What is HTML5 Drag and Drop?
HTML5 Drag and Drop allows users to drag web page elements to a new location through the mouse. 1. Set draggable="true" to make the elements draggable; 2. Use dragstart, dragover, drop and other events to handle drag and drop; 3. Call preventDefault() in dragover to allow placement; 4. Use dataTransfer object to pass data; 5. Note that the mobile terminal needs additional processing. This function is built into modern browsers and is suitable for scenes such as list sorting, file uploading, etc., making the interaction more intuitive.
HTML5 Drag and Drop is a feature that allows users to grab elements on a webpage and drag them to another location using the mouse. It enables independent, interactive behaviors—like moving files, reordering lists, or placing items into designed areas—without needing third-party libraries or complex JavaScript.

This functionality is built directly into modern browsers through the HTML5 Drag and Drop API , which provides events and methods to control what happens during drag operations.
How It Works
The process involves two main parts:

- The draggable element – the item being moved.
- The drop zone – the target where the item is released.
You can make any HTML element draggable by setting the draggable="true"
attribute, then use JavaScript to handle the drag-and-drop events.
Key Drag and Drop Events
Here are the core events used in the API:

-
dragstart
– fired when the user starts dragging an element. -
drag
– fired continuously while the element is being dragged. -
dragend
– fired when the dragging ends (eg, mouse released). -
dragenter
– fired when the dragged element enters a valid drop target. -
dragover
– fired continuously while the dragged element is over a drop target (you usuallypreventDefault()
here to allow drops). -
dragleave
– fired when the dragged element leaves the drop target. -
drop
– fired when the user releases the dragged element over a valid drop zone.
Basic Example
<div id="dragElem" draggable="true" style="width:100px; height:100px; background:blue;"> Drag me! </div> <div id="dropZone" style="width:200px; height:200px; background:gray; margin-top:20px;"> Drop here </div> <script> const dragElem = document.getElementById('dragElem'); const dropZone = document.getElementById('dropZone'); dragElem.addEventListener('dragstart', (e) => { e.dataTransfer.setData('text/plain', dragElem.id); }); dropZone.addEventListener('dragover', (e) => { e.preventDefault(); // Required to allow drop }); dropZone.addEventListener('drop', (e) => { e.preventDefault(); const data = e.dataTransfer.getData('text/plain'); const draggedElement = document.getElementById(data); dropZone.appendChild(draggedElement); }); </script>
Common Use Cases
- Reordering list items (eg, task lists)
- Uploading files by dragging them into a browser
- Building dashboards where widgets can be moved
- Game interfaces (eg, puzzle pieces, card games)
Things to Keep in Mind
- By default, text, images, and links are draggable in most browsers.
- You must call
e.preventDefault()
indragover
anddrop
to allow dropping. - The
dataTransfer
object is used to pass data (like IDs or text) between drag and drop events. - Mobile support is limited—native HTML5 drag and drop doesn't work well on touch devices without polyfills or special handling.
Basically, HTML5 Drag and Drop makes web apps feel more dynamic and user-friendly, and it's surprisingly simple to implement for basic tasks.
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