Dragging file with left mouse=Only copy? with right mouse=impossible?

When I drag in File Explorer a file with pressed left mouse button from one directory to another directory (on the same partition) then only a "Copy" operation is performed.

How can I tell Win10 to perform in such a case (always automatically) a "Move" operation?

Related other question:
When I try to drag a file with pressed (this time) right mouse button to another directory a context menu offers me some possible operations. This is normal.

When I drag now the same file to a shared folder (from another computer in LAN) then this is impossible. I little red "not possible" icon appears.

It cannot be a permission problem.
If I mark the file in File Explorer, right click, select "Copy" (or move) from context menu then select shared folder, right click and select "Paste" it works.

So I am allowed to copy+paste into the target remote shared folder.
But dragging is not possible.

Why?

I don't want to use keyboard shortcuts!

I would like to setup File Explorer for appropriate visual drag & drop

tobwen said:

When I drag in File Explorer a file with pressed left mouse button from one directory to another directory (on the same partition) then only a "Copy" operation is performed.
How can I tell Win10 to perform in such a case (always automatically) a "Move" operation?

Something I've noticed for a while now is that the Left Mouse Drag only shows the 'Move' option when I move files from C: to C:

Where as files from C: to a USB, or to an external HDD drive will only 'Copy'

You can change the default action: Change Drag and Drop Default Action in Windows

rboppy said:

You can change the default action: Change Drag and Drop Default Action in Windows

Wow, and the answer was right here under my nose the entire time!

Thanks!

Farvatten said:

Wow, and the answer was right here under my nose the entire time!

Thanks!

Your welcome!

This seems like a good place to mention that DefaultDropEffect can be defined for individual file system folders via a desktop.ini file:

Code:

[.ShellClassInfo]
IconResource=C:\WINDOWS\System32\SHELL32.dll,13
DefaultDropEffect=4
[ViewState]
Mode=
Vid=
FolderType=Generic

As always, the folder must have its ReadOnly attribure set for Explorer to process the desktop.ini file.

Farvatten said:

Something I've noticed for a while now is that the Left Mouse Drag only shows the 'Move' option when I move files from C: to C:
Where as files from C: to a USB, or to an external HDD drive will only 'Copy'

In Windows 9x and Me the default was always to Move with a left drag, except from Read-Only media like CD-ROMs. Those versions would also preserve the Read Only attribute on files copied from Read Only media.

Then in 2000 or XP, it was changed to make the default Copy when dragging files from one drive to another but Move when dragging within a single drive.
I find it easiest to always right click drag when I want to be sure of what will happen. Been doing that since Windows 95.