Drag and Drop

Drag & Drop is a fast method to move a file or folder. It can be done with the left or the right mouse button. There is a difference though. Left mouse button drag & drop in Windows Explorer is a quick method to move a file or folder. and Right mouse button is used to move or make and place a shortcut to an .exe file. To Drag & Drop an EXE file you must first make a folder and place the exe file in the folder, then that folder can be Drag & Dropped. Right mouse button drag & drop will move or copy a file or folder. Just like Cut, Copy & Paste it is available and works in many programs. Unlike Cut, Copy & Paste, Drag & Drop requires that the place you are moving a file from and to must be visible on screen at the same time. When you are talking about moving a file from one program to another, that might sound like you can't use Drag & Drop. However, that is not true. You can bring up both programs side by side on screen at the same time then use either right or left mouse button Drag & Drop. However, this is more time consuming than to just Cut or Copy & Paste. So, each tool should be used as per your skill level and as per each different circumstance.

Your file should be in your first folder. If not, put it there. Use "Cut or Copy & Paste" to put it there.

Select your 1st folder in the left window of windows explorer. This will display your file in the right window. Scroll the left window so that your 2nd folder is as close to being directly across from your file in the right window as possible. It will depend on what you named it as to weather you can get it directly across or not, but just get as close as you can. Now, in the right window do a little exercise. Put your cursor on the file and hold down the left mouse button, then while you hold it down, slide your mouse straight down in the right window about a half of the open space in the window then release the mouse button. Note that when you were "Draging" your file, there was a ghost of your file moving with your cursor. Be sure to stay in the right window. When you release, it seems to disappear. It just stayed in the right window where it was. Now, do the same thing with the right mouse button. This time when you released it. It looks like it is going to stay where you put it and a small pop up window appeared. The three items in the window are: "Copy Here", "Create a Shortcut Here" and "Cancel". Cancel just does what it says. (unusual for computer stuff). Create a Shortcut will be covered later. "Copy Here" is what we are concerned with now. Select "Copy here". Note that a copy of your file has appeared just under the original. Also, note that it is not named exactly as the original. Two files with the same name can not exist in the same folder, regardless of what is in the file. All this is just the practice to Drag & Drop your file.

Your 2nd folder should be across from or close to your files in the right window.

Place your cursor on your original file; Hold down the left mouse button and Drag the file (ghost) over directly to the left window at your 2nd folder until the folder automatically highlights. While you have the folder highlighted, release the mouse button. Select the 2nd folder to confirm that the file did go. If you attempt this with an EXE file, what looks like the file is not the file. (computer logic) It is just a short-cut to the file. Hmmmm! Quick way to make a short cut. Now, you know your file did go. Right Click your file in the right window. This will give you a pop up menu.

Select "Delete" to get rid of the file from the 2nd folder.

In the left window, Select your 1st folder to display the copy of your file in the right window. Now, we will do the same thing, except we will use a right button Drag & Drop this time. Again, line up the file as close as you can with the 2nd folder.

This time, use your right mouse button to Drag your file over to the 2nd folder in the left window. When the 2nd folder highlights, release the right mouse button. This time, you will get a pop up menu. The options are: "Move Here", "Copy Here", "Create a Shortcut" and "Cancel". "Cancel" only cancels the move. This is a necessary option because if you are working fast, it is easy to drop the file into the wrong folder. There is another safety for this mistake if you haven't done anything since the mistake. This is in the "Edit" pull down menu in the upper left of the screen. Usually the first item is "Undo". This will undo the last thing you did. Move Here and Copy Here are what they say and Create Shortcut will be covered later.

Select the "Move Here" option. As you do so, you will note that the file disappeared from the right window. If you had selected "Copy Here" the original of course would have remained.

Even though Drag & Drop has limitations, if you will practice with it, you will find it a very useful tool that works in many programs.