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How to Drag and Drop

A mouse is a powerful tool for selecting files, with the 'drag and drop' function serving as a simple and essential skill for any computer user. Most programs and computers support drag and drop. Learning this practice can save you time...
Method 1 of 3:

Moving Files With Drag and Drop

  1. How to Drag and Drop Picture 1How to Drag and Drop Picture 1
    Turn on your computer. Decide the files that you want to move to a new location. Choose where that new location will be.
  2. How to Drag and Drop Picture 2How to Drag and Drop Picture 2
    Open folders on your computer. If you are using a Mac computer, open two Finder windows to access the files and the new location where you want to put them. If you are using a Windows computer, open the windows through the Start menu.
    1. If your files are located on the desktop, you should only open a window for the location where you want to move the files.
    2. If you are using a Mac, after you open the first window, go to the File menu at the top and select the option to open a new Finder window.
    3. If you are using Windows, you can simply minimize the first window and access the Start menu again to find the second window.
  3. How to Drag and Drop Picture 3How to Drag and Drop Picture 3
    Use your mouse to resize the folder windows so that they can be side by side on your computer screen. If your files are on the desktop, arrange your window next to the files on the desktop.
  4. How to Drag and Drop Picture 4How to Drag and Drop Picture 4
    Navigate to the folder where the files are. Move your cursor so it is to the top left of all the files you want to move. Left click the mouse and drag the cursor over the files until you reach the bottom right corner.
    1. Your files should be highlighted in blue to show they are selected and ready to drag.
  5. How to Drag and Drop Picture 5How to Drag and Drop Picture 5
    Release your mouse. The files should stay highlighted.
  6. How to Drag and Drop Picture 6How to Drag and Drop Picture 6
    Left click on a file and hold the button down.
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    Drag the files into the new folder. They will transfer and make a zipping noise as they are moved and saved.
    1. If your files stop being highlighted at any time, you will need to repeat the drag and drop.
    2. If you repeat this process but drag the files to a different drive, such as a removable hard drive, CD or zip drive, the files will not move, they will be copied.[1]
Method 2 of 3:

Selecting Files for Drag and Drop

  1. How to Drag and Drop Picture 8How to Drag and Drop Picture 8
    Notice if your files are not located consecutively in a folder. If this is the case, you will want to use your keyboard to help you select specific files before you drag and drop.
  2. How to Drag and Drop Picture 9How to Drag and Drop Picture 9
    Open your two folder windows and place them side-by-side.
  3. How to Drag and Drop Picture 10How to Drag and Drop Picture 10
    Go to the folder containing the files you want to transfer.
  4. How to Drag and Drop Picture 11How to Drag and Drop Picture 11
    Click the first file that you want to move and release the mouse button.
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    Press the 'Shift' key on a Windows computer or the 'Command' key on a Mac computer. Keep it depressed while you continue highlighting files.
  6. How to Drag and Drop Picture 13How to Drag and Drop Picture 13
    Click on additional files until you have highlighted all the files you want to move.
  7. How to Drag and Drop Picture 14How to Drag and Drop Picture 14
    Release your mouse and the Shift/Command button. Your files should remain highlighted in blue.
  8. How to Drag and Drop Picture 15How to Drag and Drop Picture 15
    Click on a single file that is highlighted. Drag it into the second folder. All the selected files should transfer.
Method 3 of 3:

Opening Files With Drag and Drop

  1. How to Drag and Drop Picture 16How to Drag and Drop Picture 16
    Open the program in which you want to open a file. Don't open a new document right away, because you will use the drag and drop function to do so.
  2. How to Drag and Drop Picture 17How to Drag and Drop Picture 17
    Open a window using the Finder program or Start menu. Locate your file. If your file is on the desktop you can skip this step.
  3. How to Drag and Drop Picture 18How to Drag and Drop Picture 18
    Click on the file and hold your left mouse button down. Drag the file to the icon of your open program. When it is hovering over the program, release your mouse button.
  4. How to Drag and Drop Picture 19How to Drag and Drop Picture 19
    Wait a few seconds. The program will open the file and bring it up on your screen. This function will not work if you try to open a file that is not compatible with the program you've chosen.[2]
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