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

It is just that dammed name one, if that could be 'unticked' we would be home free:

Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone. I thought was the only one going crazy. To have Microsoft change the OS to DEMAND the way IT wants files and folders sorted is just beyond my common sense reasoning. Because Mac OS will let you do what you want, ergo leaves files just the way you left them (DUH!) I am going to have to give up and go to them. I need my data exactly the way I left it when returning to it. Who would not? Extremely surprised there isn't protest or banning. I have no understanding why MS would make an update worse and so backward primitive. At least there are two of us that understands the insanity.

If you ever find a work around, please post a reply and let me know. Thank you again for your thoughts.

Yes, Microsoft is a control freak. It turned off the option to freely arrange documents/pdf in a folder after Window XP. It does my head in. It is particularly annoying because I need files in a particular order and need to add files to the list in the order that I need them.

I just don't understand why they would possibly take away this fundamental and crucial OS behavior.

It's not necessarily fundamental and crucial.

You may be surprised to find that many users, like myself, rarely, if ever, use icon view. Instead, I use Details or List view and know where everything is based on the folder it's in and/or its order (usually by name, but sometimes by some other attribute). Sometimes I use icon view for folders containing pictures, but still leave them sorted by name, date, or type.

Microsoft may have determined that very few users were interested in arranging icons manually, other than on the Desktop. When I search the topic, I get many hits on arranging Desktop icons, but next to nothing in regards to arranging icons within folders. It never appeared to be a hot topic. It's obviously super important to you. It just doesn't appear to be important to a lot of other users.

I don't understand why Greg Carmack gave you so many links when everything relevant is covered in this tutorial which clearly states (and you've confirmed this yourself) that it no longer works as of Windows 10 Creators Updateversion1703.

As of Windows 10 1703, the functionality (of icon positions in folders being remembered) has been stripped out of File Explorer. You won't find some registry "hack" to bring back that functionality and, as far as I can determine, there are no third party utilities to provide that feature. There are many tools that enhance Desktop icon position management, but nothing it seems, for icon positions within folders.

At this point, your choices appear to be:

1. Learn to live without that feature (e.g. readjust your file organization to use more folders).
2. Install a version of Windows 10 older than 1703, set it to not auto-update, and accept that it will be less secure.
3. Give up on Windows and get a Mac.

They've taken away that option except for Desktop. We've tried everything possible to put it back. When Shawn Brink says one of his active tutorials doesn't work any longer then it's confirmed. But you can also ask him because he may have suggestions and will be more expert than anyone on any subject he choose to write about.

If you want to express your opinion on this you may be able to help Microsoft improve this product/feature by using the Feedback Hub in Start Menu. While they will not see it here, Microsoft developers DO read feedback from customers that comes in via the Feedback Hub, so that is a great way to share your thoughts on how to better serve you as a customer.

Let me know if I can help further. I'll stay subscribed to this thread in case you need anything else, until the system locks it in a few months.