diff --git a/internal/core/input.rs b/internal/core/input.rs
index 3da92dbca02..f38be36965b 100644
--- a/internal/core/input.rs
+++ b/internal/core/input.rs
@@ -994,6 +994,10 @@ pub struct MouseInputState {
     /// When this is Some, it means we are in the middle of a drag-drop operation and it contains the dragged data.
     /// The `position` field has no signification
     pub(crate) drag_data: Option<DropEvent>,
+    /// The DropArea that accepted the most recent DragMove, if any. On release we use
+    /// this to decide whether to deliver a Drop — matching OS DnD pipelines, where a
+    /// target that didn't previously accept never receives a drop.
+    pub(crate) drop_target: Option<ItemWeak>,
     delayed: Option<(crate::timers::Timer, MouseEvent)>,
     delayed_exit_items: Vec<ItemWeak>,
     pub(crate) cursor: MouseCursor,
@@ -1169,6 +1173,7 @@ pub fn process_mouse_input(
 ) -> MouseInputState {
     let mut result = MouseInputState {
         drag_data: mouse_input_state.drag_data.clone(),
+        drop_target: mouse_input_state.drop_target.clone(),
         cursor: mouse_input_state.cursor,
         ..Default::default()
     };
@@ -1180,6 +1185,12 @@ pub fn process_mouse_input(
         mouse_input_state.top_item().as_ref(),
         false,
     );
+    if matches!(mouse_event, MouseEvent::DragMove(_)) {
+        // Remember the accepting DropArea (or forget if none did) so the subsequent
+        // Release knows whether to deliver a Drop.
+        result.drop_target =
+            r.has_aborted().then(|| result.item_stack.last().map(|(w, _)| w.clone())).flatten();
+    }
     if mouse_input_state.delayed.is_some()
         && (!r.has_aborted()
             || Option::zip(result.item_stack.last(), mouse_input_state.item_stack.last())
diff --git a/internal/core/window.rs b/internal/core/window.rs
index f25f0328a2f..a0471c07d51 100644
--- a/internal/core/window.rs
+++ b/internal/core/window.rs
@@ -627,9 +627,18 @@ impl WindowInner {
         if let Some(mut drop_event) = mouse_input_state.drag_data.clone() {
             match &event {
                 MouseEvent::Released { position, button: PointerEventButton::Left, .. } => {
-                    drop_event.position = crate::lengths::logical_position_to_api(*position);
-                    event = MouseEvent::Drop(drop_event);
                     mouse_input_state.drag_data = None;
+                    if mouse_input_state.drop_target.take().is_some() {
+                        drop_event.position = crate::lengths::logical_position_to_api(*position);
+                        event = MouseEvent::Drop(drop_event);
+                    } else {
+                        // No DropArea accepted the most recent DragMove. Tear the drag
+                        // down via Exit instead of converting to Drop so a non-accepting
+                        // DropArea under the cursor doesn't fire `dropped`, and so the
+                        // underlying Release doesn't reach hit-tested items as a
+                        // spurious click.
+                        event = MouseEvent::Exit;
+                    }
                 }
                 MouseEvent::Moved { position, .. } => {
                     drop_event.position = crate::lengths::logical_position_to_api(*position);
@@ -638,6 +647,7 @@ impl WindowInner {
                 }
                 MouseEvent::Exit => {
                     mouse_input_state.drag_data = None;
+                    mouse_input_state.drop_target = None;
                 }
                 _ => {}
             }
diff --git a/tests/cases/elements/dragarea_droparea.slint b/tests/cases/elements/dragarea_droparea.slint
index 6b791447f83..af580e30df9 100644
--- a/tests/cases/elements/dragarea_droparea.slint
+++ b/tests/cases/elements/dragarea_droparea.slint
@@ -240,6 +240,25 @@ assert_eq!(instance.get_result(), "");
 assert_eq!(instance.get_contains_drag(), false);
 assert_eq!(slint_testing::access_testing_window(instance.window(), |window| window.mouse_cursor()), MouseCursor::Default);
 
+// When `can-drop` returns false, releasing over the DropArea must not invoke `dropped`.
+instance.set_use_image(false);
+instance.set_result("".into());
+instance.on_can_drop(|_, _| false);
+
+instance.window().dispatch_event(WindowEvent::PointerPressed { position: LogicalPosition::new(20.0, 25.0), button: PointerEventButton::Left });
+slint_testing::mock_elapsed_time(20);
+instance.window().dispatch_event(WindowEvent::PointerMoved { position: LogicalPosition::new(21.0, 40.0) });
+slint_testing::mock_elapsed_time(20);
+instance.window().dispatch_event(WindowEvent::PointerMoved { position: LogicalPosition::new(22.0, 120.0) });
+slint_testing::mock_elapsed_time(20);
+assert_eq!(instance.get_contains_drag(), false);
+assert_eq!(slint_testing::access_testing_window(instance.window(), |window| window.mouse_cursor()), MouseCursor::NoDrop);
+
+instance.window().dispatch_event(WindowEvent::PointerReleased { position: LogicalPosition::new(22.0, 120.0), button: PointerEventButton::Left });
+slint_testing::mock_elapsed_time(20);
+assert_eq!(instance.get_result(), "");
+assert_eq!(instance.get_contains_drag(), false);
+
 ```
 
 */