How to Drag and Drop on Mac in few simple steps ?

Drag and drop is a fundamental Mac skill that allows you to organize and move items easily.

Furthermore, with the drag of one or two fingers, you can shuffle files on your desktop or in folders.

In addition, you can also drag content between different apps, such as dragging a photo from your Pictures folder to an email.

Moreover, MacOS offers different dragging methods so you can find the one that works best for you.

For example, you can start a drag with a single tap or two taps depending on your preference.

Similarly, three-finger dragging is another suitable option for those who like to use gestures.

Beyond basic dragging, MacOS also offers advanced ways to manipulate elements in a smarter and more efficient way.

Likewise, certain dragging techniques allow you to duplicate or move multiple items at once.

For instance, keyboard shortcuts let you quickly rearrange your workspace or switch between apps.

Consequently, with a little practice using the various drag-and-drop methods, you can become a power user performing tasks on your Mac.

Therefore, learning these essential skills will allow you to work more smoothly and be more productive.

How to drag and drop with trackpad or mouse on Mac ?

Drag and drop is a convenient way to move or copy files, folders, images, text, and other items on your Mac.

Furthermore, you can use your trackpad or mouse to drag and drop items with ease.

As a result, in this section, we will show you how to drag and drop with trackpad or mouse on Mac in a few simple steps.

But first, you need to enable drag and drop from the trackpad in System Preferences.

To learn how to enable drag and drop from the trackpad and how to drag and drop a file, watch the video and follow the steps below.

Follow below mentioned steps to use drag and drop feature using trackpad on Mac:

• Firstly, select the item you want to move by clicking on it. It could be an image, a file, or a selection of text.

• Secondly, place one finger (such as your thumb) on the trackpad and press down to click and hold.

• Next, use your other finger (such as your index finger) to drag the item to the new location while continuing to press with your thumb.

• Then, lift your thumb off the trackpad to place the item in its new location.

• Alternatively, you can also select multiple items at once. With one finger, click and drag to draw a selection box around the items you want. Subsequently, lift your finger to put all the selected items together.

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How to use three finger drag and drop on Mac ? 

Three-finger drag and drop is a useful feature that allows you to move or copy items on your Mac without clicking or pressing any buttons.

Furthermore, you can use this feature to drag files, folders, images, text, and more with just three fingers on your trackpad.

Additionally, in this section, we will explain how to drag and drop with three fingers on Mac and what are the benefits of using it.

Follow below mentioned steps to use three fingers drag and drop on a Mac:

• To begin, click the Apple logo in the top left corner of your screen and select “System Preferences“.

• Next, select “Accessibility” from the left side menu.

• Then, in the Interaction section, select “Pointer Control.”

• After that, click the “Trackpad Options” button.

• Furthermore, turn on the switch next to “Use the touchpad to drag.”

• In addition, under “Drag style,” select “Three-finger drag” from the drop-down menu.

• Finally, click “OK” to save your changes.

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How to drag and drop with drag lock on Mac ?

Drag Lock is a useful feature that allows you to drag items on your Mac without holding down the trackpad or mouse button.

Furthermore, you can use this feature to drag files, folders, images, text, and more with ease.

Additionally, in section, we’ll show you how to drag and drop with drag lock on Mac and how to customize its settings.  

Follow below mentioned steps to use drag and drop with drag lock on mac:

• To begin, click the Apple icon in the top left corner of your screen.

• Next, select “System Preferences” from the menu.

• Then, choose “Accessibility” from the categories listed on the left side.

• After that, scroll down and select the “Pointer Control” option.

• Furthermore, click the “Trackpad Options” button.

• After that, activate the toggle next to “Use trackpad to drag.”

• Also, for the “Drag Style” option, select “With Drag Lock” from the drop-down menu.

• Finally, click “OK” to save your changes.

How to move files and folders on a Mac with Drag and Drop ?

Drag and drop is a convenient way to move, copy, or delete files and folders on a Mac.

Furthermore, it lets you use the trackpad or mouse to drag items from one location to another, such as from the Finder to the Trash or from the desktop to a folder.

In addition, drag and drop can also be used to transfer files between different apps, such as from Mail to Photos or from Safari to Pages.

In this section, we’ll show you how to use drag and drop on a Mac, and some tips and tricks to make it easier and more efficient.  

Follow below mentioned steps to move files and folders on Mac with drag and drop:

• To begin, click the Finder icon in your Dock to open a Finder window.

• Next, in the left pane of the Finder window, navigate to the folder that contains the file you want to move.

• Then, once you’ve located the file, click and drag it to the right pane that displays the contents of your other folders on your Mac.

• At this point, drag the file over the folder you want to move it to. A blue line will appear below the folder to indicate where the file will be moved.

• Finally, release the mouse button to place the file inside the destination folder. Consequently, it will be instantly moved from its original location to the new folder.     

How to drag and drop items from Mac to iPhone or iPad and vice versa ?

If you have a Mac and an iPhone or iPad, you can drag and drop to transfer files, photos, text, or links between them.

Specifically, this feature is called Universal Clipboard and it works with devices that are signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID.

Furthermore, you can use the Universal Clipboard to copy and paste items across your devices, or to drag and drop items from one device to another.

Next, in this section, we’ll explain how to use drag and drop from Mac to iPhone or iPad and vice versa, and some tips to make it work smoothly.

Follow below mentioned steps to drag and drop items from mac to iPhone and iPad and vice versa:  

On Mac

• Click the Apple logo in the top left corner of your screen to open the Apple menu.

• Select “System Preferences” from the menu.

• On the left side of the System Preferences window, select “Displays.“

• Scroll to the bottom of the Displays settings page and click the “Advanced” button.

• In the Displays section of Advanced preferences, toggle the switch next to “Allow the pointer and keyboard to move between any nearby Mac or iPad” to the on position.

• Once enabled, click “Done” in the bottom right corner to save your changes and close System Preferences.   

On iPad

• To begin, tap the Settings icon on your iPad.

• Next, go to General > AirPlay & Transfer.

• Then, move the switch next to “Cursor & Keyboard” to the on position.

• Importantly, please note that this feature is only available on iPad models that support Universal Control.

• Subsequently, when using your iPad and Mac together, make sure the appropriate app is open on the iPad before dragging items from the Mac.

• For example, open the Photos app before dragging a photo or use the Files app if you transfer a document.

Unfortunately, this feature doesn’t work with iPhones, but you can use apps like AnyTrans to transfer files between a Mac and iOS devices.

How to drag and drop multiple files on Mac ?

Sometimes, you may want to drag and drop multiple files on Mac at once, instead of one by one.

This can save you time and effort, especially if you have a lot of files to move, copy, or delete.

Furthermore, drag and drop multiple files on Mac is easy and simple, additionally you can do it in different ways.

For example, in this section, we’ll show you how to drag and drop multiple files on Mac using Finder, keyboard, or mouse. We will also give you some tips to make the process faster and smoother.

Follow below mentioned steps to drag and drop multiple files on Mac:  

• First, click and hold the mouse button near the files you want to select.

• Next, drag to surround the files in a box.

• Alternatively, to move a single file, place the mouse cursor over the file, then click and hold the mouse button while dragging it to another location.

• Additionally, to move multiple files, press Shift-click nearby files.

• Then, hold down and drag the mouse to the new destination.

• Finally, you can also use the Command key to copy files instead of moving them, or to drag and drop items between different applications.

How to fix drag and drop not working on MacBook ?

Drag and drop is a useful MacBook feature that allows you to move, copy or delete files and folders with ease.

However, sometimes drag and drop may not work properly on MacBook due to various reasons such as software crashes, hardware issues, or user preferences.

As a result, if you are facing this problem, don’t worry. Furthermore, in this section, we will show you how to fix drag and drop not working on MacBook with some simple solutions.

Moreover, we will also explain the possible causes of this problem and how to prevent it from happening again.

Follow below mentioned steps to solve the issue drag and drop not working on MacBook:

Check your mouse and trackpad

First, make sure they are clean, charged and connected correctly. Next, try using a combination of fingers or a different surface to drag and drop items.

Additionally, you can also adjust the cursor and click speed in System Preferences > Mouse or Trackpad.

Restart the Finder app

Sometimes the Finder app may freeze or crash, causing drag and drop to stop working.

As a result, to restart it, press Option + Command + Esc to open the Force Quit Applications window, next, select Finder, and then, click Restart.

Restart your Mac

Furthermore, restarting your Mac can fix many minor problems, including drag and drop not working.

As an alternative method, to restart your Mac, click the Apple logo in the menu bar and select Restart.

Enable Three Finger Drag

This is a gesture that allows you to drag and drop items on your Mac by tapping three fingers on the trackpad at once.

To enable it, firstly, go to System Preferences > Accessibility > Pointer control > Trackpad options > Enable dragging and select three-finger dragging from the drop-down menu.

Check your mouse or trackpad settings

Furthermore, you can change the left and right click settings of your mouse or trackpad to make it easier to drag and drop items.

For example, you can enable secondary clicking, which allows you to right-click with one finger on the trackpad or with the right mouse button.

To change this setting, firstly, go to System Preferences > Mouse or Trackpad.

Delete Plist files

Plist files are preferences files that store settings for various apps and features on your Mac.

Sometimes these files can become corrupted or outdated, causing the drag and drop process to malfunction.

As a result, to remove them, go to Finder > Go > Go to Folder and next, type ~/Library/Preferences.

Then, find the files starting with com.apple.finder or com.apple.systempreferences and move them to the Trash. Restart your Mac and see if drag and drop works again.

Perform regular maintenance on your Mac

Additionally, keeping your Mac clean and up-to-date can prevent many problems, including drag and drop not working.

Furthermore, you can use tools like CleanMyMac X or OnyX to scan and optimize your Mac for better performance and stability.

Also, you can also check for software updates by going to System Preferences > Software Update and installing any available updates.

Finally, these are some of the common ways to fix drag and drop not working on MacBook. If none of them work, you may need to reinstall macOS as a last resort.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Drag and drop is a fundamental Mac skill that allows you to organize and move items easily.

Furthermore, you can use your trackpad or mouse to drag and drop elements with ease.

Additionally, you can also use different dragging methods, such as three-finger dragging, lock dragging, or keyboard shortcuts, depending on your preference and convenience.

Moreover, drag and drop can also help you transfer items between different apps, like Mail, Photos, Safari, or Pages.

Therefore, with a little practice, you can master drag and drop on your Mac and be more productive and efficient.

Reference:

Frequently Asked Question’s (FAQ’s)