or Ctrl-click it and choose Make Alias, or select the item and press Ctrl+Cmd+A. These methods create an alias inside the original file’s folder.

3 Make a group

There’s no need to create aliases one by one. You can select a group of items, then use one of the above methods to create multiple aliases at once. You can then save time by moving them all together if you want.

4 Dock aliases

You can also create an alias from items in your Mac’s Dock. The process is very similar; hold Cmd+Opt, then drag the file from the Dock to a location in Finder. This works for apps as well as files and folders.

5 Finder sidebar

Aliases can be added to the Finder sidebar or the Dock for quick access. For the former, drag the item to the Favourites section in Finder’s sidebar. For the latter, just drag the original item onto the Dock.

6 The dividing line

Note that when you add aliases to the Dock, app aliases should be dropped to the left of the divider that separates recently used apps. File and folder aliases should be dropped to the right of the divider.

7 Show original

To open an alias’s original folder, Ctrl-click an alias, then select Show Original. For aliases in Finder’s sidebar, Ctrl-click and choose ‘Show in Enclosing Folder’, or pick Options > ‘Show in Finder’ for Dock aliases.

8 Removing aliases

It’s safe to remove aliases – the original item won’t be affected. Remove aliases from the Finder sidebar or the Dock by dragging them out until you see the word Remove or an ‘X’ icon appear next to the item, then let go.

9 External drives

Avoid using aliases with removable drives. If you disconnect the drive, the alias my no longer work because its connection to the original file has been severed. Try to keep aliases and targets on the same drive.