diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/right-sidebar/useFileExplorerRowDrag.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/right-sidebar/useFileExplorerRowDrag.test.ts
index c215fd5e453..8d66ad1bfd7 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/right-sidebar/useFileExplorerRowDrag.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/right-sidebar/useFileExplorerRowDrag.test.ts
@@ -64,4 +64,24 @@ describe('getWorkspaceFileDragPaths', () => {
       })
     ).toEqual(paths)
   })
+
+  it('drops selected descendants so moving a folder does not also move its children', () => {
+    const paths = ['/repo/src', '/repo/src/components/Button.tsx', '/repo/src-extra/index.ts']
+    expect(
+      getWorkspaceFileDragPaths({
+        getData: (type) =>
+          type === WORKSPACE_FILE_PATHS_MIME ? encodeWorkspaceFilePaths(paths) : ''
+      })
+    ).toEqual(['/repo/src', '/repo/src-extra/index.ts'])
+  })
+
+  it('drops selected descendants with Windows separators and case', () => {
+    const paths = ['C:\\Repo\\src', 'c:\\repo\\src\\components\\Button.tsx']
+    expect(
+      getWorkspaceFileDragPaths({
+        getData: (type) =>
+          type === WORKSPACE_FILE_PATHS_MIME ? encodeWorkspaceFilePaths(paths) : ''
+      })
+    ).toEqual(['C:\\Repo\\src'])
+  })
 })
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/lib/workspace-file-drag.ts b/src/renderer/src/lib/workspace-file-drag.ts
index e69ccf4f69e..48b61df4ce1 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/lib/workspace-file-drag.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/lib/workspace-file-drag.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+import {
+  isPathInsideOrEqual,
+  normalizeRuntimePathForComparison
+} from '../../../shared/cross-platform-path'
+
 export const WORKSPACE_FILE_PATH_MIME = 'text/x-orca-file-path'
 export const WORKSPACE_FILE_PATHS_MIME = 'text/x-orca-file-paths'
 
@@ -20,10 +25,40 @@ export function decodeWorkspaceFilePaths(data: string): string[] {
   return [data]
 }
 
+function getTopLevelWorkspaceFilePaths(paths: readonly string[]): string[] {
+  const uniquePaths: string[] = []
+  for (const path of paths) {
+    if (
+      path &&
+      !uniquePaths.some(
+        (existing) =>
+          normalizeRuntimePathForComparison(existing) === normalizeRuntimePathForComparison(path)
+      )
+    ) {
+      uniquePaths.push(path)
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Why: moving a selected folder already moves its descendants; issuing
+  // extra moves for selected children races against paths that no longer exist.
+  return uniquePaths.filter(
+    (path) =>
+      !uniquePaths.some(
+        (candidateRoot) =>
+          candidateRoot !== path &&
+          normalizeRuntimePathForComparison(candidateRoot) !==
+            normalizeRuntimePathForComparison(path) &&
+          isPathInsideOrEqual(candidateRoot, path)
+      )
+  )
+}
+
 export function getWorkspaceFileDragPaths(dataTransfer: Pick<DataTransfer, 'getData'>): string[] {
   const multiPathData = dataTransfer.getData(WORKSPACE_FILE_PATHS_MIME)
   if (multiPathData) {
-    return decodeWorkspaceFilePaths(multiPathData)
+    return getTopLevelWorkspaceFilePaths(decodeWorkspaceFilePaths(multiPathData))
   }
-  return decodeWorkspaceFilePaths(dataTransfer.getData(WORKSPACE_FILE_PATH_MIME))
+  return getTopLevelWorkspaceFilePaths(
+    decodeWorkspaceFilePaths(dataTransfer.getData(WORKSPACE_FILE_PATH_MIME))
+  )
 }