How to Drag and Drop Multiple Files at Once in Windows
By Khushi Yadav
To drag several files at once in File Explorer, select them first: hold Ctrl and click each file you want, or click the first file and Shift+click the last to select a range (Ctrl+A selects everything). Then press and hold on any one of the selected files and drag; the whole selection moves together. Hold Ctrl while dropping to copy, or Shift to move.
Step by step
- Open the folder in File Explorer.
- Select the files using any of the methods in the table below.
- Point at any one of the selected files, press and hold the mouse button, and drag.
- Drop on the destination: another folder, the desktop, or an app that accepts files.
| To select | Do this |
|---|---|
| Individual files | Hold Ctrl and click each one (Ctrl+click again to deselect) |
| A range of files | Click the first, then hold Shift and click the last |
| Everything in the folder | Press Ctrl+A |
| A block of files | Drag a box around them, starting from an empty area |
If you click a file without holding Ctrl or Shift, the selection resets to that one file. Start the drag on a file that's already highlighted.
Copy or move: what a drag does
Explorer picks a default based on where you drop:
- Same drive: the files are moved.
- Different drive (for example a USB stick or network drive): the files are copied.
You can override it while dragging. Hold Ctrl to copy, Shift to move, or Alt to create shortcuts. A label next to the pointer shows what will happen before you let go.
For a choice every time, drag with the right mouse button. When you drop, Explorer shows a menu with Copy here, Move here and Create shortcuts here.
Dropping several files into an app
Most apps that accept file drops take a whole selection, but some set limits:
- Slack accepts up to ten files dragged into the message field at once.
- Email apps such as Outlook usually add each dropped file as an attachment; dragging a PDF into Outlook or Gmail covers each app's steps.
- Web pages accept drops only on their upload area. Drop elsewhere and the browser may try to open the file instead.
If only some files arrive, the app's limit is the likely cause. Drop in smaller groups. If nothing arrives and the app is running as administrator, Windows blocks the drop; why you can't drag into an elevated window explains the fix.
Copy and paste instead of dragging
When the destination is hard to reach with the mouse, copy instead: select the files, press Ctrl+C, open the destination and press Ctrl+V. Every selected file is pasted together. How to copy multiple files and paste them somewhere else covers that route, including files from different folders, and when drag-and-drop is the wrong choice lists the other cases where copying wins.
Keeping a group of files together for later
A selection lasts only until you click something else, and a copied file list lasts only until your next copy. To drag the same set of files again later:
- Staging folder. Copy the files into one folder, such as
Desktop\to-send, and drag from there. It survives restarts because it's on disk. Delete it when you're done. - Zip file. Right-click the selection, then Show more options > Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder. One file is easier to attach and can't lose a member.
- A clipboard shelf with stacks. Edge Drop, made by the team behind this site, lets you merge file and image cards into a stack by dragging one card onto another, up to 10 items per stack, and then drag the whole stack into a folder or app in one go. File members are references to the original files, so moving or deleting an original breaks that member. How to merge and split stacks in Edge Drop has the steps.
How to stage files between apps compares these approaches in more depth.
FAQ
Can I select files from different folders and drag them together?
Not from two separate Explorer windows. Search can help: a File Explorer search lists matching files from subfolders, and you can select several results and drag them together. Otherwise, copy them into one staging folder first.
Why does only one file get dragged?
The drag started on a file that wasn't part of the selection, which resets the selection to that file. Reselect the files and start the drag on one of the highlighted ones.
How do I cancel a drag halfway through?
Press Esc before releasing the mouse button, or drop the files back where they came from.
Related reading
- How to Copy and Paste Multiple Files at Once in Windows
- How to Merge and Split Stacks in Edge Drop
- Keep Files, Screenshots and Text Ready to Paste on Windows
- How to Stage Files From Several Folders, Then Send Once
Sources
- Shell Clipboard Formats (Microsoft Learn) — default copy when dragging between volumes; right-drag menu.
- Add files to Slack (Slack Help Center) — up to ten files per drag.
- Zip and unzip files (Microsoft Support) — creating a zipped folder.
Khushi Yadav writes Edge Drop's workflow and design guides and is a B.Tech Computer Science Engineering student. Khushi's posts are checked against Microsoft's documentation and the Edge Drop fact sheet.
GitHub · LinkedInCopy. Stack. Drop.
Transform your clipboard into an interactive edge shelf. Stack, pin, and drag assets into any app with zero friction.
Download for Windows Get from Microsoft Store
How to Install Guide · First 10 Minutes Guide · Drag & Drop Guide · Edge Drop vs Win+V · Support
Free · Lightweight · Privacy First