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Move Files from Big Sur Users Security Folder?

I upgraded my 2017 iMac from Mojave to Big Sur.  Some files were placed in Users/Shared/Previously Relocated Items/Security.  When I try to move them to Documents (or any other folder), they are copied, rather than moved.  Is there a way to move the files to another folder so I don’t fill up my disk with duplicates?

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Dec 5, 2021 12:24 PM

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Posted on Dec 5, 2021 5:07 PM

Thats why I wanted to move them rather than copy them and then delete the originals.

Since they were located at the root level of the drive, I imagine they are copied by the installer user, System (root), and thus become owned by System in the Shared folder. You could take ownership of the Relocated Items folder and its contents, then move the files into your home folder instead of copying, but that would only be functionally useful if you were tight on space. If you were that tight on space, you need to transfer some files or delete some to have any hope of the system running normally.

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Dec 5, 2021 5:07 PM in response to dgcassel

Thats why I wanted to move them rather than copy them and then delete the originals.

Since they were located at the root level of the drive, I imagine they are copied by the installer user, System (root), and thus become owned by System in the Shared folder. You could take ownership of the Relocated Items folder and its contents, then move the files into your home folder instead of copying, but that would only be functionally useful if you were tight on space. If you were that tight on space, you need to transfer some files or delete some to have any hope of the system running normally.

Dec 5, 2021 2:39 PM in response to etresoft

Well, if they migrated from Mojave as indicated, they could be files they had stored at the root level of the startup drive. They would then not be developer files and may entirely be important to dgcassel. Deleting them arbitrarily could be bad. I can’t remember if user files got put into “Security,” so they may entirely be useless dreck.

Dec 5, 2021 3:50 PM in response to Barney-15E

Actually they are user files that were stored at root level in Mojave and earlier versions of macOS. Thats why I wanted to move them rather than copy them and then delete the originals. I also don't want to try to move them using terminal. Hence, I will copy, carefully check the results, and then delete the originals. Thanks.

Dec 5, 2021 4:49 PM in response to Barney-15E

Barney-15E wrote:


Actually they are user files that were stored at root level in Mojave and earlier versions of macOS.
That's what I was trying to point out to etresoft.
After Catalina, there is not anything of value in those folders unless you modify various service configuration files.

Well that's interesting, and horribly inconvenient. <sigh>

Move Files from Big Sur Users Security Folder?

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