Problem with Drag and Drop In Audacity

[skyy38]

For some strange reason, I can't load multiple tracks in ONE instance of Audacity like I used to do.

Drag and Drop doesn't work and neither does "opening" the file, because it just generates another instance of Audacity and THEN the track(s) in question show up, but only ONE file per instance of Audacity.

I believe I'm running 2.3.0 and I use Windows 10.

Could all of the above be the main reason for 2.3.1? Should I DL it to get rid of my problem(s)?

Thanks!

[waxcylinder]

If you use Open it will create a separate Audacity project. You need to use Import.

I have no problem with drag&drop on my W10 PCs - so I'm puzzled by your report.

WC

[Roswell422]

I too am having this issue. It only started when I updated to the latest version. I'm currently running Windows 7 and version 2.3.1.

[steve]

I too am having this issue. It only started when I updated to the latest version. I'm currently running Windows 7 and version 2.3.1.

Audacity only supports importing audio files by drag and drop. It does not support drag and drop for projects.

[Roswell422]

I too am having this issue. It only started when I updated to the latest version. I'm currently running Windows 7 and version 2.3.1.

Audacity only supports importing audio files by drag and drop. It does not support drag and drop for projects.

The problem is with audio files though, not projects.

[steve]

The problem is with audio files though

What sort of audio files? What is the file format?

What is the full and exact error message when you attempt to drag and drop one of these files into an Audacity project?

What happens if you try to import these files using "File menu > Import > Audio"?

[Roswell422]

What sort of audio files? What is the file format?

All audio files. WAV, FLAC, and MP3 all give me the same issue.

What is the full and exact error message when you attempt to drag and drop one of these files into an Audacity project?

There's no error message. There's just a black circle with a slash through it when I try to drop the file into the program. I used to be able to do it no problem, but since this latest update, I've been unable to.

What happens if you try to import these files using "File menu > Import > Audio"?

I'm still able to do that, but it's a little too time consuming for me.

Also, I should note that the program takes a long time to load now (or freezes up) if I open it normally. I have to run it as an admin in order to get it to load at all, and even then it doesn't always load right away.

[steve]

I have to run it as an admin in order to get it to load at all

You should never run any programs as an admin except for when you want to make changes to the operating system.

In the case of Audacity, running as an admin will cause Audacity to use the wrong preference settings, and may cause problems with file permissions. This "could" be the cause of the drag and drop problem.

I'd suggest that you uninstall Audacity from your computer, then reboot the computer. Wait until the computer is fully rebooted, then:

• Download "Audacity 2.3.1 installer (22.22 MB, includes user manual)" via the Audacity website: https://www.audacityteam.org/download/windows/
• Run the installer and look out for the option to "Reset Preferences". Select that option when it appears.
• Continue the installation, and confirm that you wish to reset preferences when prompted.

Then check to see that you can run Audacity with your normal log-in account.

[waxcylinder]

I cannot reproduce this - I can select multiple audio files from my desktop and drag&drop them into Audacity just fine.

Plus I run Audacity from several accounts
a) an admin account
b) a non-privileged account I use for QA testing
c) a non-privileged account I use for documentation (the Manual)

and drag&drop of audio files works fine in all three use cases.

WC

[Roswell422]

I'd suggest that you uninstall Audacity from your computer, then reboot the computer. Wait until the computer is fully rebooted, then:

• Download "Audacity 2.3.1 installer (22.22 MB, includes user manual)" via the Audacity website: https://www.audacityteam.org/download/windows/
• Run the installer and look out for the option to "Reset Preferences". Select that option when it appears.
• Continue the installation, and confirm that you wish to reset preferences when prompted.

Then check to see that you can run Audacity with your normal log-in account.

That seemed to work. No troubles with it now. Still curious why it was an issue though.