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
    2024-09-17T13:25:43+00:00

    When I did this it immediately moved my icons again! :(

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-10-06T21:53:16+00:00

    Right-click the desktop. Select Personalize. Select Themes and scroll down and select Desktop icon settings. Near the bottom left of the Desktop Icon Settings dialog, uncheck Allow themes to change desktop icons.

    I found this on google and it helped me.

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-10-07T00:35:48+00:00

    Tried that long ago. Didn't work. Thanks, though.

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-10-07T11:19:46+00:00

    Same here. That checkbox has been unchecked for a while.

    I'm still getting random shifting but not nearly as often as before. Can't tell if it's after updates but I don't think so specifically.

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-10-12T16:34:27+00:00

    G R E A T ! !

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