Move files to external hard drive rather than copy

Question

I regularly move files from my desktop (C:) to my external hard drive (D:). However, when I drag files into my D: drive it copies it instead of moving it. Is there a way to change this?

Some background info:

-My C: is a SSD

-My D: is a NTFS formatted external HDD

Solution 1

Right click and Hold on the files/folders you want to move. Drag while holding. When you release you will be given the option to copy or move.

Solution 2

This is the default behavior of D&D on Windows Explorer, it will move on the same disk and copy between different disks.

You can specifically request move by holding down the Shift key and request copy when you press Ctrl while dragging (with the left mouse button). Similar Alt can be used to create links.

If you use instead the right mouse button for dragging it will actually ask you with a pop-up menu, so you do not have to remember the modifier keys.