How to set the default drag and drop file behavior on Windows 10

Windows has two default actions when you drag and drop a file or folder to a new target location in File Explorer: Copy or move, depending on the target. However, there is a hidden registry trick that allows you to change this default behavior in Windows 10.

Windows 10 default behavior

By default, Windows copies anything you drag and drop to a folder on another drive and moves it if you drag and drop it to another folder on the current drive.

Although you can change the drag and drop behavior with keyboard shortcuts, it's a temporary solution and requires you to press the key whenever you want to move or copy items. Here's how you can force Windows to change copy or move behavior, regardless of whether you are dragging items to the same drive or not.

Change drag and drop behavior of files or folders through Registry Editor

Registry Editor is a powerful tool. If abused, it can make your system unstable or even inoperable. However, this is a fairly simple trick. As long as you follow the instructions, there will be no problems.

If you've never worked with Registry Editor before, you might want to read a bit of information about the Windows Registry before getting started. Remember to back up the registry and computer before you make the following changes.

For added security, you may want to create a System Restore before proceeding. This way, if something goes wrong, you can go back to the time before things went wrong.

To change the default behavior, you will need to edit two registry entries. When you're ready, open Registry Editor and navigate to the following key in the left sidebar:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT*

Once here, right-click on the * folder and select New> DWORD (32-bit) Value . Name the value as DefaultDropEffect.

Now, you will modify that value to always copy or always move files and folders as the default drop behavior. There are 4 values ​​you can use with different effects. Although we will only be interested in two of the actions, you can see a summary of these options as follows:

1. Default action (0) : Let Windows decide to copy or move files and folders when you drag and drop it into place.
2. Always copy (1) : A copy of the file or folder will always be placed at the destination.
3. Always move (2) : The file or folder will move to the destination.
4. Always create a shortcut (4) : A link to the original file or directory will always be placed at the destination.

Double-click the new DefaultDropEffect value to open the edit window and enter 1 or 2 , depending on how you want to copy or move files or folders. In this example, the article will use 1 to always copy files or directories. When done, click OK.

Next, navigate to the second key and repeat the steps above; Create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value , name it DefaultDropEffect and set the value to 1.

Use the left sidebar to navigate to the following key (or copy and paste it into the Registry Editor address bar):

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTAllFilesystemObjects

Right-click on the AllFilesystemObjects folder and select New> DWORD (32-bit) Value . Name the new DWORD as DefaultDropEffect.

Now, double-click the new DefaultDropEffect value , set the Value data box to 1 , and then click OK to close the window.

You can now close Registry Editor and the changes will take effect immediately, no need to restart the computer.