Drag-and-drop which in Italian does not translate well " drag and drop " is the basis of Windows and is the way in which, keeping the left mouse button pressed, you can move or copy files, icons and programs between various windows, between folders and between disks . So far there is nothing new, but perhaps not many are aware of how drag and drop of icons from Windows is handled in different situations.
I am referring to the fact that, in some cases, dragging an icon from one point to another may be that the file or link is copied while in other cases it is moved .
When a file is copied, a duplicate is created in a different place if instead it is moved that file disappears from the original folder.
Although this behavior may seem random, it is not.
When you drag a file between two folders and both are on the same disk, then the item is moved.
When you drag a file from one folder on a disk or partition to another on a different hard disk or USB stick, it is copied.
The theory is therefore that, if the source and the destination are on the same drive, the user is probably reorganizing the Windows files while if the source and the destination are on different disks, Windows assumes that you want to make a copy of the file. .
However, this behavior can create misunderstandings and problems in some cases, therefore, and this is the point of this article, it is important to know how to change the behavior of dragging icons, choosing whether to copy, move or create a link of that file .
Method 1
The default drag behavior can be changed by pressing a key on the keyboard during the drag and drop operation.
Holding down the Shift key while dragging, you perform the move operation while if you hold down Ctrl, the result of the Drag And Drop operation is a copy.
If you hold down Ctrl and Shift together, dragging creates a file link without moving and copying anything.
Obviously this is very inconvenient.
Method 2
There is another way to change the default behavior.
Instead of using the left mouse button to drag files, try dragging the icons and files using the right mouse button .
When you release the file, a small menu appears asking you to choose what you need to do: Copy here, move here or create a link here.
This way there is no need to remember to press any key.
Method 3
If you want to fix the result of a drag and drop once and for all so that every time you drag a file from one folder to another, it is always copied or always moved, you can use a small tool called Drag 'n'Drop Editor . Just run the executable file and choose the operation you want to associate with the drag.
To restore the default behavior of Windows, just uninstall the program.
In another article, the tool with additional folder options for selecting, filters and ordering files.
