Desktop icons move from main screen to extended screen monitor

Anonymous
2013-10-10T13:38:33+00:00

I have been using this setup with my laptop for 18 months so I am familiar with extended screen usage.  Two days ago a problem started.  I have a laptop with 17" screen set to the Main Display plus a 22" not checked to be the Main Display.  Screen Resolution > Multiple Displays = Extend these displays.  Desktop right click > View > Auto Arrange is Not checked.  Sort By options are unchecked.  Personalization > Allow themes to change desktop icons is Not checked.

I have all my desktop icons arranged on the laptop screen which is set to be Main Display.

New Problem: 

When I plug the extended monitor cable into the laptop or when I fresh bootup or if I had changed the Appearance settings from extended to duplicate or to the external 22" to be off and then turn it back to being extended, any of those things, to basically use the 2nd monitor as extended will cause all the desktop icons to move to the extended 22" screen space.  They are supposed to stay anchored to the laptop Main screen since that is how it is allocated.  This worked fine until two days ago and I was not playing with any settings before it happened.

If I unplug the external monitor or set it to be unused or as a duplicate image then the icons return to the main laptop monitor.

I use a freeware IconRestorer to save and restore the last saved desktop layout.  Since this problem started it restores to the extended monitor not back to the laptop main screen like it had previously.  I have killed IconRestorer from the background to see if it was causing the problem and it had no affect.

With the icons showing on the extended 22" monitor and I unplug the video cable for it the icons move to the laptop screen however they are rearranged.  Each time I try that the icons form a different layout and order on the laptop screen. 

I can then run IconRestorer with the 22" still unplugged from the laptop and all the icons will be restored properly.  So I conclude IconRestorer is working fine.  The problem seems to be that Win 7 thinks the Laptop screen is not the main screen even though it is checked as to be the main screen.

Once only while repeating these various steps, after the icons are restored with the 2nd monitor unplugged, then plug it back in all looks fine but if I do the IconRestorer restore all the icons again get placed to the extended 22" screen.  Usually plugging the extended monitor back in causes the icons to jump to that monitor.

Note that when the laptop is checked to be the Main screen the taskbar is located on the laptop monitor so it only partially thinks the extended screen should be the main screen.  If I set the extended 22" as the Main screen then the task bar jumps to the extended screen and all the desktop icons come back to the laptop screen.

It never worked like that before.  I also am running win 7 on desktop with 4 monitors and all icons being on main screen at far left and that still works fine including the use of IconRestorer.

***Post moved by the moderator to the appropriate forum category.***

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-03-20T23:40:31+00:00

    Just delete the registery key:

    Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop

    log off and on. This restets everything about icons. I hed the same problem and this solved it.

    Worked like a charm!

    Thank you!

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-03-20T02:34:10+00:00

    TeeHeeHee!!! ;-) ;-) ;-)

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-02-26T13:41:44+00:00

    Ran into this problem today, windows 10 with 2 aux displays plus laptop display.  This fixed it.

    • Rather than opening windows display manager, open your graphics card control panel.  You should have an icon in your system tray.  For me it was the Intel HD Graphics Control Panel.
    • Go to multiple display tab
    • On the monitor that is wrongly displaying your icons, set this monitor to "None" and hit apply, accept the changes.
    • Now change that monitor back to what it was originally, hit apply and accept the changes.

    This moved the icons back to what Windows 10 has set for the main display and all is now well.

    EDIT:  After doing this I noticed when I right clicked on icons on the main display it wasn't pulling up a list of files.  However, it was pulling up the list if I right click on another display.  Fix

    • Open windows display settings
    • go the monitor that wrongly has the functionality of the main display, click "disconnect this display, accept the changes.
    • now go and change that monitor back to extend desktop to this display.

    Now, everything is normal.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-02-20T14:48:34+00:00

    Been there done that. Works until restart.

    Windows 10 refresh fixed everything...for now

    Thanks for all your answers folks. Hopefully this will get resolved in one of the downdates...oops I ment updates.

    regards PolarKev

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  5. Anonymous
    2018-02-20T12:29:58+00:00

    Still in extend mode, highlight all the icons on your secondary monitor, click and drag them over to your primary monitor. 

    Hope this solves your problem.

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