[Updated] Unable to click & drag Google Chrome tabs on your PC? Here are some solutions

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on Nov. 13, 2020) follows:

There have been reports on official Chrome forums by users saying that they can’t drag or rearrange Google Chrome tabs at all – both within a window as well as between windows.

Furthermore, users say that not being able to use this extremely essential feature has taken a toll on their productivity. Below are some of the complaints.

I’m having this issue too. As a content writer, I often arrange my tabs so it’s easier for me to navigate which topic/resources I could use next. The click-and-drag feature was beautiful, and when I tried to move tabs for the first time today, I was alarmed. Although I’m glad that I’m not the only one having an issue like this, I do hope that everyone has their Chrome issues resolved as well.
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Sometimes I can’t drag and move tabs around in Chrome unless I restart my computer (sometimes 2 or 3 times) before it works.
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Users facing this issue have an indispensable right to complain given the fact that the ability to drag tabs around is an essential feature, especially when cycling between a multitude of tabs or windows.

The problem isn’t just limited to a single platform as there have been reports from Windows, Mac, Linux, and even Chrome OS users.

I think it might not be a chrome issue, because i just installed firefox and it is having the same issue.
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It also appears that the issue can’t be attributed to Chrome alone, since a couple of users have stated that they are facing the same on other browsers like Firefox too.

Anyhow, you do not need to be frustrated for any longer, as we fortunately have a few workarounds to share.

1. Restore settings to default: The first thing you may try is resetting Chrome. In Chrome, head over to Settings > Advanced > Reset and clean up > Restore settings.

2. Check your extensions: Make sure there isn’t any out of the ordinary in your browser’s extensions section. A cranky extension/add-on could result in behaviors like these.

3. Use both mouse buttons: The other possible solution you may try to drag around tabs is the following:

It might sound silly but my fix was clicking both Left and Right mouse buttons at the exact same time.
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4. Check your keyboard/mouse keys: Given that there is evidence of the issue being present on multiple browsers and platforms, it is quite likely that your issue is hardware related.

The culprit could be some jammed key on either your mouse or keyboard. Make sure that you thoroughly inspect them, and if necessary, do a clean up.

I couldn’t move tabs, or close/manipulate tabs. Anytime I clicked a hyperlink, it opened a new tab. Turns out my middle click was stuck for some reason. Clicked it once to unstick it and after that, chrome worked fine.
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I managed to fix it; turns out my OS (Windows 10) somehow got convinced my F2 key was stuck down. Didn’t have the same issue on a laptop, booting the computer with the keyboard unplugged and then plugging it in post-boot solved it on my desktop.
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And that’s all for now. Let us know in the comments below if the above workarounds fixed the can’t drag Chrome tabs issue for you.

01:13 pm (IST): One of our readers has reported that they were able to resolve the issue by clicking the ‘CTRL’ button before trying to drag the tab to another monitor. You can give this a try for a potential fix.

Thanks for the tip: Kat Dollar!

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