In Borderlands 4, learning how to drop items is essential. Whether you want to share loot with teammates, get rid of junk gear, or just make space, knowing the controls and process saves time. In this guide, you’ll learn how to drop items across platforms, how to discard items efficiently, and a few tips to make things smoother.
Dropping items means taking something out of your inventory and placing it on the ground so you or others can pick it up. Here’s how to do that on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 5.
On PC
- Open your Inventory and go to either the Equipment tab or Backpack tab.
- Highlight the item you want to drop.
- Hold the R key to drop the item.
On Xbox
- Open the Inventory screen and find the item.
- Hover over it.
- Press and hold the Y button to drop the item.
On PS5
- Open your Inventory, locate the item you want to drop.
- Hover over it.
- Press and hold the Triangle button to drop it.
Once you do this correctly, the game gives a prompt saying “Item Dropped”. Then you’ll see the item appear on the ground near your character.
Sharing Loot: Drop Items for Teammates
Playing co-op is a big part of Borderlands, and dropping items for friends can be crucial. When you drop something, others in your party can pick it up—just like you would normally pick up loot.
A few things to note:
- The dropped item does not scale to the player who picks it up. So if a lower-level player picks up a high-level weapon, it will still require the original level to equip.
- Rarity, stats, and level requirements stay exactly as they were when you first got the item.
This means it’s best to make sure the person who wants the item can actually use it.
How to Discard Items / Mark Junk
If you’ve got gear you never plan to use, discarding or marking it as junk is the fastest way to clear inventory space. Borderlands 4 makes this pretty streamlined.
Marking Junk
- On PC, press Q while highlighting the item to mark it as junk.
- On Xbox and PS5, use the D-pad Down button to mark it.
Once something is marked as junk, it doesn’t get dropped on the ground—it sits in your inventory under the “Junk” tag.
Selling Junk
- Go to a Vending Machine in a town or safe area.
- Use the quick-sell option to sell all of your items flagged as junk in one go.
- This gives you cash and frees up space quickly.
Common Issues and Tips
Even with clear instructions, players sometimes run into trouble. Here are some common issues and advice:
- Button not working / greyed out options: If the drop or sort option is greyed out, you might be on the wrong menu or using the wrong control scheme. Make sure you are in the inventory screen, on the right tab (Backpack or Equipment), and hovering exactly over the item.
- Equipped items: You can’t drop items that are currently equipped without first unequipping them. If you try, the option might not appear.
- Level requirement confusion: If someone picks up your dropped item but can’t equip it, check that their level meets the item’s required level. The game won’t auto-scale dropped items to match other players.
- Be careful dropping valuable gear: It’s easy to lose something important if you drop it in a dangerous area or forget where you dropped it. If possible, drop items in safe zones or mark the spot mentally.
Why Dropping Items Matters
- Inventory management: Borderlands 4 has limited space. Dropping items or marking them as junk frees up room so you can carry better loot without constantly swapping gear.
- Team cooperation: Sharing rare or useful gear can boost team strength, especially in co-op.
- Avoid waste: Instead of scrapping or selling everything, drop what you can share; someone else might get good use out of it.
