Transfer my MAC files to a external drive, but didn't save space

I have a Mac desktop: MAC OS X 10.6.8; 2.5 GHz Intel, Memory 4GB and 500 HD
- I cut and paste a folder with 200 GB from my computer, to an external driver (wd my book).
- I can see the folder in the external file, and it is not in the HD anymore; as expected.
However, I still have only 20GB space available in the computer.

When you copy anything to second hard drive, the original remains on the first hard drive until you drag it to the trash and empty the trash.

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