Microsoft 365 users can now reorder items in Microsoft Lists by dragging and dropping them. This article provides detailed instructions on using this feature, including its capabilities, requirements, and limitations.
The drag and drop feature in Microsoft Lists allows you to move items around to customize the order of your list. This feature is particularly useful when you need a specific arrangement of items for better organization.
Setting up your list to enable drag and drop
Before you start, make sure that the list view is in Custom Order sort or has no sort applied. Drag and drop does not work on lists with sorts already applied. To use drag and drop on a sorted list that is in Custom Order, make a new view without sort applied, and then use that view for drag and drop.
Drag and Drop to Reorder Items
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Open your list in Microsoft Lists.
If you need to explain a concept, or they have to do pre-requisite steps, add a quick summary below the step where they need it, and link to the concept or steps.
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Ensure the list view is in Custom Order sort or has no sort applied.
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Select and hold the item you want to move.
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Drag the item to the desired position and release.
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Once you drag and drop an item, your list view sort order will be in Custom Order sort.
Drag and drop with different views
Drag and drop reordering is supported in various views, including board, gallery, and grid views. Additionally, it works with the group by and filter options.
Changes to item order will change the order of all items relatively in the list, even if they’re filtered or grouped differently in other views. You can see a clearer example of this with a smaller item list below.
There are several considerations to be aware of when using the drag and drop feature:
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There is no undo/redo button for drag and drop actions. However, you can drag and drop the items back to its original order.
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Applying any sort order to the view will override the Custom Order sort and disable the drag and drop feature.
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Reordering an item will trigger updates to the list item, which may activate any automation or alerts tied to item updates.
Use a screen reader to reorder items in Microsoft Lists
Use Microsoft Lists with your keyboard and a screen reader to reorder items. We have tested it with Narrator, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.
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Select the list you want to edit.
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Press the Tab key with Narrator until you hear: ""
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Press the Down or Up arrow key until you hear the list item you want to edit.
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Press the Right arrow key until you hear "More Actions" then press Enter.
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Tab with Narrator until you hear "More Menu Item" then press Enter.
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Tab with Narrator until you hear "Move item up one position in the list" or "Move item down one position in the list" then press Enter. Note you might only hear one instead of both of these if you're looking at the first or last item of the list.
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If your move was successful, you should hear Narrator announce "Alert: Moved [Item Name]".
