how can i lock desktop icons in windows 8

Hello, 

I've had this same problem multiple times. deselecting the options in the view menu only works for a certain time and I find when I update or restart for an update of any sort things shift about.

Try: Right click on empty space on the desktop then click PERSONALIZE, then click CHANGE DESKTOP ICONS from the left side of the window, in the next window deselect the option at the BOTTOM of the window saying ALLOW THEMES TO CHANGE DESKTOP ICONS  and see if that works. 

I'm just trying this for the first time so hope it works.

Annoying indeed. When I called MS about it on multiple occasions the techs always act like they've never heard of this problem! I hope they resolve it some day!

Worked like a breeze.  Thanks.

For those who haven't  received help  assistance from Microhelp yet, Also deselect align to grid. This will help in MOST  but not all instances.

 Particularly since the Microbrains at  microeverything think they know how we should set up our PCs...   We have taken to referring to Windows 8 as  "MEII, The Revenge of the Blue Screen!"  XP worked too well so it was dumped, & 7 was a step back to the functionality of XP with much more efficient coding, giving it the speed and efficiency a proper "New Version" should have. And this joke of a system is because they think power users should downgrade themselves to a tablet that cant do what they need... If the next version allows us to return to  version 7 functionality and disable the charms which just waste overhead and resources, it will be shocking.

Put tablet operating systems on tablets We buy real computers for the power.

ScottSchoemann

(because their system runs on a tablet and wont let me use my account name that I had to set up to use my computer with this tablet operating system...

Microsoft did not completly answer the question. On windows 8  right clik on an empty area on your desktop. From the drop down menu click  view. Uncheck ,, Auto arrange icons,,  AND ,, Align icons to grid,,. If you do not uncheck ,,Align icons to grid,, as well, then you will go back to the previous desktop settings of your icons. Hope this help.