diff --git a/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/MouseHandler.qml b/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/MouseHandler.qml
--- a/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/MouseHandler.qml
+++ b/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/MouseHandler.qml
@@ -27,12 +27,14 @@
 import "../code/tools.js" as TaskTools
 
 Item {
-    signal urlDropped(url url)
+    signal urlsDropped(var urls)
 
     property Item target
     property Item ignoredItem
     property bool moved: false
 
+    property alias hoveredItem: dropHandler.hoveredItem
+
     Timer {
         id: ignoreItemTimer
 
@@ -118,7 +120,7 @@
             }
 
             if (event.mimeData.hasUrls) {
-                parent.urlDropped(event.mimeData.url);
+                parent.urlsDropped(event.mimeData.urls);
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/main.qml b/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/main.qml
--- a/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/main.qml
+++ b/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/main.qml
@@ -242,6 +242,31 @@
         anchors.fill: parent
 
         target: taskList
+
+        onUrlsDropped: {
+            // If all dropped URLs point to application desktop files, we'll add a launcher for each of them.
+            var createLaunchers = urls.every(function (item) {
+                return backend.isApplication(item)
+            });
+
+            if (createLaunchers) {
+                urls.forEach(function (item) {
+                    addLauncher(item);
+                });
+                return;
+            }
+
+            if (!hoveredItem) {
+                return;
+            }
+
+            // DeclarativeMimeData urls is a QJsonArray but requestOpenUrls expects a proper QList<QUrl>.
+            var urlsList = backend.jsonArrayToUrlList(urls);
+
+            // Otherwise we'll just start a new instance of the application with the URLs as argument,
+            // as you probably don't expect some of your files to open in the app and others to spawn launchers.
+            tasksModel.requestOpenUrls(hoveredItem.modelIndex(), urlsList);
+        }
     }
 
     ToolTipDelegate {
@@ -318,7 +343,6 @@
         tasks.requestLayout.connect(iconGeometryTimer.restart);
         tasks.windowsHovered.connect(backend.windowsHovered);
         tasks.presentWindows.connect(backend.presentWindows);
-        mouseHandler.urlDropped.connect(backend.urlDropped);
         dragHelper.dropped.connect(resetDragSource);
     }
 }
diff --git a/applets/taskmanager/plugin/backend.h b/applets/taskmanager/plugin/backend.h
--- a/applets/taskmanager/plugin/backend.h
+++ b/applets/taskmanager/plugin/backend.h
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 class QActionGroup;
 class QQuickItem;
 class QQuickWindow;
+class QJsonArray;
 
 namespace KActivities {
     class Consumer;
@@ -74,10 +75,13 @@
 
         Q_INVOKABLE bool canPresentWindows() const;
 
+        Q_INVOKABLE bool isApplication(const QUrl &url) const;
+
+        Q_INVOKABLE QList<QUrl> jsonArrayToUrlList(const QJsonArray &array) const;
+
     public Q_SLOTS:
         void presentWindows(const QVariant &winIds);
         void windowsHovered(const QVariant &winIds, bool hovered);
-        void urlDropped(const QUrl &url) const;
 
     Q_SIGNALS:
         void taskManagerItemChanged() const;
diff --git a/applets/taskmanager/plugin/backend.cpp b/applets/taskmanager/plugin/backend.cpp
--- a/applets/taskmanager/plugin/backend.cpp
+++ b/applets/taskmanager/plugin/backend.cpp
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 #include <QAction>
 #include <QActionGroup>
 #include <QApplication>
+#include <QJsonArray>
 #include <QQuickItem>
 #include <QQuickWindow>
 
@@ -340,6 +341,34 @@
     KWindowEffects::presentWindows(m_taskManagerItem->window()->winId(), winIds);
 }
 
+bool Backend::isApplication(const QUrl &url) const
+{
+    if (!url.isValid() || !url.isLocalFile()) {
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    const QString &localPath = url.toLocalFile();
+
+    if (!KDesktopFile::isDesktopFile(localPath)) {
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    KDesktopFile desktopFile(localPath);
+    return desktopFile.hasApplicationType();
+}
+
+QList<QUrl> Backend::jsonArrayToUrlList(const QJsonArray &array) const
+{
+    QList<QUrl> urls;
+    urls.reserve(array.count());
+
+    for (auto it = array.constBegin(), end = array.constEnd(); it != end; ++it) {
+        urls << QUrl(it->toString());
+    }
+
+    return urls;
+}
+
 void Backend::windowsHovered(const QVariant &_winIds, bool hovered)
 {
     m_windowsToHighlight.clear();
@@ -360,19 +389,6 @@
     updateWindowHighlight();
 }
 
-void Backend::urlDropped(const QUrl &url) const
-{
-    if (!url.isValid() || !url.isLocalFile()) {
-        return;
-    }
-
-    KDesktopFile desktopFile(url.toLocalFile());
-
-    if (desktopFile.hasApplicationType()) {
-        emit addLauncher(url);
-    }
-}
-
 void Backend::updateWindowHighlight()
 {
     if (!m_highlightWindows) {