How to enable drag and drop to taskbar in Windows 11

One feature that users found useful in Windows was the ability to drag and drop files onto the taskbar to open them in the pinned program. For example, you can drag a text file from Explorer onto the Notepad icon on the taskbar to open it.

Microsoft removed this feature from Windows 11, along with quite a few options, not to mention the usability of the entire context menu. Martin has a good article that talks more about the status of the taskbar in the latest operating system.

If you were using Drag and Drop in older versions of Windows and want to get it back, in Windows 11, there is something you can do. Like some other fixes we’ve seen, this also requires a third-party fix.

How to Restore Drag and Drop to Taskbar in Windows 11

The utility you will need to restore the feature is called Windows 11 Drag & Drop to Taskbar (Pin). The name is a bit on the nose, but the program works quite well. Download the executable from GitHub. It is portable software that creates a configuration file in the same folder. Run the program and an icon will appear in the system tray. This indicates that the application is active, it needs to be running for the functionality to restore.

To test if it works as expected, open any application in which you want to open files. For example, Notepad. Minimize the window and switch to Explorer. Drag a text document over the Notepad icon, hover your mouse over the preview pane that appears, and click it. The file will open in the text editor.

Note: You must have Microsoft Visual C ++ 2015-2022 Redistributable x64 installed on your computer; otherwise the tool will not work.

How does it work?

When you drag something to the taskbar, the tool waits a few milliseconds to see if the action is valid and simulates the Win + T hotkey. This shortcut is typically used to switch between the windows of a program on the toolbar. tasks, but the app uses it to open files.

The only downside of the program is that it cannot be created to pin shortcuts to the taskbar and, according to the project site, this function is not being worked on.

Windows 11 Drag and Drop to Taskbar (Fix) is an open source application, you can find the source code in the project’s GitHub repository. Right-click on the taskbar icon and select the Configure option; To modify your settings, you will see the configuration file open in a Notepad window. The documentation programs list various options that you can add based on your requirements, so read on. The tool works out of the box, but it never hurts to have more options. Users using a custom theme may want to look into the settings that check pixel colors, to prevent the tool from accidentally detecting a mouse action such as a drag.

As for an official fix, Windows Latest reports that Drag and Drop to Taskbar will be added in Windows 11 22H2, which could arrive in a few months.

What feature do you miss in Windows 11?

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