Moving files from Mac to external hard drive

WD External and Portable SSD External SSD for macOS
1

In order to free up memory on my MacBook Air, I have decided to try moving films to an external hard drive. Following the instructions on your site, I dragged the films to the hard drive and can now see them there. However, they did not disappear from the iTunes file and still seem to be there. Thus, I did not manage to free up space. Please advise.

Thank you.

2

Command + C copies your files from the source folder.

Command + Option + V moves the files to the desired folder, removing them from the source. This is system-wide Mac file management, irrespective of iTunes.

If you are moving files from your system in order to free-up some space then I’d recommend a second external hard drive in order to have a backup of your data.

3

Thank you for your response. I can see the three movies on my external hard
drive. I have clicked on them in iTunes and tried to move them again using
Command + Option + V, instead of just dragging them (which did work), but
this combination did nothing but make a strange noise. Since they already
are on the external hard drive, I tried just deleting them from iTunes, but
that would not work either. It is all rather confusing.

4

Select Movies at top left of iTunes under Library, find the movie(s) you want to delete then delete them.

5

When you drag files from your MacBook Air to an external hard drive, macOS performs a “copy” operation by default to prevent accidental data loss.

If you want to truly free up storage space, you must complete a few additional steps to redirect your library and safely delete the original files.

  1. Delete the original files and empty the Recycle Bin.
  • Return to the original folder on your MacBook’s internal hard drive.
  • Select the movie you copied and move it to the Trash (or press Command + Delete).
  1. Redirect iTunes/Apple TV to the external drive.
  • “Option Launch” method: Completely quit iTunes.
  • Hold down the Option key and click the iTunes icon to reopen it.
  • A prompt will appear asking you to select a library.

Click “Choose a Library”… Locate your external hard drive, select the folder where you placed your media files, and then click “Open”.
Related how-to guide: How to Move Files from Mac to External Hard Drive?