6 Easy Steps to Drag and Drop Files to Desktop or Folder

Learn how to copy and move files on your computer with your mouse

Written by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: June 9, 2025 Fact Checked

The "drag and drop" function is a quick way to move selected files to another location. Most devices and programs support this feature. Here's how to drag and drop files on your Windows or Mac computer.

Quick Steps

Open the file location folder and the destination folder side-by-side.
Click a file to select it, or hold CTRL/CMD and click to select multiple files.
Left-click and hold the file selection.
Drag the cursor to the new location.
Release the left-click to drop the files into the new location.

Steps

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The drag-and-drop method can be used to move files around on your computer, transfer files to a connected USB or an external hard drive, send email attachments, and more.^{[1]
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Open the file(s) location and the destination. For example, if you want to drag files from a folder to another folder, open both file folders side-by-side.^{[2]
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- If you want to drag files from a folder to your desktop, open the file folder while leaving part of your desktop visible.
- If you can't see both locations, resize the windows. You can do this by dragging any corner of the window towards its center.
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Select the files you want to drag-and-drop. If you only want to move one file, click the file once to highlight it.^{[3]
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- To select all files in a folder, click the inside of the folder to make sure it's active. Then, use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + A (Windows) or CMD + A (Mac).
- To select multiple individual files, hold down CTRL (Windows) or CMD (Mac) and click each file.
Don't release the left-click just yet.^{[4]
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You may see a transparent version of the icons following your cursor.^{[5]
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Release the left-click. The files will be dropped into the new location.
- If you're dropping a lot of files, this may take a few moments.

Community Q&A

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Question

When I drag and drop an icon, the label disappears. How do I fix?

Community Answer

Try pressing F2 while the icon is selected. This will allow you to rename the file anything you want.

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Question

How do I drag and drop the file and folder in computer?

Community Answer

By using the right mouse button. You can navigate your file, document or a folder and hold the right mouse button, then drag the mouse to a specific location, then release the right mouse button. With this method make sure that you've opened your destination folder.

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Tips

Many social media and photo programs use drag and drop to save users time. When you want to upload files, look for a box that says “drag and drop.” Minimize the browser so that you can access your files in a window. Then, select, drag and drop them into the upload box on the website.

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Drag and drop is the preferred method for transferring songs and other information quickly on iTunes.

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