Something else we do all the time is making selections. This is achieved simply by clicking once on something. Once selected, the selected item will typically change colour, indicating it is indeed selected. We can then perform actions on the selected item.
But what if we want to perform the action on multiple items or, select multiple items, items that aren’t necessarily listed next to each other? To do this we again need to use modifier keys. Luckily, once learned, these combinations apply to most applications, and will save lots of time and effort in the long run.
Selecting consecutive items
When in List view, as in the screenshot below, if you want to select consecutive items, select the first item in the list (click once), then hold down the Shift key and select (again, click once) the last item. All items in between will be selected .
![A Finder window, displaying contents in List view. Click the first item in the list, hold down the Shift key, and then click on the last item in the list in order to select all items in-between. (The shortcut key combination, Command + A will result in the same outcome)](http://howtouseamac.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Screen-Shot-2014-01-15-at-16.12.19.png)
![There's 2 shift keys on the keyboard, on the far left and right.](http://howtouseamac.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shift-keys.png)
Selecting nonconsecutive items
To select non-consecutive items, select one item as you would normally, then hold the Command (⌘) key.
![](http://howtouseamac.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/command.png)
….and click each additional item that you want to select.
![](http://howtouseamac.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Screen-Shot-2014-01-15-at-16.14.06.png)
The Command key also works for deselecting items. For example, you could select a huge list of items using the Shift-click method above, and deselect just a few items in the list using Command-click.
These methods of making selections not only work in Finder, but also in most other applications. In other words, they work universally.
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