I have Windows 10, I can highlight, drag, and drop, but nothing moves but a shadow of the selected text

Hi there,

Thank you for posting your question here!

This issue on Windows 10 is usually caused by a temporary Explorer or input glitch. First, restart Windows Explorer by pressing Ctrl Shift Esc, right clicking Windows Explorer, and selecting Restart. Next, press the Esc key a few times and try dragging again, as Windows can sometimes think a drag action is still active. Also, make sure Tablet mode is turned off under Settings, System, Tablet.

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Best Regards,

Angelique P.

In Windows 10, dragging with the mouse only moves data if the application supports drag-and-drop text editing. If only a “shadow” or outline appears and the text does not move or stay where it is dropped, the behavior is controlled by the app, not by a Windows setting.

To move text reliably, use copy/cut and paste instead of dragging:

1. Select the text.
2. Press Ctrl+X to cut (or Ctrl+C to copy).
3. Click where the text should go.
4. Press Ctrl+V to paste.

If mouse control is difficult and Mouse Keys is enabled, the numeric keypad can be used to drag and drop items at the Windows level:

1. Turn on Mouse Keys:
   • Select Start > Settings > Ease of access.
   • Select Mouse and turn on Control your mouse with a keypad.
2. To drag an item: point to the item and press 0 on the numeric keypad.
3. Move with the keypad (1–9 keys) to the destination.
4. To drop the item: press the decimal point (.) on the numeric keypad.

This method moves files, icons, and other items in Windows, but text movement inside an application still depends on that application’s own drag-and-drop support.

References:

• Use Mouse Keys to move the mouse pointer