Windows 11 Desktop icons rearrange and re-sort themselves

Anonymous
2023-07-21T01:09:08+00:00

Lately, my Windows desktop icons have periodically and at random rearranged and re-sorted themselves.

It looks like at arbitrary times, This PC and the Recycle Bin, which are traditionally at the top left hand corner of the desktop now shift downwards. The icons re-sort themselves into alphabetical name order. It usually happens after a boot or reboot.

I also have icons spread out randomly over a two-screen desktop. At an arbitrary moment, again associated with a reboot, all icons suddenly snap to the left hand side of the left-hand screen.

There are many posts on the web about the "Autoarrange Icons" and "Align Icons" settings. Changing those settings do not resolve this problem.

This may have something with the ""Sort By" setting. If that is it, the setting does not stay that way for long.

I don't know if this is a new bug that has appeared in a recent build. I use Windows 11 Home, and the current Version is 22H2, and the Build is 22621.1992.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Settings

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-12-03T20:18:10+00:00

    Yes, I still use that app. Works great. I "save" my icons every couple weeks, or if I'm about to take my laptop off-site as that sometimes messes it up going from 3 monitors to just the 1.

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-12-05T22:15:37+00:00

    If I change the name of an icon it snaps to the left. If I change the size of desktop icons they all snap to the left after I just spent an hour arranging them, I have tried everything and nothing works. Very anoying. Very windows. None of the so called experts giving advice know what they are talking about. They seldom do.

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-01-06T18:09:28+00:00

    IT WORKED!!!! This is the only way I've found to get them back without manually moving them all. I still don't understand WHY it happens, but desktopOK fixes it when it does. Thanks for the suggestion!

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  5. Anonymous
    2025-02-22T13:31:12+00:00

    Sorting of icon on desktop is apparently relying on how the taskbar is presented.

    Automatically hide the takbar = off - Icons are sorted
    Automatically hide the takbar = on - Icons are placed all over the screen

    I have an estra screen on the pc wich is dedicated as primary.
    In also notised that taksbar is in autohide background is completely black.

    If autohide is off the background return to image selected.

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