Should I use move or grab?

grab for things people pick up and drag around a list or canvas, move for desktop-style windows and selected objects. Design tools often use move on a selected object and grab for panning the canvas.

Does move look the same on Mac and Windows?

No. Windows shows the four-way arrow from its Move role. macOS has no public move cursor, so check it in Safari and Chrome before you rely on its look.

Which Windows file is the move cursor?

aero_move.cur in C:\Windows\Cursors, stored under the SizeAll registry value and shown as Move in Mouse Properties.

cursor: move in CSS: the four-way arrow

cursor: move; Move your mouse over this box Cursors only appear with a mouse or trackpad. Open this page on a computer to see this one.

This is the cursor your browser and system draw for move.

What it shows

Windows draws Move (the SizeAll role, aero_move.cur), the four-headed arrow. macOS has no public move cursor, so each browser picks its own, and the result is not the same everywhere.

Usage

When to use it

Use it for

Panels and windows that can be dragged to a new position in a desktop-style web app.
Selected objects on a design canvas that are ready to be dragged.
Drag handles in editors where the handle moves the whole block.

Avoid it for

Sortable lists and cards on websites. Most people read grab and grabbing more easily.
Areas you pan around by dragging. That is grab, or all-scroll.

Code

Copy the snippet

CSS

.panel-header { cursor: move; }

HTML

<div class="panel">
  <div class="panel-header">Layers (drag to move)</div>
</div>

Support

Browsers and systems

Browser support for move
Browser	Support
Chrome	1
Edge	12
Firefox	1
Safari	1.2
Safari on iOS	no
Chrome on Android	18

The matching operating system cursor
System	Matching cursor
Windows role	SizeAll
Windows file	`aero_move.cur`
macOS	Move (look varies by browser)

Watch out

Gotchas

Chrome shows the same cursor for move and all-scroll, and so does Firefox on Windows.
Native HTML drag and drop ignores CSS during the drag. Use dataTransfer.dropEffect = 'move' there.

Free cursors

A custom move cursor

The same cursor from each of our packs, free under CC0. Move your mouse over one to try it, or open it for the .cur file, the PNG and the CSS.

FAQ

Questions

Should I use move or grab?: grab for things people pick up and drag around a list or canvas, move for desktop-style windows and selected objects. Design tools often use move on a selected object and grab for panning the canvas.
Does move look the same on Mac and Windows?: No. Windows shows the four-way arrow from its Move role. macOS has no public move cursor, so check it in Safari and Chrome before you rely on its look.
Which Windows file is the move cursor?: aero_move.cur in C:\Windows\Cursors, stored under the SizeAll registry value and shown as Move in Mouse Properties.

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