How to create an alias in Finder on Mac: macOS 27 steps, shortcuts and fixes

An alias is a small pointer to a file or folder. Double-click the alias, and Finder opens the original. You can keep aliases on the desktop, in the Dock, in the Finder sidebar, or in whichever folder you open every day. The original stays where it lives. That is the whole idea. You get quick access without making a second copy of the file.

What an alias does and what it does not do

An alias takes up very little room on your disk, because it stores a reference instead of the file's contents. A copy duplicates everything. Edit the original, and the alias opens the changed file. Edit a copy, and the original stays the same. Pick an alias when you want one file in several places.

Deleting an alias is safe. Apple's help page says that removing an item from the Finder sidebar or the Dock removes only the alias, and the original stays on your Mac. The same is true when you drag a Dock or sidebar item out until the Remove sign appears. Nothing is lost except the pointer.

How to make an alias in Finder on Mac: three methods

The menu method is the one Apple documents first. Select the item, then choose File > Make Alias from the menu bar. Apple's page says you can make as many aliases as you want. The new alias lands in the same folder as the original, so look there if you cannot find it.

The keyboard method is Control-Command-A. Apple's keyboard shortcut list describes it as making an alias of the selected item. Select the file or folder, then press Control, Command and A together. It does the same job as the menu, so use whichever you remember more easily.

The drag method moves the item and leaves an alias behind. Select the item, hold Option and Command, and drag it to another folder or to the desktop. Apple's keyboard list describes this as making an alias of the dragged item. Use it when you want the file somewhere new and a pointer where it used to be.

Find the original from an alias

Select the alias and press Command-R. Apple's keyboard list says this shows the original when an alias is selected in the Finder. If you work from the sidebar, Control-click the alias and choose Show in Enclosing Folder. In the Dock, Control-click the icon, choose Options, then choose Show in Finder.

Renaming and removing aliases without losing the original

Apple's alias pages do not cover renaming, so this guide gives no rename steps. Test any rename on a spare alias first. Keep the original in a stable place, because an alias only works while its target exists. If you plan to delete the original, delete the alias too, or you will end up with a dead pointer.

Why an alias says the original item can't be found

This error means Finder cannot locate the item the alias points to. Apple's help pages do not document a fix for broken aliases. MacPaw, a Mac utility company, publishes a guide with steps to try in order. Recreating the alias is the usual workaround, but I could not find an Apple source that says so.

1. Restart the Mac.
2. Relaunch Finder. Press Command-Option-Escape, choose Finder, then choose Relaunch.
3. If Desktop & Documents iCloud syncing is on, turn it off in System Settings > your name > iCloud > iCloud Drive.
4. Sign out and back in to your Apple ID only if you had to turn syncing off in the step before.

MacPaw sells CleanMyMac, so read its advice with that in mind. The steps are ordinary Finder and System Settings work, and you can check each one yourself. The guide names no macOS versions, so menu labels may differ on your release. Try the steps in order, and stop once the alias opens.

Command-L: why many guides promise a shortcut that may not work

Many third-party guides say Command-L makes an alias. Apple's current keyboard shortcut list does not include it. An Apple Community thread from October 2019 reports that Command-L stopped creating an alias for one user. The top answer in that thread assigned ⌘L by hand, and the poster noted that Make Alias works from the File menu but shows no shortcut there.

To assign ⌘L yourself, open System Settings, choose Keyboard, then Keyboard Shortcuts, then App Shortcuts. Add an entry for Finder.app, type Make Alias as the menu title exactly, and enter ⌘L. Older posts call this path System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts. Confirm that File > Make Alias exists before you change anything.

A worked example: an alias for a project folder on the desktop

Say your client work lives in Documents > Clients > Current. You want it on the desktop without moving it. Select the Current folder, press Control-Command-A, then drag the new alias from Clients to the desktop. The real folder stays in Clients, and the desktop alias opens it with one double-click.

Next, add the same alias to the sidebar. Drag it onto the sidebar, and it stays there. When the project ends, drag it out until the Remove sign appears. The alias goes away, and Current stays exactly where it was in Clients. You lose a shortcut, not your work.

Mistakes people make with Finder aliases

• Using a plain drag and expecting an alias. A plain drag moves the item. Hold Option and Command before you drag.
• Thinking that removing an item from the sidebar or Dock deletes the file. It removes only the alias.
• Deleting the original and then wondering why the alias is broken. The pointer has nothing to open.
• Following a shortcut from an old post without checking File > Make Alias first.
• Copying and pasting the file and calling it an alias. A copy is a second file with its own contents.

Alias, copy or keyboard shortcut: which one do you need?

An alias is a pointer to a file. A copy is a second file. A keyboard shortcut is a key combination, such as Control-Command-A. The Shortcuts app is a separate Apple app for automating tasks. The words sound alike, so check the context before you act on a tip that mentions a shortcut.

Does the alias work in iCloud Drive and on iCloud.com?

The steps on this page are for the Finder app on a Mac. Apple's iCloud guide for iCloud Drive on iCloud.com covers upload, download, organize, share and delete. It does not describe a file alias feature. I could not confirm whether the web version supports aliases, so check on your own account before you rely on one.

Check your macOS version before you follow the menu names

Apple's alias page lists macOS 27 Golden Gate first in its version selector. Its keyboard shortcut list covers macOS Tahoe 26 and macOS 27 Golden Gate. The archived page for macOS 10.13 describes Show Original in the File menu and mentions Command-R. Menu names can change between releases, so read the File menu before you click.

When an alias is the right tool

Use an alias when one file belongs in several places, such as a project folder, a template or a reference PDF. Use a copy when the second file must change on its own. An alias also helps when you want one master file and several quick routes to it. Keep the master where you can find it, and the pointers will stay useful.