Drag and Drop Not Working in Windows 7

Anonymous
2011-03-18T18:18:13+00:00

I have a new problem that has cropped up just in the last week or two. I can no longer drag and drop my files and folders in Windows Explorer. I have Windows 7 on a HP Notebook. It came installed on the computer last December when I bought it (09). I've never had an issue with it since then, and I'm not sure how to find the settings to enable drag and drop or re-enable it. I know I've done it before on this machine, many times- and just noticed it first in  Thunderbird, (my email desktop application) then in explorer. I did recently install the SP1 (spelling??) a few weeks ago, and have installed a few other odds and ends programs, but I'm pretty sure drag and drop was working okay until a few days ago.

Any help would be appreciated. As a genealogy writer, that's a must have feature.

Thanks.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

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.

0 comments No comments

Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous
2011-07-20T06:47:39+00:00

This happened to me yesterday.

In Windows Explorer, click a file with the left mouse button and keep the button held down. Then press the Escape key. Drag and drop is miraculously re-enabled.

I think just pressing the escape will work too but I'm no longer in a position to test that. I got this from http://it.thelibrarie.com/weblog/2010/06/drag-and-drop-stops-working/

Was this answer helpful?

400+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments No comments

Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous
2014-05-15T11:56:09+00:00

This happened to me yesterday.

In Windows Explorer, click a file with the left mouse button and keep the button held down. Then press the Escape key. Drag and drop is miraculously re-enabled.

I think just pressing the escape will work too but I'm no longer in a position to test that. I got this from http://it.thelibrarie.com/weblog/2010/06/drag-and-drop-stops-working/

I don't feel like reading through everything to see if this has been mentioned.  The escape fix worked for me with Win 7.  The only thing I have that is unique from coworkers is a wireless keyboard and mouse.  I expect that has something to do with my issue.

Thanks Nige!

Was this answer helpful?

100+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments No comments

187 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
  1. Anonymous
    2011-05-09T23:37:38+00:00

    I have the exact same problem. :(

    I can click on things but it is like holding down the left click button doesn't do anything at all.

    Was this answer helpful?

    10+ people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments
  2. Anonymous
    2011-03-18T21:22:12+00:00

    Do you get an error message when you try to drag a file?  Or does the cursor change to a "no" symbol?  Hopefully these clues can help determine the cause of the issue.

    No, no error message, the cursor doesn't do anything at all, and the file doesn't move. I'm truly lost, because I used this a lot.

    Was this answer helpful?

    7 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments
  3. Anonymous
    2011-06-01T09:45:29+00:00

    Id like to add i have the same issue on my computer. It comes and goes randomly. Restarting computer temprary solves the problem. When it happends drag and drop stops working in all my applications. It actually acts like I do a single left-clik instead of golding down the mouse-button. 

    I am using a desktop-computer with a normal mouse. Tries 2 different mouses to see if it was the mouse; but that did not help.

    Was this answer helpful?

    2 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments