Microsoft brings back a useful File Explorer feature ditched in Moment 4 update for Windows 11

If you're one of the Windows 11 users out there who missed the drag and drop functionality that once applied to File Explorer's address bar, well, you can breathe a sigh of relief - it's coming back.

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Microsoft is returning drag and drop functionality to File Explorer, thankfully (Image Credit: Microsoft)

This is the ability to grab a file in a folder and drag it over to place the file directly in another folder using the bar at the top of the folder window.

It's a pretty basic ability really, but it was removed with the Windows 11 23H2 Moment 4 update.

However, the good news is that Windows Latest reports that in testing, in the Beta channel (build 22635.3420) of Windows 11, drag and drop has been reinstated and is working fine. It should be back in stable versions of Windows 11 by the middle of the year, we're told.

Why was it removed in the first place, you might be wondering? Well, Microsoft previously told Windows Latest that it wanted to quickly ship a new File Explorer design, and clearly drag and drop wasn't playing ball in that revamp, so the software giant stripped it out as a temporary measure to allow for that redesign to be deployed.

The theory was that not many people use this facility, so Microsoft figured it wouldn't be missed all that much. Although we do sometimes use the feature, and we're sure we are not alone in that - so we doubt it's that infrequently used in all honesty.

All in all, this is a bit of an odd one, but at least Microsoft is putting things right and we should see the results within the next few months. Fingers crossed, anyway.

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