Moving folders · How moving folders works
How long does it take to move a folder to the fast drive?
Short answer: It depends on the folder's size, how many files it holds, and your drive's speed; many small files take longer than one big one. The progress view shows speed and time left. Moves give way to your own work, and you can close the window while they run.
It depends on the folder's size, how many files it holds, and how fast your drive and its connection are. Thousands of small files take longer than one big file of the same total size. While a move runs, its progress shows how much has moved, the speed and the time left — or says it can't estimate yet rather than guessing.
Moves are background work and deliberately give way to whatever you're doing, so a busy Mac moves things more gently. Ways to help:
- Connect the drive directly rather than through a slow hub.
- Keep Verification level on Fast; Thorough reads every byte and is much slower.
You can close the window — the move carries on. See the progress sheet