---
title: "Code-along: Build powerful drag and drop in SwiftUI"
description: "Build SwiftUI drag-and-drop interactions with reorderable content, multi-item drag containers, preview formations, and move-aware drop configuration."
shoutout: "Unofficial, made with love by Superwall - the best way to monetize your apps."
category: "SwiftUI & UI Frameworks"
---

# Code-along: Build powerful drag and drop in SwiftUI


[Watch on Apple Developer](https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2026/271/)

Build SwiftUI drag-and-drop interactions with reorderable content, multi-item drag containers, preview formations, and move-aware drop configuration.

## TL;DR

- SwiftUI adds a reordering API built around `reorderable` and `reorderContainer`, letting views move items within and across collections by applying a `ReorderDifference`.
- `dragContainer` can customize what data is lifted for a drag, enabling multi-item drags such as moving a stack of Solitaire cards from a single gesture.
- `dragPreviewsFormation` and `dropPreviewsFormation` control how multiple dragged items are visually grouped, with options such as stack-like previews.
- `dragConfiguration`, `dropDestination`, and `dropConfiguration` let sources and destinations negotiate move/copy behavior and reject invalid drops based on app rules.

## Context: SwiftUI drag and drop expands beyond Transferable

The session builds a Solitaire game to demonstrate new SwiftUI drag-and-drop capabilities available in the 2027 releases. It assumes the existing model where app data conforms to `Transferable` and views use `draggable` and `dropDestination` to move content through the system.

The new pieces focus on app-local interactions: reordering ordered content, dragging multiple items from a single gesture, controlling drag/drop preview formation, and configuring whether a transfer should be a move or a copy.

- Use `Transferable` for data that participates in drag and drop.
- Use the new reordering APIs when content has an order that people should be able to rearrange.
- Compose lower-level drag/drop modifiers with `reorderContainer` when the default behavior needs app-specific rules.

## Enable reordering with `reorderable` and `reorderContainer`

The basic reordering model has two parts: mark the items that can be reordered with `reorderable`, then scope the interaction with `reorderContainer`. At the end of an operation, SwiftUI provides a difference that the app applies to its model.

For a single collection preview, the closure can directly apply the difference to an array. For the Solitaire board, one `reorderContainer` wraps all piles and uses a collection identifier type, `Card.Group`, so cards can move across multiple piles.

- Apply `reorderable()` to the `ForEach` or item collection that should participate in reordering.
- Apply `reorderContainer(for:)` around the shared container and update model state from the provided difference.
- When multiple reorderable collections share a container, pass a unique `collectionID` for each collection.
- Exclude non-draggable content, such as face-down cards, by rendering it in a separate `ForEach` without `reorderable`.

### Simple reorderable preview

Marks the card views reorderable and applies the resulting reorder difference to the backing array.

```text
#Preview {
    @Previewable @State var cards = [
        CardValue(rank: .ace, suit: .clubs),
        CardValue(rank: .ace, suit: .diamonds),
        CardValue(rank: .ace, suit: .hearts),
        CardValue(rank: .ace, suit: .spades)
    ]

    HStack {
        ForEach(cards) { card in
            CardFaceView(card: card)
        }
        .reorderable()
    }
    .reorderContainer(for: CardValue.self) { difference in
        cards.apply(difference: difference)
    }
}
```

### Multiple piles in one reorder container

Scopes reordering across all Solitaire piles and lets game logic handle moves between collections.

```text
HStack(alignment: .top, spacing: spacing) {
    ForEach(0..<7) { index in
        PileView(game: game, index: index)
            .frame(width: cardWidth)
    }
}
.reorderContainer(for: CardValue.self, in: Card.Group.self) { difference in
    game.moveCards(difference: difference)
}
```

## Model reorderable subsets correctly

The session avoids advanced filtering by changing the view structure: face-down cards are rendered separately from face-up cards. Only the face-up slice receives `reorderable`, so dragging a face-down card starts no reordering interaction.

- Use view composition to express what is reorderable instead of accepting every item and later rejecting some of them.
- Use stable item identity for reorderable views; the sample uses `id: \.value` for the face-up cards.
- Provide the collection identifier with `reorderable(collectionID:)` when a container manages multiple collections.

### Only face-up cards are reorderable

Splits the pile into non-reorderable face-down cards and reorderable face-up cards.

```swift
PileLayout {
    let index = firstFaceUpIndex

    ForEach(cards[..<index]) { card in
        CardView(card: card)
    }

    ForEach(cards[index...], id: \.value) { card in
        CardView(card: card)
    }
    .reorderable(collectionID: Card.Group.pile(index))
}
```

## Drag multiple items with `dragContainer` and preview formations

A `reorderContainer` implicitly provides drag-container and drop-destination behavior, but the app can add its own `dragContainer` to customize what transferable data is included in a drag. In the Solitaire sample, dragging a card can lift that card plus the cards stacked above it.

The visual grouping of dragged items is configurable. `dragPreviewsFormation(.stack)` changes the lifted preview, and `dropPreviewsFormation(.stack)` keeps the same appearance when the drag is over destinations.

- Place `dragContainer(for:)` near the `reorderContainer` when customizing reorder drags.
- Use the same item type for the `reorderContainer` and `dragContainer` so they work together.
- Return all transferable items that should participate in the drag from the `dragContainer` closure.
- Use `dragPreviewsFormation` and `dropPreviewsFormation` to make multi-item drags visually match the app's interaction model.

### Lift a stack of cards from one dragged card

Customizes the reorder drag so one card identifier expands into a stack of cards, then displays those previews as a stack.

```text
.reorderContainer(for: CardValue.self, in: Card.Group.self) { difference in
    game.moveCards(difference: difference)
}
.dragContainer(for: CardValue.self) { cardID in
    game.cardStack(startingAt: cardID)
}
.dragPreviewsFormation(.stack)
```

### Keep drop previews consistent

Applies the same stacked preview formation over drop destinations.

```text
VStack {
    // playing area
}
.dropPreviewsFormation(.stack)
```

## Configure move semantics and validate drops

The remaining Solitaire interaction moves a card from the remainder deck into a pile. By default, SwiftUI suggests copy semantics for a separate drag source and drop destination. The source uses `dragConfiguration(DragConfiguration(allowMove: true))` to express that a move is allowed, but the destination has the final say.

The destination adds `dropDestination` so the reorder container can accept inserted cards from outside the container, then adds `dropConfiguration` to compute the intended reorder destination, require `.move`, and reject invalid Solitaire moves with `.forbidden`.

- Use `dragConfiguration` on the source to express transfer intent, such as allowing move.
- Use `dropDestination` when a reorder container should accept new items, not only moves already inside the container.
- Use `session.reorderDestination(for:in:)` to read the destination computed for inserted reorder items.
- Use `dropConfiguration` to choose the `DropOperation`, provide a destination, and enforce app-specific validation.

### Allow moving a card from the remainder deck

Configures the source card so a drag can represent a move instead of only a copy.

```text
CardFaceView(card: currentCard.value)
    .draggable(containerItemID: currentCard.value)

.dragContainer(for: CardValue.self) { cardID in
    [cardID]
}
.dragConfiguration(DragConfiguration(allowMove: true))
```

### Accept and validate inserted cards

Lets the destination insert outside cards only when the session supports move and the game rules allow the computed pile destination.

```swift
.dropDestination(for: CardValue.self) { newCards, session in
    if let destination = session.reorderDestination(
        for: CardValue.self,
        in: Card.Group.self
    ) {
        game.insertCards(newCards, to: destination)
    }
}
.dropConfiguration { session in
    let alignedX = session.location.x - 0.5 * spacing
    let pile = Int(alignedX / (cardWidth + spacing))
    let destination = ReorderDifference<CardValue, Card.Group>.Destination(
        position: .end,
        collectionID: .pile(pile)
    )

    let allowed = session.suggestedOperations.contains(.move)
        && game.validateMove(session: session, destination: destination)
    let operation: DropOperation = allowed ? .move : .forbidden

    return DropConfiguration(operation: operation, destination: destination)
}
```

## Resources

- [Making a card game with drag, drop, and reordering in SwiftUI](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/SwiftUI/Making-a-card-game-with-drag-drop-and-reordering-in-swiftui)
- [Drag and drop](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/UIKit/drag-and-drop)

## Related Sessions

- [Meet Transferable](https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2022/10062)

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