Holding down the Shift Key after selecting the file will move it to the different drive rather than copying.
See also Use Drag & Drop Keyboard Shortcuts to Copy or Move Files in Windows https://www.alphr.com/drag-and-drop-copy-move-shortcut-windows/
How do I make it so that Windows doesn't copy a file when I try to move it between C: and D: ?
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Anonymous
Whenever I want to move a file that is located on C: to D: and I drag it to that folder, it copies the file to that folder instead of moving it. Is there a way to change this? I don't want to use cut-paste every time I do a transfer.
Windows for home | Windows 10 | Files, folders, and storage
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Answer accepted by question author
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Anonymous
2022-12-07T18:25:15+00:00
Answer accepted by question author
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Ramesh 176.1K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator2022-12-07T18:23:48+00:00 Workaround:
Select the items you want to move to another drive.
Press and hold the Shift key down when you drag them to another drive.
Answer accepted by question author
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DaveM121 871K Reputation points Independent Advisor2022-12-07T18:18:36+00:00 Hi MechanicalBudder,
I am Dave, I will help you with this.
In Windows the default action is, if you drag a file from one folder to another on the same drive, that moves it, if you drag a file to a folder on another drive it just copies it, that cannot be changed in Windows.
However, the workaround is, instead of using the left mouse button. if you right click and drag a file or folder to a new location, when you release the mouse button, you will be given the option to 'Move Here'.