DM_DRAGLEAVE is sent whenever the DM_DRAGOVER message is sent to a window, and the pointer is moved outside the bounds of that window. If the target or an object in the window had been emphasized as a target, it should be de-emphasized.

Container windows monitor the position of the pointer on DM_DRAGOVER messages and simulate the DM_DRAGLEAVE message when the pointer moves on or off a contained object.

A DM_DRAGLEAVE message is not sent if the user drops the objects being dragged within the window. Therefore, when DM_DROP is received, the application de-emphasizes any target that was emphasized as a valid target.

If the user drags the pointer outside the target window, resulting in a new target, a DM_DRAGLEAVE message is sent to the former target. The receiver of a DM_DRAGLEAVE message should use it to de-emphasize the target, thus providing the user with visible feedback that this is no longer the target.