Please bring back the ability to freely arrange icons within folders "DISABLE AUTO ARRANGE"!

Anonymous
2022-08-13T02:39:26+00:00

I just want to "disable" confounding Auto Arrange files within folders in Windows 10. I can't understand that when you leave file/folder icons in the position and order that you want and then Windows decides to mix them up. I'm continually wasting time trying to find lost data. It's ridiculous. Does anyone know or can create something that just allows you to arrange or sort files within folders, and Leave them alone, without the OS messing them up?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Les Ferch 10,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2023-01-10T18:10:12+00:00

    In previous versions of windows it was EXTREMELY simple to arrange desktop icons:

    • right click

    -select arrange icons

    -pick "auto arrange" or "align to grid"

    Literally 1.4 seconds to arrange desktop icons. MS seems to have removed that option and now there is some convoluted way to perform what was previously a 1.4 second task.

    This thread is about manually arranging icons within FOLDERS. Your question (and, unfortunately, some of the responses) are about manually arranging icons on the DESKTOP. Microsoft has never removed the feature to manually arrange icons on the desktop. The features you described are still present and should work. If you're having an issue with that functionality, please open a new question.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-01-10T18:08:23+00:00

    Hi, this thread is not about desktop icons, although people keep introducing them. This thread about the freedom to arrange files in folders, which is impossible. It was possible with Office 2003.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-01-10T17:34:36+00:00

    I am not a 10 years awarded Windows MVP, I am a guy who uses windows to to my job - like most users. This is such a simple question that I can't comprehend your response so I will simplify with a good example.

    In previous versions of windows it was EXTREMELY simple to arrange desktop icons:

    • right click

    -select arrange icons

    -pick "auto arrange" or "align to grid"

    Literally 1.4 seconds to arrange desktop icons. MS seems to have removed that option and now there is some convoluted way to perform what was previously a 1.4 second task. Now, your "theme" has control over how desktop icons are arranged, pinning web shortcuts to the start menu no longer functions and rather than focusing on system files, the search bar defaults to web-based results, and the SNIP function now adds more steps.

    MS adds steps to perform simple tasks, every extra click is lost productivity for no good reason.

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  4. Anonymous
    2022-11-24T14:22:17+00:00

    I have posted this thread on the Microsoft Feedback, I will not hold my breath: https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/idea/f958f68c-d51c-ec11-b6e7-0022481f8143 

    PS: It went onto OneDrive because I could not find anywhere else to post it. If anyone would like to make a better link, please do so.

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  5. Les Ferch 10,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2022-11-24T13:26:28+00:00

    This is absolutely absurd that they removed this in Windows 11. Windows is getting worse and worse with every iteration, I have no idea what they were thinking. Absolutely ridiculous that you can't even move files around to sort them.

    This is not a recent change. The feature was removed from the interface long ago (Windows 7 IIRC) and was removed as a feature that could be enabled via a registry setting as of Windows 10 1703 (April 2017).

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