How do I make an element draggable using the draggable attribute?
Jun 28, 2025 am 01:11 AMThe draggable attribute enables elements to be dragged, but JavaScript is needed for full functionality. To implement drag-and-drop, first set draggable="true" on the element. Next, add a dragstart handler to define dragged data. Then use dragover on the drop zone to allow drops. Finally, handle the drop event to perform actions. For advanced features, consider libraries like SortableJS or React DnD.
Making an element draggable using the draggable
attribute is actually pretty straightforward — once you know how it works. You might be tempted to think adding draggable="true"
is all there is to it, and in a way, you’re right. But there’s more to making dragging functional than just that one line.
What does the draggable attribute do?
The Here’s the basic syntax: Setting Just setting A minimal working setup usually includes: Here's a simple example: You’ll notice that without calling While the native If your project requires advanced drag-and-drop functionality — say, building a kanban board or a visual editor — consider using a library like: These libraries abstract away a lot of the tricky parts and offer better cross-browser and cross-device compatibility. But for simpler tasks, like letting users rearrange items occasionally or enabling basic drag behavior, sticking with the native approach keeps things lightweight. So yes, draggable
attribute tells the browser whether an element can be dragged. By default, some elements like images or links are draggable in most browsers, but for other elements (like <div draggable="true">Drag me!</div>
draggable="true"
enables drag events on that element, but it doesn’t automatically define what should happen during drag operations. That means if you want something to happen when users start dragging or drop the element somewhere, you’ll need JavaScript.How to make dragging work with JavaScript
draggable="true"
isn't enough if you want to handle where the element gets dropped. For that, you'll need to use event listeners for drag events such as dragstart
, dragover
, drop
, etc.draggable="true"
on the draggable element.dragstart
handler to define the data being dragged.dragover
on the target drop zone to allow dropping.drop
event to perform the actual action.<div draggable="true" ondragstart="dragStart(event)">Draggable Item</div>
<div ondragover="allowDrop(event)" ondrop="dropItem(event)">Drop Zone</div>
<script>
function dragStart(event) {
event.dataTransfer.setData("text/plain", event.target.innerText);
}
function allowDrop(event) {
event.preventDefault(); // Necessary to allow drop
}
function dropItem(event) {
event.preventDefault();
const data = event.dataTransfer.getData("text/plain");
event.target.innerText = data;
}
</script>
event.preventDefault()
in dragover
, the drop won’t work in most browsers. It's a small but crucial detail many overlook.When to use draggable vs. custom drag libraries
draggable
attribute works fine for simple use cases, it has limitations. For example, it doesn't support touch devices well, and styling dragged elements or handling complex interactions (like snapping or constraints) can get messy quickly.
draggable="true"
is the starting point, but don’t forget the JavaScript glue that makes it actually useful. The good news is, once you understand the drag events and how they interact, implementing basic drag-and-drop becomes second nature.
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