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DragOverlay is a component that renders custom content during drag operations. It provides a visual representation of the dragged item that follows the cursor, separate from the original element.

​
Usage

import {DragOverlay} from '@dnd-kit/react';

function App() {
  return (
    <DragDropProvider>
      {/* Your draggable and droppable elements */}
      
      <DragOverlay>
        <div style={{padding: '20px', background: 'white', border: '1px solid black'}}>
          Dragging...
        </div>
      </DragOverlay>
    </DragDropProvider>
  );
}

​
Props

​
children
ReactNode | ((source: Draggable) => ReactNode)
required
The content to render in the overlay. Can be a static React node or a function that receives the drag source and returns content.
// Static content
<DragOverlay>
  <div>Dragging...</div>
</DragOverlay>

// Dynamic content based on drag source
<DragOverlay>
  {(source) => (
    <div>
      Dragging: {source.data.label}
    </div>
  )}
</DragOverlay>
​
dropAnimation
DropAnimation | null
Customize or disable the drop animation that plays when a drag operation ends.
  • undefined — Use the default animation (250ms ease)
  • null — Disable the drop animation entirely
  • {duration, easing} — Customize the animation timing
  • (context) => Promise<void> | void — Provide a fully custom animation function
// Custom animation duration and easing
<DragOverlay
  dropAnimation={{
    duration: 300,
    easing: 'cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1)',
  }}
>
  {children}
</DragOverlay>

// Disable animation
<DragOverlay dropAnimation={null}>
  {children}
</DragOverlay>
​
className
string
CSS class name to apply to the overlay container element.
<DragOverlay className="drag-overlay">
  {children}
</DragOverlay>
​
style
React.CSSProperties
Inline styles to apply to the overlay container element.
<DragOverlay
  style={{
    cursor: 'grabbing',
    opacity: 0.9,
  }}
>
  {children}
</DragOverlay>
​
tag
string
default:"div"
HTML tag name for the overlay container element.
<DragOverlay tag="section">
  {children}
</DragOverlay>
​
disabled
boolean | ((source: Draggable | null) => boolean)
Whether the overlay is disabled. Can be a boolean or a function that receives the drag source.
// Disable based on drag source
<DragOverlay disabled={(source) => source?.data.hideOverlay}>
  {children}
</DragOverlay>

​
Examples

​
Basic Overlay

import {DragDropProvider, useDraggable, DragOverlay} from '@dnd-kit/react';

function App() {
  return (
    <DragDropProvider>
      <div>
        <DraggableItem id="item-1" label="Item 1" />
        <DraggableItem id="item-2" label="Item 2" />
      </div>

      <DragOverlay>
        <div
          style={{
            padding: '15px',
            background: 'white',
            border: '2px solid blue',
            borderRadius: '4px',
            boxShadow: '0 4px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2)',
          }}
        >
          Dragging...
        </div>
      </DragOverlay>
    </DragDropProvider>
  );
}

function DraggableItem({id, label}) {
  const {ref, isDragging} = useDraggable({id, data: {label}});
  return (
    <div ref={ref} style={{opacity: isDragging ? 0.3 : 1}}>
      {label}
    </div>
  );
}

​
Dynamic Overlay Content

function App() {
  return (
    <DragDropProvider>
      <div>
        <DraggableItem id="1" label="First Item" color="#ff6b6b" />
        <DraggableItem id="2" label="Second Item" color="#4ecdc4" />
      </div>

      <DragOverlay>
        {(source) => (
          <div
            style={{
              padding: '20px',
              background: source.data.color,
              color: 'white',
              borderRadius: '8px',
              boxShadow: '0 8px 16px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3)',
              fontWeight: 'bold',
            }}
          >
            {source.data.label}
          </div>
        )}
      </DragOverlay>
    </DragDropProvider>
  );
}

function DraggableItem({id, label, color}) {
  const {ref, isDragging} = useDraggable({
    id,
    data: {label, color},
  });

  return (
    <div
      ref={ref}
      style={{
        padding: '20px',
        background: color,
        opacity: isDragging ? 0.3 : 1,
        marginBottom: '10px',
      }}
    >
      {label}
    </div>
  );
}

​
Custom Drop Animation

function App() {
  return (
    <DragDropProvider>
      {/* Draggable items */}
      
      <DragOverlay
        dropAnimation={{
          duration: 500,
          easing: 'cubic-bezier(0.68, -0.55, 0.265, 1.55)', // Bounce effect
        }}
      >
        {(source) => (
          <div style={{padding: '20px', background: 'white'}}>
            {source.data.label}
          </div>
        )}
      </DragOverlay>
    </DragDropProvider>
  );
}

​
Overlay with No Animation

function App() {
  return (
    <DragDropProvider>
      {/* Draggable items */}
      
      <DragOverlay dropAnimation={null}>
        <div>Instant drop</div>
      </DragOverlay>
    </DragDropProvider>
  );
}

​
Conditional Overlay

function App() {
  return (
    <DragDropProvider>
      {/* Draggable items */}
      
      <DragOverlay
        disabled={(source) => {
          // Hide overlay for items marked as 'no-overlay'
          return source?.data.hideOverlay === true;
        }}
      >
        {(source) => <div>{source.data.label}</div>}
      </DragOverlay>
    </DragDropProvider>
  );
}

function DraggableItem({id, hideOverlay}) {
  const {ref} = useDraggable({
    id,
    data: {hideOverlay},
  });
  return <div ref={ref}>Item {id}</div>;
}

​
Styled Overlay with Shadow

function App() {
  return (
    <DragDropProvider>
      {/* Draggable items */}
      
      <DragOverlay
        className="drag-overlay"
        style={{
          cursor: 'grabbing',
        }}
      >
        {(source) => (
          <div
            style={{
              padding: '15px 20px',
              background: 'linear-gradient(135deg, #667eea 0%, #764ba2 100%)',
              color: 'white',
              borderRadius: '12px',
              boxShadow: '0 20px 40px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3)',
              transform: 'rotate(-2deg)',
              fontWeight: '600',
            }}
          >
            {source.data.label}
          </div>
        )}
      </DragOverlay>
    </DragDropProvider>
  );
}

​
Multiple Overlays for Different Types

function App() {
  return (
    <DragDropProvider>
      {/* Draggable items with different types */}
      
      {/* Overlay for 'file' type */}
      <DragOverlay disabled={(source) => source?.data.type !== 'file'}>
        {(source) => (
          <div style={{padding: '10px', background: '#e3f2fd'}}>
            📄 {source.data.name}
          </div>
        )}
      </DragOverlay>

      {/* Overlay for 'folder' type */}
      <DragOverlay disabled={(source) => source?.data.type !== 'folder'}>
        {(source) => (
          <div style={{padding: '10px', background: '#fff3e0'}}>
            📁 {source.data.name}
          </div>
        )}
      </DragOverlay>
    </DragDropProvider>
  );
}

​
Overlay with Item Count

function App() {
  const [selectedIds, setSelectedIds] = useState([]);

  return (
    <DragDropProvider>
      {/* Draggable items */}
      
      <DragOverlay>
        {(source) => (
          <div
            style={{
              padding: '15px',
              background: 'white',
              border: '2px solid #2196f3',
              borderRadius: '8px',
              position: 'relative',
            }}
          >
            <div>{source.data.label}</div>
            {selectedIds.includes(source.id) && selectedIds.length > 1 && (
              <div
                style={{
                  position: 'absolute',
                  top: '-8px',
                  right: '-8px',
                  background: '#2196f3',
                  color: 'white',
                  borderRadius: '50%',
                  width: '24px',
                  height: '24px',
                  display: 'flex',
                  alignItems: 'center',
                  justifyContent: 'center',
                  fontSize: '12px',
                  fontWeight: 'bold',
                }}
              >
                {selectedIds.length}
              </div>
            )}
          </div>
        )}
      </DragOverlay>
    </DragDropProvider>
  );
}

​
Type Safety

Use TypeScript generics to type the drag source: 
interface ItemData {
  label: string;
  category: string;
  icon: string;
}

function App() {
  return (
    <DragDropProvider>
      {/* Draggable items */}
      
      <DragOverlay<ItemData>>
        {(source) => (
          <div>
            <span>{source.data.icon}</span>
            <span>{source.data.label}</span>
            <small>{source.data.category}</small>
          </div>
        )}
      </DragOverlay>
    </DragDropProvider>
  );
}

​
Behavior

  • The overlay is automatically positioned to follow the cursor during drag operations
  • Children inside the overlay cannot register themselves as draggables or droppables (the manager registry is patched)
  • The overlay element has a data-dnd-overlay attribute for styling purposes
  • When the overlay is disabled or there’s no active drag, the overlay renders nothing

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