Windows 11 Drag & Drop to the Taskbar (Fix)

This program fixes the missing "Drag & Drop to the Taskbar" support in Windows 11. In the best case, such a simple and basic functionality will return to Windows 11 in October 2022. For now, we have to use workarounds in the OS that was supposed to "empower our productivity".

UPDATE: Windows 11 22H2 (build 22621 and 22622, released in September 2022) restores the drag & drop functionality natively, so this program is not longer needed. To learn how to update your Windows 11, please visit this page. You can still use this program if you're running an older version of Windows 11. In case you have troubles removing it, please read #issue 81.

Windows11DragAndDropToTaskbarFix works with the new Windows 11 taskbar and does not require nasty changes like UndockingDisabled or restoration of the classic taskbar. It doesn't change any system registry keys (except autostart for itself when manually configured) and does not inject any DLLs to other processes, so it's a very portable solution. This program will not interrupt further windows updates as it doesn't change any system files. It's an independent C++ process that does all the job.

Download Binary (Windows11DragAndDropToTaskbarFix.exe)

Install Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable x64

(in case you're getting the missing VCRUNTIME140_1.dll error).

Read the Changelog

View the source code (Windows11DragAndDropToTaskbarFix.cpp)

How Does It Work?

The program detects if you're currently pressing the Left or the Right Mouse Button and determines which icon on the taskbar you hover the mouse pointer on. If the cursor stays in the same area for definied number of milliseconds - it simulates the Win+T hotkey and arrow keys in order to restore the intended window, using a quite complicated method. It also supports dropping files to the "Show desktop" button (bottom-right of the screen). The program supports multiple screens, auto startup, and has many configuration options (please read below). Windows11DragAndDropToTaskbarFix has no auto-update function and never connects to the Internet, so you don't need to worry about your privacy.

You can click on the Mona Lisa Megan Fox tray icon to show menu that allows you to Check for updates, Read the changelog, Configure, Open program folder, Restart and Quit.

Custom Configuration: Autostart, Timings, Keys Remapping and more

It's possible to configure the program by creating a configuration file at the same location as Windows11DragAndDropToTaskbarFix.exe. The configuration file should be named: Windows11DragAndDropToTaskbarFixConfig.txt. You can automate this process by clicking on the Mona Lisa Megan Fox Tray icon and then Configure... from the menu. It will create the correct file and open the GitHub page for reference.

Please read a separate article: CONFIGURATION for details.

Limitations

• The program does not support pinning apps to the taskbar using the drag and drop gesture, and this feature is currently not planned. However, you still can pin apps to the taskbar by clicking on their icons with the right mouse button, and then "Show more options" -> "Pin to taskbar" from the list. Example.

• If the program does not work for you, and you're using the custom skin modifications / themes, please add the following line to your configuration file:

DetectKnownPixelColorsToPreventAccidentalEvents=0

• I'm not aware of any serious limitations in the current version. Please check #issues

How to Start or Quit the Program?

To use the fix, please simply download the binary file above (or compile it yourself) and start it as any other program. It works as an independent C++ process.

To quit this program, please click on the Mona Lisa Megan Fox Tray icon, and select "Quit..." from the menu. You can also kill Windows11DragAndDropToTaskbarFix.exe or Windows 11 Drag & Drop to the Taskbar (Fix) by the Task Manager.

Special Thanks To:

– Dr. Mona Lisa for creating this program. Please also check Unofficial Patch for Empire Earth II.
– Martin Morano for giving permissions to use his awesome "Mona Lisa Megan Fox" artwork, used as the program icon.
– zhongxia_87887 (veryicon.com) for providing the free alternative program icon, modified & enhanced by QuestYouCraft.

Before / After Videos

Videos recorded thanks to @Mohammad Suleman from ilovefreesoftware.com.

"VCRUNTIME140_1.dll" was not found error

If you get an error saying that "VCRUNTIME140_1.dll" is missing, please install Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable x64. Normally, these runtime libraries are installed by default on Windows 11. If you get this error then you most likely manually removed them before, using "Add or remove programs".

Donation?

If you love this software so much that you would like to buy me a cola, pizza, or anything else - you can make a donation using the button available on my other project's website: Click here. Please don't forget to mention in the donation message that it's for this fix, so I can spend it for other things than multiplayer servers for that game :)