While highlighting an item, hold down E on the keyboard, the square button on PS4, or the X button on Xbox One. To pick an item up, highlight it with your cursor. It can also be used to “throw” an object, making noise and distracting raiders while sneaking.

This can be very helpful if you need to move something like a tire or a chair. One of the underutilized features of Bethesda games is the ability to pick up objects and drag them around the environment, like the trashcan in the screenshot above.