Drag and drop on touchpad no longer working

When I try to drag and drop files in Macmail or Finder the touch pad will not allow me to grab the file

MacBook Air, macOS Sierra (10.12.6)

Posted on May 21, 2018 5:13 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 21, 2018 7:53 PM

Hello retype,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities! I understand that you are unable to drag and drop files on your MacBook Air. I would be happy to help point you in the right direction from here.

Let's start by confirming how your preferences are configured. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Accessibility. In the Mouse & Trackpad section, click Trackpad Options. Select “Enable dragging,” then choose one of the "drag lock" options from the pop-up menu. You can click the question-mark button to learn more about each option.

The following resource also provides additional information about your Mouse & Trackpad options:

macOS Sierra: Mouse & Trackpad pane of Accessibility System Preferences

Specifically, check out this section:

Enable dragging

Select the checkbox to be able to drag items.

To set dragging options, click the pop-up menu, then choose an option:

without Drag Lock: Double-tap an item, then drag it without lifting your finger after the second tap; dragging stops immediately when you lift your finger.

with Drag Lock: Double-tap an item, then drag it without lifting your finger after the second tap; dragging continues when you lift your finger, and stops only when you tap the trackpad once.

three finger drag: Drag an item with three fingers; dragging stops immediately when you lift your fingers.


Keep us posted if the issue persists after configuring that setting.

Cheers!

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3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 21, 2018 7:53 PM in response to retype

Hello retype,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities! I understand that you are unable to drag and drop files on your MacBook Air. I would be happy to help point you in the right direction from here.

Let's start by confirming how your preferences are configured. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Accessibility. In the Mouse & Trackpad section, click Trackpad Options. Select “Enable dragging,” then choose one of the "drag lock" options from the pop-up menu. You can click the question-mark button to learn more about each option.

The following resource also provides additional information about your Mouse & Trackpad options:

macOS Sierra: Mouse & Trackpad pane of Accessibility System Preferences

Specifically, check out this section:

Enable dragging

Select the checkbox to be able to drag items.

To set dragging options, click the pop-up menu, then choose an option:

without Drag Lock: Double-tap an item, then drag it without lifting your finger after the second tap; dragging stops immediately when you lift your finger.

with Drag Lock: Double-tap an item, then drag it without lifting your finger after the second tap; dragging continues when you lift your finger, and stops only when you tap the trackpad once.

three finger drag: Drag an item with three fingers; dragging stops immediately when you lift your fingers.


Keep us posted if the issue persists after configuring that setting.

Cheers!

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Drag and drop on touchpad no longer working

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