{"id":173715,"date":"2025-06-12T12:37:06","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T16:37:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/?p=173715"},"modified":"2025-06-12T12:37:06","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T16:37:06","slug":"how-to-fix-drag-and-drop-not-working-on-mac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/how-to-fix-drag-and-drop-not-working-on-mac\/","title":{"rendered":"How to fix drag and drop not working on Mac"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Try these troubleshooting tips if you\u2019re having issues when you try to drag and drop items like text, images, and files and between apps on your Mac.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n

All the ways to drag and drop<\/h2>\n

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<\/a> or place their windows on the same desktop. Hold the Option key<\/strong> while dragging if you\u2019d like to copy the selected item instead of moving it.<\/p>\n

Here are the different ways to drag and drop:<\/p>\n

Thumb + index finger:<\/strong> With the item selected, press the trackpad with your thumb and drag the item to another spot using your index finger.<\/p>\n

One finger:<\/strong> Hover over an item, then press the trackpad with one finger, drag it in another spot, and let go.<\/p>\n

One finger with drag lock:<\/strong> Turn on \u201cWith Drag Lock\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

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

Find the drag and drop method that works best for you. If drag and drop isn\u2019t working at all, the following troubleshooting tips may fix it.<\/p>\n

Force quit and reopen the app<\/h2>\n

Force quitting and reopening<\/a> an app may fix drag and drop issues if they only affect said app.<\/p>\n

\"Relaunching <\/p>\n

Some apps block drag and drop<\/h2>\n

Drag and drop isn\u2019t universally available in all apps as developers can disable it. For instance, Google Docs won\u2019t let you move text using drag and drop in a web browser.<\/p>\n

Drag and drop issues with desktop icons<\/h2>\n

Sorting files on your Mac<\/a> by file type doesn\u2019t work well with drag and drop. Follow these steps to fix that, so you can drag and drop desktop files without hiccups:<\/p>\n