Windows 11 Desktop icons rearrange and re-sort themselves

Hello Gregory, sorry about your problems. My name is Marco and I will do my best to help you.

There are some solutions you may not have tried at the link below, even if it's for Windows 10.

https://tencomputer.com/desktop-icons-keep-rear...

You can run System File Checker, which will scan your system for missing, corrupt or damaged files and attempt to fix them1. This may repair any system errors that affect your PDF files.

Step to run the System File Checker tool (SFC.exe) (DISM)

Note: Respect the spaces or simply copy / paste the commands.

• Click on windows start button, type CMD
• Right click on " prompt command " and " run as admin "
• Now type this commands

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth

• Press Enter.
• Then, this command and Enter.

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

• Then make the following commands.

sfc /scannow

When the scan is finished, check if there are any errors detected.

Restart the computer and check if it is now fixed.

Otherwise, check that you do not have software that could cause this problem.

You can do a Clean Boot for that, that is to say, start Windows with only Microsoft services activated.

If the icons behave well, it means that it is a program that is in question.

So you will have to reactivate one at a time to determine which one it is.

Here's how.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-t...

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Marco,

The suggestions you list are the same suggestions I have seen on multiple web searches. They do not resolve the problem.

I have not installed any new software recently, so that rules out uninstalling "Problematic Software."

The closest I have some to a resolution is Delete IconCach.db. But that's only temporary, putting a bandaid on the problem. After awhile, the problem reappears.

That might point you to the problem in the operating system, that IconCache or whatever controls that is corrupted or faulty, or otherwise needs fixed.

I will try your additonal "scannow" options this weekend and see if these do anything.

Again, this is a NEW problem. Something has changed recently. I suggest that it came down as part of a Windows Update.

Deleting IconCache does not fix the problem. I deleted the Icon Cache yesterday. Earlier this evening, I shut off the computer, and later started it again.

The problem returned, less than 24 hours after deleting the IconCache.

Hi

Welcome to Microsoft community.

In order to better narrow down your problem, if you create a new local administrator account, do the same problems still exist?

If the problem persists in your new account, use the Windows image to fix your current Windows system configuration. This is a system repair process that will not affect your data and files, please rest assured.

Disclaimer: Let’s try performing an in-place install or in-place upgrade which will refresh your Windows files and operating system without removing files or applications. That being said, we always recommend that if you have important data, you should back it up before making large system changes. If you want to back up your data first, please do so.

Wait until the repair is complete and check again to see if the problem is gone.

Please feel free to let me know if you have any further updates, thanks.

Best regards

Derrick Qian | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

This is overkill for what would seem a simple problem to fix my desktop icons from rearranging themselves.