How to Enable or Disable Drop Tray in Windows 11

Written byRichardTech Writer, IT Professional

Apr 20, 2026 2 min read

This tutorial will show you how to turn the Drop Tray feature on or off in Windows 11. This feature works with your account.

What is Drop Tray?

Drop Tray makes it easier to files-from-windows-11-to-android-with-nearby-sharing/" class="sal-link" rel="noopener" target="_blank" data-sal-id="17126">share files in Windows 11. When you drag a file from File Explorer or your desktop using your mouse or touch, a tray appears at the top of your screen. You can drop the file into one of the apps shown. Or you can choose “More…” to open the Windows share window.

Drop Tray also lets you move files to a folder you pick. It works with multiple files at once. The tray shows the apps you use most, so sharing is faster.

Why Use Drop Tray?

Drop Tray saves you time. Instead of using menus, you just drag and drop. This is quicker and easier. If you don’t want the tray to appear, you can turn it off.

How to Turn Drop Tray On or Off

Option One: Use Settings

1. Open Settings by pressing
   💻GENERIC

   Copy

   Win+I

   on your keyboard.
2. Click System on the left side.
3. Click Multitasking on the right side.
4. Find the Drop Tray option. Turn it On (this is the default) or Off based on what you want.
5. You can now close Settings.

Option Two: Use Registry Editor

You can also change the setting using the Registry. Open Windows Terminal and run the command below. Or you can go directly to the Registry key and edit it yourself in Registry Editor.

Flag: This method requires admin privileges.

To Turn On Drop Tray:

This is the default setting.

reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CDP" /v DragTrayEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

To Turn Off Drop Tray:

reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CDP" /v DragTrayEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Summary

Drop Tray is a helpful feature in Windows 11 that makes sharing files faster and easier. You can drag files and drop them into apps or folders without using menus. If you don’t want this feature, you can turn it off. The easiest way is to use Settings and go to System > Multitasking. You can also change the setting using the Registry Editor if you prefer. Choose the method that works best for you.