Search Unity

  1. Megacity Metro Demo now available. Download now.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Unity support for visionOS is now available. Learn more in our blog post.
    Dismiss Notice

Can't drag objects in the scene view

Discussion in 'Editor & General Support' started by Martin12, Nov 13, 2013.

  1. Martin12

    Martin12

    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2013
    Posts:
    6
    Hi, I'm just learning Unity and I can't figure out why I'm unable to click-and-drag objects. It's been working fine for days, and now suddenly I can only move objects by their widgets. Trying to drag them directly just results in an empty selection box. I've uninstalled, reinstalled, made a new project, restarted, and reset the interface to factory settings and nothing seems to help.

    Does anyone have any idea what to do about this? I upgraded to 4.3 today if that's relevant...
     
    jacobzak11 likes this.
  2. brilliantgames

    brilliantgames

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2012
    Posts:
    1,937
    Click and drag objects? You mean select and move their position? Or dragging prefabs into your scene from the project window?
     
  3. Martin12

    Martin12

    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2013
    Posts:
    6
    I mean selecting and moving their position in the scene view.
     
  4. cparki3

    cparki3

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2014
    Posts:
    41
    I was just having the same issue and pulling my hair out. Turns out I had my Sprite renderer collapsed. In the inspector window, make sure the components are expanded. Im my case it was the sprite renderer, but I'm not sure what you're working on.

    Cheers!
     
  5. outtoplay

    outtoplay

    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2009
    Posts:
    741
    I just had this same problem. Is this on purpose? Really?
     
  6. Yarbius

    Yarbius

    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2014
    Posts:
    22
    OMG this was driving me CRAZY. Thanks cparki3!
     
  7. MadManAdam

    MadManAdam

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2014
    Posts:
    3
    I had the same issue as well… would have never thought to see if the sprite renderer being collapsed was the culprit, crazy.
     
  8. BomboBombom

    BomboBombom

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2016
    Posts:
    6
    Do not even see a sprite renderer anywhere on my screen, having the same issue anyway
     
  9. zeyadyasser101

    zeyadyasser101

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2016
    Posts:
    1
    I had this problem too. It was driving me crazy but I found a solution which was so obvious that I laughed.
    Make sure you select this tool as the attached image.
     
  10. xtiano

    xtiano

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2014
    Posts:
    45
    i had the same problem i just rebooted unity and it worked again
     
    Jvaters and Younesdk like this.
  11. Mr_waffles

    Mr_waffles

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2016
    Posts:
    1
    This is pretty easy but it doesn't fix it works so first you wanna create a New Folder. Then go to the the stuff you wanna import into the scene Select all the files scripts models and then click Copy Then go to the folder that you created in your project folder then right click on it then go to Show In Explorer then paste all the files you copyed into the folder

    I hope this helps you ALL!!
     
    ChristopherCarvalho likes this.
  12. Sakim2010

    Sakim2010

    Joined:
    Mar 20, 2017
    Posts:
    1
    I'm new to unity too and just had the same issue...for me, I wasn't clicking the "two arrows crossed" wala button
     
  13. zchek

    zchek

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2014
    Posts:
    7
    For me the move arrows were miles away from the actual object, fixed by hitting 'center' button.
     
  14. fred100

    fred100

    Joined:
    Apr 17, 2017
    Posts:
    1
    I just installed unity and tis is like the 2 time is have happened, I just cant see the plane or what ever I placed it seems like it is running from me
     
  15. Hashtagz

    Hashtagz

    Joined:
    May 27, 2017
    Posts:
    1
    I was having this issue as well, I did not see my solution up here so here it is.

    Above the scene there should be three tabs: Scene, Game, and Asset Store. If you click on Game by accident it will put you into what the camera can view and won't let you edit anything in the scene.

    Hope this helps someone, but I'm sure this will only apply to someone as new as me. :)
     
  16. himerlandest

    himerlandest

    Joined:
    Nov 30, 2017
    Posts:
    2
    I have a same problem just now,then I find a solution ,you can try close the unity,and reopen the project
     
  17. Pinkuboxu

    Pinkuboxu

    Joined:
    Mar 20, 2014
    Posts:
    54
    I've had this problem for a year or maybe two. I no idea how to reproduce it, so I don't know how to report it as a bug, but it doesn't ONLY mean I can't move objects in the editor... for me it ALSO means that objects like a piece of clothing with a SMRenderer on them won't follow the root of the main object like a character. So the render box follows the character fine but the mesh stays in one spot and cannot be moved even in code. Restarting doesn't always fix it, it's like the object gets bugged an I have to recreate the object, and that doesn't always work. If I could reproduce it I'd put it on the issue tracker unless it's there already and I just don't see it. It doesn't seem to be something I can make happen intentionally, it just seems to happen at very inconvenient times.
     
  18. Novice_P

    Novice_P

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2018
    Posts:
    1
    Just try to set [Texture type] to "Sprite" in inspector window and press "sprite editor", then you can drag it.
     
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2018
    sklao likes this.
  19. kaCheen

    kaCheen

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2018
    Posts:
    1
    This worked for me. After changing the Image Material, the hand tool worked properly again.
    Edit - As soon as I added an image the hand tool reverted back to not working properly and changing the Image Material isn't working this time...
     
  20. KodeFromSteam

    KodeFromSteam

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2019
    Posts:
    1
    The fix for me was exiting out of the scene window and going back in it
     
    danielmblackwell likes this.
  21. OxygenInvestor

    OxygenInvestor

    Joined:
    May 20, 2019
    Posts:
    4
    Wow, even two years later this is astronomically helpful
     
    Rysak_Play1 likes this.
  22. ryooo321

    ryooo321

    Joined:
    May 22, 2019
    Posts:
    3
    In my case, It has beed fixed after reboot OS.
     
  23. chadly27

    chadly27

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2019
    Posts:
    1
    When trying to select see if you are actually selecting an background object. Maybe what you are trying to grab is position behind something on the z axis. Its happened to me in 2-D mode.
     
  24. Mushakushi

    Mushakushi

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2018
    Posts:
    21
    I am using unity 2019.2.2f1 and was could not scale, rotate, or move any of my game objects in the scene view -- I could in the inspector. The solution that worked for me was to delete all the of the objects in the scene and undo the delete. For some reason, when I was using pro builder and grids, I got this bug.
     
  25. unity_dsy8VCyAqsblog

    unity_dsy8VCyAqsblog

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2019
    Posts:
    1
    Im having the dragging things from scene to project window
     
  26. JeffDUnity3D

    JeffDUnity3D

    Joined:
    May 2, 2017
    Posts:
    14,446
    Sorry what? Please restructure your sentence.
     
    The_Thinker likes this.
  27. Rivomist

    Rivomist

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2016
    Posts:
    9
    Same problem here: while turning on Move Tool i have no arrows on the tool itself, switching to Rect Tool makes it impossible to drag selected object (holding left mouse on rect or rect borders simply causes deselect). It starts pretty accidentally, and disappears same suddenly and by chance.
     
  28. LOGmedia

    LOGmedia

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2017
    Posts:
    10

    I found the solution - in mean time I lost all my hair ;) :
    Zoom out (on Mac OS I do this by scrolling in/out on the mouse). The arrows to move the object immediately show up and the object can be moved, scaled, rotated.... works like a charm knowing this! Must be a bug...
     
    SentreStage and Vire7777 like this.
  29. dbusby111

    dbusby111

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2019
    Posts:
    3
    I had the same issue. Rebooted unity and my PC, no fix. I selected the Object Selection tool in the Scene window shown in the attached pic and it fixed it.
     

    Attached Files:

    Alex_NGU97 and RegisVe like this.
  30. GrayLightGames

    GrayLightGames

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2015
    Posts:
    30
    The only thing that helped me was the first non-accepted answer in this post:
    https://answers.unity.com/questions...936.175695022.1575930265-571167265.1564355270

    I restarted unity and my machine to no avail.

    Then I closed the scene tab and added it back to my window... arrows are back and objects are movable. Weird issue, I'm using 2018.2.10f1... worth a try in your project for sure if the other solutions don't help.
     
    simulism and siboxgs like this.
  31. ecv80

    ecv80

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2017
    Posts:
    28
    In my case the fix goes:
    *Select (click on) Rect Transform object (using the Rect Tool)
    *Click anywhere outside the Scene (Hierarchy, Tool bar, Tab bar...)
    *Click and hold to move the selected Rect Transform object

    But I have to do this each and every time for every new object I want to move, and if I press CTRL+Z for the selected object as well.

    @LOGmedia 's fix of zooming out worked a little while for me, and then somehow stopped working.
    All other proposed solutions fixed it only for one time and then stopped working or didn't fix it.

    It does feel like a bug.
    I'm trying to move Rect Transforms in a canvas that use an Image script on them and canvas renderers, not sprite renderers.
    This is 2019.2.0b7 for Linux and I have the feeling it's happened to me in previous versions as well.
     
  32. Paprik

    Paprik

    Joined:
    May 25, 2014
    Posts:
    14
    In my case, the problem was that the parent had 0, 0, 0 scale. This also seems to stop you from being able to move its children.
     
  33. RegisVe

    RegisVe

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2018
    Posts:
    34
    F***ing ProBuilder!!!
     
  34. coolamigo

    coolamigo

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2020
    Posts:
    25
    Please also check Texture type for images. It should be sprite(2D and UI). Happened as I had converted the project
     
  35. gt23669

    gt23669

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2019
    Posts:
    3
    I had the same issue. I was unable to select any object to move, resize, or rotate. The only thing I was able to do was use the hand tool to move around in the scene. I have probuilder installed. This is causing more issues that it is solving. In the center of my scene view, I have 4 buttons. Object, vertex, edge, and face selection. Some how, none of the 4 options were selected so I was unable to interact with any of them.
     
    michaelnieder likes this.
  36. jacobzak11

    jacobzak11

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2020
    Posts:
    1
    Hi for me the problem was that pro builder take over my project so the drag and other stuff dont work. I disabled the pro builder and everything is working now! Of course u can drag with the pro builder but I prefered that way.
    You can add pro builder in Window >> Package Manager >> All Packages >> Pro builder
     
    Coralis likes this.
  37. aatwo

    aatwo

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2019
    Posts:
    4
    I just encountered this issue and after 15 minutes of googling and trying different solutions nothing worked to resolve it. I resorted to changing settings randomly and disabling dynamic clipping on the scene camera fixed it

    https://imgur.com/a/Xv3uvhI
     
  38. CGCowboy

    CGCowboy

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2018
    Posts:
    17
    I could not activate any of the transform tools in the menu bar.

    The problem was that the last thing I did was use the face select in ProBuilder. Even though I'm not trying to transform a ProBuilder object anymore, it won't even let me select any of the transform options.

    Change your ProBuilder menu to Object select.
     
  39. Fattie

    Fattie

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2012
    Posts:
    476
    Take care for

    GRID SNAPPING

    Make sure you have Grid Snapping turned OFF!

    It can "seem" as if, mysteriously, you cannot move anything. What a pain.
     
  40. vainoharha

    vainoharha

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2019
    Posts:
    5
    I hope this post helps people who's fighting with same problem. My gameproject mainly uses ProBuilder and ProGrids.

    After 10 days break I continued working my project and witnessed this strange behaviour when trying to move gameobjects -> Objects jumped to certain positions and stayed there.

    Yet I could manipulate them normally on editor while project was on playmode. :p

    Simple solution:

    I switched off Toggle Snapping from ProGrids menu (clickable on game window top left) and it worked for me. \o/
     
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2020
  41. Freznosis

    Freznosis

    Joined:
    Jul 16, 2014
    Posts:
    298
    I've had this issue off and on since Unity 2017. Basically you try to drag a 2D object with Rect Tool and it will just deselect and start a selection box. You can sometimes zoom in or out while hovering your mouse on the edge of a rect and the arrows will appear or disappear each time you zoom.

    The fix that has always worked for me is to press "F" on the keyboard. This will focus your view onto the selected object. It seems to kind of "reset" view and makes it so you can select UI objects again. I usually only have this problem once or twice a month, but this has always came in handy.
     
  42. sezerBunyamin

    sezerBunyamin

    Joined:
    Jan 23, 2018
    Posts:
    8
    It worked for me "Reimport All". However it does not work again.

    Note: Only "Move Tool" does not work in editor script object.

    Solution:

    Code (CSharp):
    1.  
    2. void OnSceneGUI()
    3. {
    4.         HandleUtility.AddDefaultControl(GUIUtility.GetControlID(FocusType.Passive));
    5.         etc....
    6. }
    7.  
    When I called the line right after the "On Scene GUI" method, the problem was resolved.
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2021
  43. Cannon_Lamar

    Cannon_Lamar

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2020
    Posts:
    2
    just fixed this for myself, here's my solution. in the top of the Scene window there will be a few boxes with some shapes on them, make sure you have the cube one selected Edit: only works if the issue is caused by having the probuilder menu up
    Screen Shot 2021-03-19 at 9.05.36 AM.png Screen Shot 2021-03-19 at 9.05.46 AM.png
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2021
    gaoxuelun likes this.
  44. Freznosis

    Freznosis

    Joined:
    Jul 16, 2014
    Posts:
    298
    I wouldn't call that a "fix." That is a GUI from ProBuilder and it is doing what it is supposed to do. It is obvious you wouldn't be able to select objects if you are in "object" selection mode. o_O
     
    Cannon_Lamar likes this.
  45. Kewlife

    Kewlife

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2016
    Posts:
    6
    Spent 2 hrs on this, rebooted, made sure snapping was off, new gameobject, new scene etc. Then, I tried a new empty project, gameobject moved so I exported everything and moved it to the new project, its a long fix, but I guess a last resort, but it worked
     
  46. Cannon_Lamar

    Cannon_Lamar

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2020
    Posts:
    2
    yes I understand that it's doing its job, i'm new to using probuilder and had no idea that my problem was caused by it. this is just how I "fixed" my problem. And it's not immediately obvious especially to someone who's new to this tool. But I have no idea what the OP's problem is, so sharing my solution is the best way to ensure that whoever has this problem in the future can properly troubleshoot it.
     
  47. carlolsen_unity

    carlolsen_unity

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2020
    Posts:
    1
    Yet another possible solution: Click on the "Window" menu at the top, and then "Layouts" and choose a different Layout for Unity, and then, choose your favorite Layout to get back. This resets whatever killed the handles.
     
    daniel_lochner and dominiauk like this.
  48. IanBurch

    IanBurch

    Joined:
    Sep 29, 2019
    Posts:
    1
    Same deal (move tool, rotate tool, scale tool not displaying on selected object). This drove me crazy for 5 mins till I found the solution. I had recently added the ProBuilder package. Their is a tiny little floating menu in the scene (see screen cap below) and the 'Object Selection' option had been deselected (3D cube that is now active in the screen cap).

    Hope this helps someone out.

    upload_2021-8-26_15-41-20.png
     
  49. Twny_the_Pwny

    Twny_the_Pwny

    Joined:
    Nov 30, 2021
    Posts:
    1
    I was in the "game" window, instead of the "scene" window.
     
  50. OmerPasa3328

    OmerPasa3328

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2020
    Posts:
    3
    My line renderer caused mine but it moves in game when my player moves so no problem. :D