How to drag and drop on Mac with ease

Mastering Drag-and-Drop on Your Mac: A Comprehensive Guide

Drag-and-drop is a fundamental Mac skill, enabling seamless file movement, content rearrangement between apps, and much more. This guide explores various techniques, from basic one-finger or two-finger drags to advanced methods like Drag Lock and three-finger dragging, ensuring you harness the full power of this essential function.

Boosting Drag-and-Drop Efficiency:

Enhance your drag-and-drop experience with Filepane, a file manager offering quick actions based on file type and customizable destination folders.

Trackpad or Mouse Drag-and-Drop:

Whether using a trackpad or mouse, the process remains consistent:

1. Select the item (image, file, text).
2. Press and hold the mouse button or trackpad, dragging the item to its new location.
3. Release to drop.

For trackpad users finding one-finger dragging challenging, try using your thumb to hold the click while dragging with your index finger. Multiple file selection is achieved by drawing a selection box while holding the click.

Three-Finger Drag:

This method is particularly beneficial for users with repetitive strain injuries. Enable it via:

1. Apple Menu > System Settings > Accessibility > Pointer Control > Trackpad Options.
2. Turn on "Use trackpad for dragging" and select "Three-Finger Drag."

Drag Lock:

Drag Lock maintains the drag even when fingers leave the trackpad, ideal for reaching distant drop targets. Enable it using the same path as above, but choosing "With Drag Lock."

Moving Files and Folders:

Moving files within Finder is straightforward: drag and drop from the source location to the destination folder in the Finder's sidebar.

Mac to iPhone/iPad Drag-and-Drop (Universal Control):

Apple's Universal Control allows seamless drag-and-drop between Macs and iPads. Enable it on both devices using the same Apple ID:

Mac: System Settings > Displays > Advanced > Enable "Allow your pointer and keyboard to move between any nearby Mac or iPad."

iPad: Settings > General > AirPlay & Handoff > Turn on Cursor and Keyboard.

Remember to have the appropriate app open on the iPad (Photos for photos, Files for documents). This feature is not available for iPhones.

Enhancing Drag-and-Drop with Apps:

Consider using Yoink, Filepane, or NotchNook for a more streamlined drag-and-drop experience. These apps offer temporary staging areas, quick actions, and additional functionalities to simplify the process.

These apps, along with many others, are available through Setapp's trial. Mastering these techniques and utilizing helpful apps will significantly improve your Mac workflow.

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