What to Do When You Can't Drag and Drop in Windows 10

If you use a dedicated mouse with your laptop or desktop, but the left mouse button is not working in Windows 11/10/8/7 for some reason, here are some tips to fix it. Tips that can help you solve the problem.

If the left mouse button is not working, you can use the following tips. Some of these tips require the use of the left mouse button, which will not work in your case.

In these cases, You can use touch control (if available on your device), another mouse, or the arrow keys to navigate.

You can also read: Right Mouse Button Not Working. Causes and Solutions

What to Do When You Can't Drag and Drop in Windows 10

Drag and drop is a faster and relatively convenient way to transfer files and content in Windows 10, but it's much more convenient when both the current location and the destination window are open. It also provides an overview of the movement of files. This feature can serve as a useful backup when copy and paste does not work properly.

If the right click in Windows 10 does not work, the user's speed may also be reduced. So always It is better to be aware of alternative methods and shortcutsThe following solutions provide details on what to do if you are unable to drag and drop in Windows 10.

1. Press the Escape key

In most cases, the last drag and drop action is stored in Windows 10 memory by a program or server. As a result, users cannot initiate new visual drag and drop events.

Therefore, to disable this interface, You must highlight the content you want to move and press the Escape key on your keyboard. The Escape key solution doesn't guarantee success in all cases, but it's worth a try.

2. Update Windows 10

Outdated versions of Windows 10 can also be the reason for not being able to drag and drop in Windows 10. To avoid problems with the drag and drop feature, make sure you have the latest Windows update installed.

• Open the Settings window and click Update & Security.
• On the Updates tab, Click Check for Updates in the left panel.

Windows checks for new updates and tells you when to install them. The system automatically downloads and installs new changes. By following these steps, you can determine if the drag-and-drop action is working if a visual indicator is not visible when the action is performed.

3. Troubleshoot devices and hardware

You can troubleshoot problems with hardware and devices if you can't drag and drop with the mouse in Windows 10. However, troubleshooting is not available for Windows 1809 version 10 and later. Therefore, you can skip it if you don't have the hardware troubleshooting.

• Start by opening the Control Panel from the taskbar search bar. Next, opens the troubleshooting option.
• Next, select Hardware and Sound. Select Configure device. Click Next to start the troubleshooter.

4. Uninstall and reinstall the mouse drivers

Your mouse may not work properly if you are unable to drag and drop the mouse in Windows 10. In such cases, uninstall and reinstall mouse drivers to see if it works.

The first instruction is to open the Device administrator from the Start menu search box on the taskbar. Alternatively, Press the Windows + R keys, open the Run dialog box, type “devmgmt.msc” and click Run to open Device Manager.

• Then Click Mouse and other pointing devices.
• Next, right-click on the device you want to uninstall and select Uninstall.
• After uninstalling the driver, restart your windows computer. The drivers will be reinstalled when the computer restarts.

5. Restart File Explorer

Restarting Windows Explorer is one of the most common solutions when you can't drag and drop with the mouse in Windows 10. You may find that the screen disappears for a few moments after you close Windows Explorer, but that's no reason to panic. It will be restored automatically.

• Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to open the Task Manager Windows. Then click the Details tab on the status bar and locate the explorer.exe process.
• Right-click the process and select End Process Tree to close Explorer.
• To restart the Windows Explorer process, Click File in the menu bar and select Run new task.
• Enter explorer in the field and click OK.

The explorer.exe process will restart and return your computer to its previous state. Check if the drag and drop not working issue on your Windows computer still persists.

6. Disable UAC

Changing registry entries can be a dangerous task as it can affect your system. However, you can check and change the value to see if it suits you.

• Start with Windows + R to open the Run command. Type “Regedit” in the empty field and press the Enter key. Following these instructions will open the registry; you can also open it by typing “Registry Editor» in the search bar on the taskbar.
• Now access the following route
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, and then select EnableLUA.
• Search for EnableLUA, select it and double click on it. Change the value to 0.
• After making the necessary changes, start your Windows computer and verify that you can drag and drop files and folders or other content.

7. Modifying the height and width of the drag

You can adjust the height and width of the drag on your Windows computer to suit your preferences. If you are unable to drag and drop with the mouse on Windows 10, This is one of the easiest solutions you can try.

• Open the registry from the Start menu search bar or from the Run window. Then, navigate to the next location on the left.
• HKEY_CURRENT_USERNETCONTROLPANEL
• Then Double-click the DataHeight and DataWidth parameters in the right panel and change their values. Make sure both are set to high values.
• Let's see if these steps help to fix the problem of not being able to drag and drop in Windows 10.

8. Run SFC and DISM scans

System File Checker scans your system for corrupt files and replaces them with new ones. To initiate a DISM scan:

• Open a line of commands in administrator mode and run the following commands:
  • Dism/Online/Cleanup-Image0/ScanHealth
  • Dism/Online/Cleanup-Image/RestoreHealth
• Once both processes have been completed successfully, checkeba that the content can be moved dragging and dropping.

9. Uninstall and reinstall Fences

Fences is a Windows utility that helps users organize and sort files and folders on the desktop. It automatically places shortcuts and icons for all applications in shaded areas called fences. If you have this tool, you will need to uninstall and reinstall it.

• After uninstalling Fences, Delete all files and content from Stardocks in your Program Files and Program Data folders.
• Reinstall the Fences tool and go to View. Disable Auto Arrange Icons and Align Icons to Grid options. Check if the drag and drop issue in Windows 10 is not working after performing the following steps.

10 Perform a reset

If you have recently installed new software, you can perform a restart to determine if the software is causing the drag and drop issue. A restart helps users start a Windows 10 PC with a minimal set of drivers to evaluate the program causing the problem.

• To start with a Boot cleansed, Opens the Run window by pressing Windows + R keys in the dialog box. In the Run window, type msconfig and click OK to continue.
• Now Select the Tools tab in the System Configuration window. At the bottom, check the box next to Hide all Microsoft services and select Disable all.
• Now go to the Home tab and click on the Open Task Manager option.
• Go to the “Autorun” tab, right-click on the program and select Disable. Then, close the window.

Now go back to the System Configuration window and select Apply and OK. Restart your Windows 10 computer and check if you still can't drag and drop with the mouse in Windows 10. If the restart doesn't resolve the drag and drop issue, move on to the next solution.

11. Performing boot time recovery

Restoring boot times is a complicated process; make sure you don't jump into this solution before following the simple methods. First of all, insert the Windows installation disc or memory USB and restart your Windows computer. Press any key to boot from the DVD.

When the Install Windows page appears, Click on Repair PC with Windows 10 To start the Repair environment Windows (Win). Next, click Select an option and select the language, time, and other settings you want, and then click Next. Next, select Repair your PC. Choose your operating system and click Next.

Now select Troubleshooting and click Advanced. In the System Restore Options window, select Restore to Startup. Check if the drag and drop issue persists. If not, install the latest Windows updates and restart your Windows 10 PC.

12. Modifying registry entries

If drag and drop is not working in Windows 10, you can try changing some registry values and see if that resolves the drag and drop issue. This solution only works if your computer's registry is corrupted.

• First Open the registry editor by typing “regedit” in the output window.
• Access the following path: Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
• Now busca el archivo {679f85cb-0220-4080-b29b-5540cc05aab6} on the left side of the window.
• If you can't find it, Press Ctrl + F To open the search window, type 5540cc05aab6 and press Enter. This way, you can easily find the file.
• When you find the file you want, Double click on the attribute value in the right pane and set the value to0100000.

If the attribute value is not available in the right pane, it means that the drag and drop issue is not related to corrupted files and folders in the registry.

13. Restart a Windows 10 computer

Some people have reported that restarting their Windows 10 computers helped them resolve their drag and drop issue. However, restarting a Windows 10 computer often results in the loss of important apps, files, or folders; make sure you have a backup of all important files and folders before performing a reset.

• To initiate a reset, open the Settings app and click on Update & Security.
• Then Select Restore in the left panel. In the Restore on this PC area, select Get started.

When the blue screen appears, you can select Keep my files to perform the reset without damaging your personal files. All installed apps will be removed and settings will be reset. Watch the visual indicator as you drag and drop to determine whether the feature is working properly or not.

How can I enable drag and drop in Google Chrome?

when you use Google Chrome, you may need to drag and drop files for a variety of reasons, such as adding attachments to emails or uploading files and folders to Google Drive. If you are having trouble with the drag and drop feature in these cases, you can follow the steps below to resolve the issue.

• Type chrome:/flags in the address bar and press Enter. Then enter Enable Drag in the search box on the page.
• Once you find the right option, activate it. Then, Restart your Chrome browser and check if the drag and drop function works.

Conclusion

The drag and drop feature is very useful for moving files from one location to another. First, you can use it when the copy and paste feature no longer works. Second, using the visual drag and drop feature also increases the speed and efficiency of moving files and folders from one location to another.

The solutions listed in this article should be used in the order they are listed, as they are arranged in order of increasing difficulty to perform. If you are unable to get drag and drop to work properly in Windows 10, make sure that the drag and drop not working issue is resolved quickly. Otherwise, you will not be able to drag and drop files when the copy and paste function stops working.

You can also read: HID Compliant Mouse Not Working on Windows 10