Why is mac drag and drop not working on my computer?
Why is mac drag and drop not working on my computer?
Lately, I’ve run into a frustrating issue with my Mac where the drag and drop functionality just doesn’t seem to work. I used to effortlessly drag files, text, and images from one location to another, but now, nothing happens when I try. It’s like my Mac simply ignores the action. Initially, I thought it might be a temporary glitch, so I restarted my computer, but that didn’t solve the problem. I also noticed that other click-and-drag activities, like rearranging files in a folder or moving items on the desktop, are also unresponsive. This drag and drop issue is quite disruptive since I rely heavily on this feature for my daily tasks. Has anyone else experienced ‘mac drag and drop not working’ and found itself puzzled about the cause?
5 Answers
I too experienced ‘mac drag and drop not working’ right after an update. Here’s a lengthy but successful method I used:
1. I restarted Finder by clicking the Apple logo > Force Quit > Finder > Relaunch.
2. I checked in System Preferences under Trackpad to ensure gestures weren’t turned off.
3. Booted in Safe Mode to clear out caches.
4. Cleared system and user caches by navigating to /Library/Caches and ~/Library/Caches in Finder and removing the contents.
5. I created a new user account via System Preferences > Users & Groups, then logged into it to test drag and drop functionality.
6. I ran Disk Utility and selected ‘First Aid’ on my startup disk.
Performing these steps, I eventually solved the drag-and-drop issue, covering all potential areas where the problem might arise.
It turned out to be a permissions issue in my case. Here’s a quick solution: Go to System Preferences, then Security & Privacy, and head over to the Privacy tab. Unlock the settings using the padlock at the bottom, then make sure Finder has Full Disk Access. That instantly fixed the problem for me.
This drag and drop glitch sounds familiar to me. Here’s what I did to solve it: First, I updated all my apps to avoid compatibility issues. Then, I checked the System Preferences for trackpad settings, making sure all gestures were enabled. If that doesn’t help, booting into Safe Mode by restarting your Mac while holding the Shift key can clear out some cache files and maybe resolve the problem. Finally, if nothing works, try creating a new user account in System Preferences > Users & Groups to see if the issue is user-specific.
My solution involved a bit of a technical approach:
First, I updated my macOS, as outdated systems often create these annoying bugs. I then connected an external mouse to determine whether the issue was with the built-in trackpad.
Next, I deleted potential corrupted preference files:
1. Open Finder and use Shift + Command + G to navigate to ~/Library/Preferences.
2. Locate com.apple.finder.plist and com.apple.desktop.plist and delete them.
3. Restart Finder afterward.
I also had to reset accessibility shortcuts by going to System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts and resetting all to default.
Finally, a NVRAM reset helped:
– Turn off the Mac, then turn it back on while holding Option, Command, P, and R.
– Release them after 20 seconds when the startup sound plays.
These steps fixed the drag and drop issue on my Mac by addressing multiple potential causes systematically.