How to toggle finder’s “Keep Both” vs. “Skip”, and when copying or moving files – why does the “default” seem to change?
Posted by jpluimers on 2021/07/02
Based on:
- [WayBack] Finder’s “Keep Both” vs. “Skip” when copying files – why does the “default” seem to change? – Apple Community
- [WayBack] macos – Why is Lion’s “Keep Both” option missing from the file copy dialog? – Ask Different
Via macos “keep both” versus “skip” – Google Search
When copying or moving files on MacOS using the Finder, sometimes you get a popup with chooses “Skip”, “Stop”, “Replace”, but at other times “Keep Both”, “Stop”, “Replace”.
Empirically:
- “Keep Both” happens with less than 5 duplicate file names
- “Skip” happens with 5 or more 5 duplicate file names
- The “Alt” or “Option” key toggles between “Keep Both” and “Skip”
- This was introduced around OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, as it used to be always “Keep Both” in all Mac OS X versions up to and including Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. The new behaviour has stayed in all OS X and macOS versions since.
–jeroen
The Wiert Corner - irregular stream of stuff 
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