Cannot drag and drop files and folders in Windows? Here’s a simple fix. Follow the below steps to fix drag and drop not working problem in Windows 10.
Recently, I’ve encountered an issue where I couldn’t drag and drop folders or files in Windows. In my experience, there is no discernible reason for this behavior. At least in my case, it is pretty random.
Not only files and folders but the drag and drop functionality doesn’t work even in the browser. For instance, I have a habit of selecting and dropping text on to the browser title bar to initiate a search. When Windows drag and drop doesn’t work, I cannot perform this action.
Thankfully, the solution is pretty simple and straightforward. Let me show you how to fix the issue in simple steps.
Before proceeding, save all your work and close any open folders or browser windows. Sometimes, applications may get force closed.
Fix for Drag and Drop Not Working Problem
As I said, it is pretty easy to fix the issue. Since the problem is with the drag and drop feature which is related to the Explorer process, restarting the process will fix the issue.
1. First, right-click on the taskbar and select “Task Manager” option. Alternatively, you can also press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keyboard shortcut.
2. In the Task Manager window, go to the “Details” tab.
3. Once you are in the Details tab, find “explorer.exe” process in the list, right-click on it and select “End process tree”.
In case you are wondering, if you just select the “End task” option, the problem might not be fixed.
4. You will see a confirmation window. Click on the “End process tree” button to continue.
5. At this point, your screen might become blank. Don’t worry. It is perfectly normal. We just need to start the stopped process again. So, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch the Task Manager.
6. In the task manager, select the “File → Run New Task” option.
7. The above action will open the Create New Task window. Here, type “explorer.exe” and click on the “Ok” button.
8. With that, you should have your desktop back. Applications that linked with explorer.exe (like OneDrive, text expanders, etc.) might still be closed. So, reopen them.
Wrapping Up
That is all. It is that simple to fix drag and drop not working problem in Windows 10. Though the above procedure works 90% of the time, there might be situations where you have to manually reboot Windows to fix the issue.
If you like this article, do check out how to open multiple File Explorer Windows at the same time and how to delete File Explorer address bar history in Windows 10.
