[raygol]

Hello,

When I try to duplicate a file on the desktop and I am dragging it on the desktop while holding the Option key, I am facing a strange behavior.

If, at that time a Safari window, or a Mail window, is opened, it is closed, but the software is not quitting.
If two window are opened, one of Safari, and the second one is of Mail, only the front window, either that of Safari, or that of Mail, is closed.

If a window of another software is opened as the front window it is never affected and not closed when copying a file on the desktop.

I wonder why it is and how I can solve it

TIA

[Dr. Wahnsinn]

Weird. Happens to me too on my MacBook running 10.6.2. If I have two Safari windows open, they both vanish, but then magically reappear (exactly as they were before vanishing) after clicking the Safari icon in the dock.

[Atheist]

This appears to be the intended behavior. Opt+click on the Desktop will hide the active application. I guess the OS interprets the Finder as the Desktop because Opt+click on a file in Finder produces the same results. it's not just Safari or Mail either. Any app that is active will hide with Opt+click.

[raygol]

I found that the solution is to start dragging and immediately click the Option key, and then everything is OK/

[chabig]

It is standard Mac behavior to hide the current application when switching apps with the option key down. If you are in Safari or Mail, then you are switching apps when you click on a Finder item. So if the option key is down when you do it, the app hides.

If you don't want that to happen, switch to the Finder first, then do your option-drag.