I Need Files to Move and Not Copy


W

win9598xp7

Member
Local time
4:38 AM
Posts
62
OS
Windows 11
On Windows 11, if I move a file/folder from one location to another (on the same drive), it just moves the file. But if I search a folder for a list of file types, then "Select All" and drag them from the search results window, it copies them instead of moving them (even if it's on the same drive).

Not sure why this is happening, as I haven't tweaked any of the system defaults regarding copying/moving files. Anyone know why this is occurring when trying to move files found from the Windows 11 search bar in a folder? I just want everything to move on the between folders on the same drive and not duplicate.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
did you try pressing the shift key
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x8gb 3200mhz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    benq gw2480
    PSU
    bequiet pure power 11 400CM
    Cooling
    cryorig m9i
  • Operating System
    win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    pentium g5400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    1x8gb 2400
    PSU
    xfx pro 450
Something is different on your machine as I copied what you did and the files were moved. I didn't get the option to copy. No help towards solving it but it seems it should work as you expect.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 22H2 22635.4291
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Ryzen 5 Pro 4650G
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B550M DS3H
    Memory
    16 Gb DDR4 3200 Corsaire Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    On CPU: Radeon Vega 7
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2312HM + Dell U2412M
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200 Dell U2412M 1920x1080 Dell U2312HM
    Hard Drives
    Crucial CT250P2SSD8 System; Sandisk SDSSDA240G Apps; Seagate 2Tb HDD Data
    PSU
    Corsair Bronze 550W
    Case
    No idea, got it from my son
    Cooling
    standard
    Keyboard
    Aukey KM-G12
    Mouse
    Micrsoft bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    300 Mbs
    Browser
    Brave / Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows / Malwarebytes
www.elevenforum.com

Change Default Drag and Drop Action in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to change the default drag and drop action to always copy, move, or create shortcut for all users in Windows 10 and Windows 11. When you drag and drop files and folders in Windows, they will get moved or copied by default based on the source and destination...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 Build: 26100.1742
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    4 x LG 23MP75 - 2 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    100/40Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.
Is there any chance that those are links? If you drag items from Quick Access, it will always copy instead of move. Could that be happening?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10/11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer
UPDATE:

Strangely enough, now I can't re-create this issue. I created a folder with several different file types, and now they all move by default. I suppose it's possible there were some archives included in the original search (thus trigging copy instead of move), but the behavior is no longer happening. Weird...

I did take a look at this link, and it applies changes by adding a "DefaultDropEffect" dword entry to both HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\* and HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects. I just checked my registry, and I do not have any "DefaultDropEffect" entry in either of those locations (and I've not changed anything yet).

Can I assume that is the default setting/behavior for Windows 11 already?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
I do not have any "DefaultDropEffect" entry...Can I assume that is the default setting/behavior for Windows 11 already?
Click to expand...

yes.

because the default .reg file in the tutorial removes with =-

option 5
Restore Default Drag and Drop Action

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*]
"DefaultDropEffect"=-

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects]
"DefaultDropEffect"=-
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x8gb 3200mhz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    benq gw2480
    PSU
    bequiet pure power 11 400CM
    Cooling
    cryorig m9i
  • Operating System
    win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    pentium g5400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    1x8gb 2400
    PSU
    xfx pro 450
One other thing to try that works is when using the mouse to copy/move instead of using the left mouse button use the right mouse button. With the right mouse button a dialog with pop up asking whether you want to move or copy.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7/10/11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    I'm a computer enthusiast so have quite a few systems that I run. More like an advanced hobby.
Thanks all for the info and confirming. I guess this was just a weird quirk, or something else was getting moved from a different location or archive that was triggering it (since Windows is already set to default behavior and I can't recreate it). So I'll assume that was just something weird about what I was doing in that once instance. Thanks all!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
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