Windows 7 desktop icons keep rearranging themselves

Anonymous
2009-10-07T02:55:22+00:00

Every few days, all the icons on my Win7 desktop rearrange themselves. Usually they move to the left edge of the screen. I laboriously move all the icons back to where I like them, and 3-10 days later, they all shift left again. I've found no pattern or event that might cause this -- but it's very annoying!

I've got Win7 build 7100 running on a Dell Latitude D830 laptop. Totally standard hardware and very little non-Microsoft software. In short, it's a pretty clean system.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Accessibility

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Anonymous
2009-10-07T17:38:17+00:00

To supplement Reyas.M.I.'s answer, Under View is the option to select the icon size, Auto arrange icons and Align icons to grid.  The Sort by option includes Name, Size, Item type and Date modified.  I suggest you check both View and Sort by.

Corrine, Microsoft MVP (Consumer Security). This posting is provided "AS IS" without warranty, and confers no rights.

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Anonymous
2009-10-07T04:51:35+00:00

Check whether "Auto Arrange" checked. To check this, right click on desktop and select "Arrange icons by".

I hope this helps.

Thanks and Regards, Reyas...

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  1. Anonymous
    2012-09-12T22:36:04+00:00

    If I need a computer to control everything I do I will go to my Mac......I hate my Mac. MS needs to stop trying to control how I want to use my computer.Some people need to be controlled and that is fine, just give the rest of us the simple option to control our folder views and icon placement. Some keep saying its simple....just click click click and its done. Then the rest of us respond with that doesnt work. Ms....just give us our control back.

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-09-11T05:51:07+00:00

    YES- WIndows XP was pretty stable for icons not moving on their own.

     But my Windows-7 machine is now driving me nuts.  I of course, have 'align to grid' checked, and I don't use the auto-arrange to grid.

     I just want the OS to leave my icons the <removed> ALONE. Is this too hard to do in an OS ?  ?  Microsoft SW engs: this is the same as in IE explorer- you just dont know how to leave Favorites or Icons the heck alone !! THAT is why I use FIrefox and will NEVER use I.E. ! Just due to the favorites and separators being user-controlled.

    Back to WIn-7 Icon drifting:

    • On suspend, screen save, and when I switch my HDMI monitor cable switch, from machine to machine, often ALL the open windows in Win-7 go to some default  ~ 640x480 size, instead of my 1920x 1200 monitor size. ANd the icons get trashed. So I never Suspend and seldom use the screen saver. Also, sometimes on these events, all the icons on Win 7 desktop get auto arranged in the upper left corner of the screen. So I use the shareware "DeskSave" to allow recovering them. But I/m going to try that other new Icon program mentioned above - DeskSave hasn't been updated lately. - So, I have one Excel sheet that I open many times a day, and every TIME I close it, the icon moves back up to an auto-arrange spot in the left column of the desktop. THis cant be avoided, no matter how many times I correct it, and exit out and re-login to WIndows, or if I power down ! Little things like this, are  VERY aggravating, when the OS is out of control. God knows what its doing behind my back.

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  3. Anonymous
    2012-08-29T14:33:23+00:00

    I have the same problem.  The answers on here do not help.  I want my f'ing icons where i put them, not where stupid windows puts them.  No auto arrange is checked, no sort by is checked, basically no user options that i can find would be making this happen, its just a bad software company that doesnt give a flying you know what about its customers.

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