Believe it or not, the drag-and-drop gesture on macOS is smoother and more fluid than butter. Having driven, used, and robbed macOS for more than a decade (as a technology writer), I can vouch for the smooth sailing experience that this handy feature offers. Having said that, the “DAD” is not flawless or for that matter immune to issues. So, I’m not surprised to know that a good many folks have complained that the drag and drop is malfunctioning on their Macs. If this issue has derailed your workflow as well, now is the right time to bring life back to it. Read on to…
Fix Drag and Drop Not Working on Mac in macOS Sequoia
So, what has broken the drag-and-drop feature on your Mac? Well, from system glitches to incorrect trackpad or mouse settings, to interference from third-party apps, there are many reasons why this issue crops up on macOS.
1. Restart Your Mac
To get going, I’d recommend you restart your Mac as it can resolve temporary system glitches.
- To do so, click the Apple menu and select Restart.
- After that, wait for your Mac to reboot and check if drag and drop is working.
2. Check the Trackpad or Mouse
If you’re using a trackpad or an external mouse, make sure that it’s working without any glitches.
- On your Mac, head over to System Settings > Trackpad and check if gestures are enabled.
- If using a mouse, navigate to System Settings > Mouse and adjust the settings.
- Now, try using a different mouse or trackpad to see if the issue persists.
3. Force Quit Finder
More often than not, restarting Finder can help resolve UI-related glitches.
- To get it done, press
Command + Option + Escapeto open the Force Quit Applications window. (Or, click the Apple menu > Force Quit) - Select Finder and click Relaunch.
4. Check for macOS Updates
It’s no secret that updating macOS can fix bugs affecting drag and drop.
- To get going, click the Apple menu and go to System Settings > General > Software Update.
- If an update is available, install it and restart your Mac.
5. Reset Trackpad or Mouse Preferences
Be warned that the corrupt preference files can cause input-related issues.
- To do so, launch Finder and go to
~/Library/Preferences/. - Locate
com.apple.AppleMultitouchTrackpad.plistandcom.apple.driver.AppleBluetoothMultitouch.trackpad.plist. - Move them to the Trash and restart your Mac.
6. Disconnect and Reconnect the Mouse or Trackpad
If you are using an external device, disconnecting and reconnecting it may help.
- For a Bluetooth device, go to System Settings > Bluetooth, remove the device, and re-pair it.
- If using a wired mouse, unplug it and reconnect after a few seconds.
7. Restart WindowServer
It’s also important to point out that restarting the WindowServer process can fix UI-related issues.
- Press
Command + Option + Escape, force quit any unresponsive apps, and check if drag and drop works. - If the issue persists, log out and log back into your user account.
8. Boot into Safe Mode
Safe Mode allows you to disable third-party extensions that might interfere with drag and drop.
- To get it done, you need to first shut down your Mac and turn it on while holding the Shift key.
- Once in Safe Mode, check if drag and drop works. If it does, restart your Mac normally.
9. Create a New User Account
No luck as yet? No worries! A corrupted user profile might be causing the issue. Therefore, create a fresh one.
- Go to System Settings > Users & Groups and click Add Account.
- Create a new user, log in, and check if drag and drop works.
10. Check for Third-Party App Conflicts
Keep an eye on the conflicting Mac apps as they might be interfering with macOS functionalities.
- Uninstall recently installed apps and check if the problem is resolved.
- Go to System Settings > Login Items and disable unnecessary startup apps.
11. Reset Your Mac
If nothing has worked or helped you restore the drag-and-drop feature, erase your entire Mac and set it up from scratch. Be sure to back up your device along with all the important data before going for this radical measure.
- Click the Apple menu located in the top right corner of the screen > dive into System Settings > General > Transfer or Reset.
- Now, click Erase All Content and Settings and enter your administrator password.
- After that, make sure to confirm the action and follow the on-screen instructions to erase your Mac.
And that’s about it! These solutions should help you restore drag-and-drop functionality on your Mac. If the issue persists, consider contacting Apple Support for further assistance. Let us know which fix worked for you!
