How to fix drag and drop not working on Mac

Try these troubleshooting tips if you’re having issues when you try to drag and drop items like text, images, and files and between apps on your Mac.

Drag and drop lets you move stuff within apps and import assets like images from one app into another simply by dropping them in place. Sometimes drag and drop may behave erratically or stop working altogether. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including system glitches, software bugs, problems with the mouse or trackpad, and more. Follow our troubleshooting tips right ahead for solutions that may fix the problem.

All the ways to drag and drop

Select an item like a piece of text or an image in the Finder, Notes, Safari or another app, then use the mouse or trackpad to drag and drop the selection into another spot or another app. To drag and drop between apps, open both apps in Split View or place their windows on the same desktop. Hold the Option key while dragging if you’d like to copy the selected item instead of moving it.

Here are the different ways to drag and drop:

Thumb + index finger: With the item selected, press the trackpad with your thumb and drag the item to another spot using your index finger.

One finger: Hover over an item, then press the trackpad with one finger, drag it in another spot, and let go.

One finger with drag lock: Turn on “With Drag Lock” in the trackpad settings (explained below) so you can select and drag items in one motion. First, select an item, then click (not force press) again to drag it. You can lift your finger, but dragging remains sticky. To drop the item, click again.

Three-finger drag: With an item selected, just drag it with three fingers, then let go. You must first turn this feature on, as explained below.

Find the drag and drop method that works best for you. If drag and drop isn’t working at all, the following troubleshooting tips may fix it.

Force quit and reopen the app

Force quitting and reopening an app may fix drag and drop issues if they only affect said app.

Some apps block drag and drop

Drag and drop isn’t universally available in all apps as developers can disable it. For instance, Google Docs won’t let you move text using drag and drop in a web browser.

Drag and drop issues with desktop icons

Sorting files on your Mac by file type doesn’t work well with drag and drop. Follow these steps to fix that, so you can drag and drop desktop files without hiccups:

• Desktop: Right-click the desktop and untick “Use Stacks,” then set Sort By to None.
• Finder: Make sure you’re in icon view, then right-click inside a folder and choose Sort By > None. Or, select “Show View Options” and group/sort by “None.”

Turn on three-finger drag or drag lock

Enabling three-finger drag is one of the first things I do after setting up a Mac. Three-finger drag is the most effortless way to use drag and drop. This is also a great accessibility solution for folks with motor impairments or people who find it difficult to keep their finger on the trackpad while dragging.

To turn on drag lock for your Mac trackpad, click the Apple menu and choose System Settings, then select Accessibility in the sidebar and Pointer Control on the right. Next, hit the Trackpad Options button, set Dragging Style to “Three Finger Drag” or “With Drag Lock,” and click OK.

Clean your mouse and trackpad

Things like dirt and oils on the mouse or trackpad can make the pointer jumpy and drag and drop unreliable. So, clean everything with a dry, lint-free cloth.

Troubleshot your mouse and trackpad

Fixing a jumpy or laggy macOS pointer may bring drag and drop back to life. Start by checking the battery of your wireless mouse and/or trackpad. Turn them off and wait at least thirty seconds before turning them back on. If you have a wired mouse or trackpad, connect it to another USB port on your Mac.

Restart your Mac

Drag and drop can malfunction due to temporary system glitches that crop up during regular use. Turning your computer off and back on should fix such problems.

Update macOS and installed apps

Drag and drop issues may be rooted in apps or the macOS operating system. Update all apps installed on your Mac before installing the most recent version of macOS in System Settings > General > Software Update.

Turn off Force Click and haptic feedback

The Magic Trackpad and MacBook trackpads sense pressure, allowing them to distinguish between light and hard presses. Pressing firmly after the first click invokes actions like Look Up and Quick Look. If you find dragging and dropping challenging on Force Click trackpads, go to System Settings > Trackpad and turn off “Force Click and haptic feedback.”

Boot in Safe Mode to isolate the issue

If drag and drop worked before but suddenly stopped, the reason could be a new app or extension you installed. To confirm that’s the case, boot up your Mac in Safe Mode. If drag and drop works, restart in normal mode and remove the recently installed apps. If that fixed drag and drop, you know that that app in question was the culprit. Reach out to its developer for help.

Trash plist files for the mouse and trackpad

If drag and drop still doesn’t work after trying all the above solutions, delete the configuration files for your mouse and trackpad in the system’s Library folder.

1. Open Finder and click the Go > Go to Folder menu.
2. Type ~/Library/Preferences/ and hit the Enter key.
3. Type “mouse” in the search bar to see related files, then trash them.
4. Type “trackpad” in the search bar to delete files for your trackpad.
5. Restart the computer.

Try using drag and drop again, and it should be functioning fine.

Reinstall macOS or get help from Apple

You can try to reinstall macOS without deleting any apps or personal files. But if that fails, you’re probably better off taking your Mac to the nearest Apple store and have them fix the problem.

Also, check out: How to drag & drop text, photos, and files between apps on iPhone and iPad

Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/06/12/fix-drag-and-drop-on-mac/