diff --git a/spyder/plugins/explorer/widgets/explorer.py b/spyder/plugins/explorer/widgets/explorer.py
index 6a565f58582..05ff00649ad 100644
--- a/spyder/plugins/explorer/widgets/explorer.py
+++ b/spyder/plugins/explorer/widgets/explorer.py
@@ -935,7 +935,12 @@ def dragMoveEvent(self, event):
     def startDrag(self, dropActions):
         """Reimplement Qt Method - handle drag event"""
         data = QMimeData()
-        data.setUrls([QUrl(fname) for fname in self.get_selected_filenames()])
+        data.setUrls(
+            [
+                QUrl.fromLocalFile(fname)
+                for fname in self.get_selected_filenames()
+            ]
+        )
         drag = QDrag(self)
         drag.setMimeData(data)
         drag.exec_()