Windows 7 desktop icons keep rearranging themselves

Anonymous

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.

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Anonymous

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

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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162 additional answers

Anonymous

2014-07-21T23:37:10+00:00

MilWik: I did NOT use the Softonic (Virus-Onic :-) ) website. Go DIRECTLY to www.sillysot.com and download from the author's website.

There are dozens of Virus-Spam-Scam-Hacker sites that grab perfectly good software and wrap it inside their own spam-scam software, then offer it up for free. Beware, and stay clear of them. I once-in-a-while fall victim of that, and I use Windows System Restore to back out of the trap.
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Anonymous

2014-07-21T23:26:33+00:00

Did you read the agreement to install???

Softonic uses cookies and IP tracking. Softonic’s software and the Softonic’s site’s traffic analyzer use cookies and IP trackers to collect data for statistical purposes, including: date of first visit, number of visits, date of last visit, URL and domain, browser and screen resolution.
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Anonymous

2014-07-21T22:37:19+00:00
Windows hasn't been able to remember icon positions consistently since Win 3.1. Use Iconoid.

The above is the answer! Posted way back in November, 2009, tenth post on Page 1.

I have installed Iconoid (from sillysot.com), and played around. Anytime Windows screws up the icon locations, I just go to Iconoid, and click the "Restore Icon Positions Now", and they go back to where I put them! Makes me verrry happy. :-)

I can even use the Windows View -> Auto arrange icons, and then do the Iconoid (Positions tab) "Restore...Now" and it puts them right back (After turning off the Auto arrange icons setting).

Iconoid was written for earlier versions of Windows, so with some experimenting I found that setting its "Compatibility for all users" to Windows XP (SP3), and also checked Run as an administrator, its Restore function works better (from the System Tray as well as its own window/tab).

Here's what I did:
1. Install Iconoid. Set its compatibility to: Change settings for all users, Win XP SP3, and Run as Admin.
2. Moved all the icons around where I wanted them.
3. Open Iconoid. On the "Positions" tab, click "Save Icon Positions (Relative)"
Whenever icons get moved or repositioned, I can open Iconoid, Positions tab, click "Restore Icon Positions Now", and they go to where I put them before the "Save".
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