To copy a file or sub-directory between directories you can;
Position the mouse pointer over its name or icon and hold down the RMB, which will bring up a menu containing the "Copy" option. Choose that.
Or if the item is "selected" then you can use the Copy button on the Toolbar or the Menubar Edit->Copy item, or the Ctrl-C hotkey.
Navigate to the directory you want to copy the item into then Paste the item into the new directory by using the Toolbar Paste button or the Menubar Edit->Paste option or the Ctrl-V hotkey, or by moving the mouse pointer to a clear area of the window and holding the RMB down to bring up a menu containing the Paste option.
![]() | For some reason, Paste does not work in Tree View, Detailed List View or Text View modes. |
Moving a file or sub-directory between directories can be done in the same way as copying, except that you choose the "Cut" option or Ctrl-X instead of "Copy". The item that you have "Cut" will be removed from the original directory when you do the "Paste".
![]() | You may not be able to copy or move a file or directory if you don't have the necessary permissions, see the section on Super User Mode for further details. |
Konqueror also supports Drag and Drop copying and moving of files and directories.
If you have set up Konqueror to show the Directory Tree View as described in a previous section, then:
Make sure the two views are not linked (the small boxes at the bottom right of each view should be empty, LMB click on one of them if they not empty).
Navigate through the Directory Tree View so that you can see the directory you want to copy or move into.
Set the main view to show the item you wish to copy or move. Position the mouse pointer over its name or icon then, holding the LMB pressed, "drag" it over to the Directory Tree view and position the mouse pointer over the target directory. Release the LMB and you will be presented with a menu choice of Copy or Move.
You can also set up Konqueror to show more than one directory and drag & drop between them.
For this screenshot we have used the Menubar Window->Split View Left/Right option, also available with the hotkey Ctrl-Shift-L, to split the main Konqueror window into two views, each showing the contents of a different directory.
With this arrangement it is easy to drag and drop between the directories, but take care to "drop" the item into an empty area of the target directory view - dropping it on top of another file name or icon can cause problems.
When the window is split into two (or more) views it is usually best to make sure that they are not linked - the little boxes at the bottom right of each view should be empty.
The "active" view, that is the one whose path is shown in the Locationbar and which responds to navigation and Menubar commands, is shown by the little green light in the bottom left corner. To make a view active LMB click on an empty area of the view or on its Status Bar.
To remove an active view from Konqueror's window use the Ctrl-Shift-R hotkey, or the Menubar Window->Remove Active View option, or RMB on the Status Bar and choose the "Remove Active View" option from the resulting menu.
![]() | You can also drag and drop between different instances of Konqueror. |