Top 8 Ways to Fix Drag and Drop Not Working in Windows 11

The drag and drop feature in Windows helps you move the file from one folder location or one app to another with the help of your trackpad or mouse. While you can easily enable drag and drop on Windows 11, some users face an issue where the drag and drop is not working on their computer. As a result, they are unable to drag files on the desktop, in File Explorer, or between apps.

The most common reasons for this issue include a glitched app or Windows Explorer, corrupt mouse drivers, incorrect mouse drag settings, and corrupt system files. Try these eight methods to make the drag and drop feature work properly again.

1. Close and Restart the App

When you drag and drop files between apps or a particular app, it usually works fine. But for some reason, if drag and drop doesn’t work for a particular app, you can close it completely and relaunch it. Here’s how:

Step 1: Press the Control + Shift + Escape keyboard shortcut at once to open the Task Manager.

Step 2: Scroll down and find the app in the Processes list. Right-click on it and select the End task option.

Step 3: Close the Task Manager window.

Step 4: Press the Windows key to open the Start menu. Type the app’s name in the search box and click on the Run as administrator option.

Check if you can successfully drag and drop items in the app.

2. Restart Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer process enables GUI support for many operating system elements. If you have enabled drag and drop but still can’t drag files, you must restart this process using the Task Manager. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Press the Control + Shift + Escape keyboard shortcut to open the Task Manager.

Step 2: Navigate down and find the Windows Explorer process in the list. Right-click on it and select the Restart option.

Step 3: Your PC screen will flicker, go blank for a few seconds and then will return to normal. Close the Task Manager.

3. Cancel the Drag and Drop Interface

Sometimes, the drag and drop interface glitches and you cannot move the selected file or folder in the File Explorer. So, you can cancel the current operation by clicking and holding the left mouse button and then pressing the Esc key. Leave the left mouse button afterward. This will cancel the drag and drop interface. After that, close and relaunch the File Explorer or app window and reattempt a drag and drop.

4. Use the Hardware Troubleshooter

You can use the hardware troubleshooter in Windows 11 to identify any issues with the mouse or trackpad connected to your PC. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Press the Windows key to open the Start menu. Type PowerShell in the search bar and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter keyboard shortcut.

Step 2: The User Account Control window will open. Click on the Yes button to open PowerShell with administrator privileges.

Step 3: Type the following command in the PowerShell window and press Enter to execute it:

msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic

Step 4: Hardware Troubleshooter will launch. Click on the Next button.

Step 5: Wait for the troubleshooter to identify and fix issues with connected hardware devices. Close the Troubleshooter window and restart your PC.

5. Reinstall Mouse Drivers

Corrupt mouse drivers can also result in the drag and drop feature not working on Windows 11. So, you must reinstall the mouse drivers using the Device Manager. It will remove the current driver and automatically search and load the driver after a restart. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Press the Windows key to open the Start menu. Type device manager in the search bar and press Enter.

Step 2: Expand the ‘Mice and other pointing devices’ section. Find the mouse in the list and right-click on it. Select the Uninstall device option.

Step 3: Click on the Uninstall button.

Step 4: Close the Device Manager and restart your PC. Windows will load the mouse drivers.

6. Tweak Windows Registry

If you can’t drag and drop in Windows 11, it could be due to misconfigured or mangled mouse settings. You can fix this with a registry tweak but create a backup of the registry before proceeding with this method. Here’s how:

Step 1: Press the Windows key to open the Start menu. Type regedit in the search bar and press Enter.

Step 2: The User Account Control window will launch. Click on the Yes button to open Registry Editor with administrator privileges.

Step 3: Go to the address bar at the top, paste the following path, and press Enter:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

Step 4: Double-click on the DragHeight value to edit it. Type 4 in the Value Data field and click on the OK button.

Step 5: Now, double-click on the DragWidth value to edit it. Type 4 in the Value Data field and click on the OK button.

Step 6: Close the Registry Editor window and restart your PC to apply the changes.

7. Run an SFC and DISM Scan

System file corruption or a damaged Windows component store could be a reason behind the drag and drop not working in Windows 11 issue. You can use the in-built command line tools (SFC and DISM) to fix these issues. Here’s how to run the SFC (System File Checker) and DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) scans:

Step 1: Press the Windows key to open the Start menu. Type cmd in the search bar and press Control + Shift + Enter keyboard shortcut.

Step 2: The User Account Control window will open. Click on the Yes button to open Command Prompt with administrator privileges.

Step 3: Type the following command and press Enter to execute it:

SFC /scannow

Step 4: After that, type cls and press Enter to clear the Command Prompt screen.

Step 5: Next, execute the following commands one by one:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Step 6: Wait for the scans to complete. Close the Command Prompt window and restart your PC to apply the changes.

8. Use System Restore

You can use System Restore to revert to an earlier point in time when everything worked fine on your PC. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Press the Windows key to open the Start menu. Type rstrui in the search bar and press Enter to open System Restore.

Step 2: Click on the Next button.

Step 3: Select a restore point from the list and follow the on-screen instructions to apply the restore point on your PC.

Drag and Drop Files Easily

When you face the ‘drag and drop not working in Windows 11’ issue, first close the app and restart the Windows Explorer. After that, cancel the drag and drop interface, use inbuilt troubleshooters, and reinstall mouse drivers. Lastly, tweak the system registry, run an SFC and DISM scan, and use System Restore if everything else fails to fix the issue.