This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable the Drag/Drop Tray feature for your account in Windows 11.
Starting with Windows 11 build 26100.4202 (24H2) and build 22631.5413 (23H2), sharing files in Windows is getting a lot easier and quicker with the Drag Tray feature. When you start dragging a local file with mouse (or touch) from File Explorer or your desktop, a handy tray appears at the very top of your screen allowing you to drop the file into one of the displayed apps or choose “More…” to open the Windows share window.
Starting with Windows 11 build 26220.6682 (Dev 25H2), build 26120.6682 (Beta 24H2), and build 27982.1 (Canary), Move to folder is gradually being added to the Drag Tray.
Starting with Windows 11 build 26100.7309 (24H2) and build 26200.7309 (25H2), the Drag tray now supports multi-file sharing, shows more relevant apps, and makes it easy to move files to a chosen folder. You can now turn drag tray on or off from Settings > System > Nearby sharing.
Starting with Windows 11 build 26220.7961 (Beta 25H2) and build 26300.7965 (Dev 25H2), based on feedback Microsoft is making some refinements to drag tray, using a smaller peek view to reduce accidental invocation and make it easier to dismiss when interacting near the top of the screen.
Starting with Windows 11 build 26100.8328 (24H2), build 26200.8328 (25H2), and build 28000.2179 (26H1), Drag Tray has been now renamed to Drop Tray. Microsoft is also moving the corresponding settings for Drop Tray from Nearby Sharing to now be under System > Multitasking.
Starting with Windows 11 build 26220.9202 (Beta 25H2), build 28020.2731 (Beta 26H1), build 26340.9212 (Experimental 26H2), build 28120.2738 (Experimental 26H1), and build 29648.1000 (Experimental Future Platforms) for Insiders, Microsoft is removing the Drag Tray experience. Microsoft is continuing to explore improvements in this area and look forward to sharing more about a future replacement experience in a later update.
Starting with Windows 11 build 26100.9168 (24H2), build 26200.9168 (25H2), and build 2800.2704 (26H1), Microsoft has removed the Drop Tray experience (previously named Drag Tray) for devices where it was available. It also removes the associated setting under Settings > System > Multitasking. Microsoft is continuing to evaluate the experience and explore future enhancements.
If you don't want to see the Drag Tray appear at the top of your screen whenever you drag a file, you can disable the Drag Tray feature.
- Option One: Turn On or Off Drag Tray for Current User in Settings
- Option Two: Turn On or Off Drag Tray for Current User using REG file
EXAMPLE: Drag tray
1 Open Settings (Win+I).
2 Click/tap on System on the left side, and click/tap on Nearby sharing (old) or Multitasking (new) on the right side. (see screenshot below)
3 Turn On (default) or Off Drag Tray or Drop Tray for what you want. (see screenshots below)
4 You can now close Settings if you like.
1 Do step 2 (on) or step 3 (off) below for what you want.
This is the default setting.
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CDP]
"DragTrayEnabled"=dword:00000001(Contents of REG file for reference)
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CDP]
"DragTrayEnabled"=dword:000000004 Save the .reg file to your desktop.
5 If you have Smart App Control turned on, you will need to unblock the downloaded REG file.
6 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.
7 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.
8 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
That's it,
Shawn Brink
