Non-destructive File/Folder Replace

copy/paste

While testing WordPress 3.5, I took the old copy of a site, and copy pasted the 3.5 from the zip file.

Part of a WordPress install is the folder wp-content containing all the uploads and themes plugins etc. This folder now no longer contains all of that stuff because I clicked replace.

How do I replace the files in that folder, not the folder itself? Right now it's the same as deleting that folder and then moving the new folder in its place.

Under Windows, the files in the folder, not the folder itself are replaced, right now i'm lucky I have a backup to copy from but I could very easily have lost that date considering every other platform I use follows one paradigm and OS X another

Some people have suggested I should click on merge, this would be great if I could, but no merge option is provided:

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Best Answer

  1. Select the folder you wish to copy.
  2. Press command + C. This will copy the folder to clipboard.
  3. At the destination, press command + V. This will copy the folder to your current folder. If a folder with the same name exists, you will be give options to Stop, Merge or Replace.

Quirk: This doesn’t work if you try to move (by dragging), not copy, a folder from one place to another. However, if you still wish to use dragging and dropping, drag with the option key pressed. This will copy, instead of move, a file/folder from one place to another.

This is what you will see if you copy a folder named “Temp” to a folder named “untitled folder” which already contains a folder named “Temp”. enter image description here

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