How to keep desktop icons from moving

Scanlon, Patrick (Noresco EE) 0 Reputation points
2026-09-18T17:28:26.1733333+00:00

How to keep desktop icons from moving after my screen logs out?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Desktop, Start, and personalization | Desktop
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  1. John Jefferson Doyon 88,720 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-18T18:06:24.4766667+00:00

    Hi, @Scanlon, Patrick (Noresco EE)

    If you haven’t tried it yet, first, right-click an empty area of the desktop > "View" and make sure "Auto arrange icons" is unchecked. You can leave "Align icons to grid" enabled.

    If the icons still move, to help narrow down the issue:

    1. Are you using only one monitor, or multiple monitors? If multiple, does this happen on the main display or only on one of the other displays?

    Click "Add comment" to let me know.

    Thanks!

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  2. AI answer

    2026-09-18T17:28:45.6233333+00:00

    Try these Windows desktop settings first:

    1. Right-click an empty area of the desktop.
    2. Select View.
    3. If Auto arrange icons is enabled, turn it off.
    4. If needed, also turn off Align icons to grid to allow manual placement.

    If the issue is specifically after sign-out or lock/unlock, check whether a policy is preventing desktop settings from being saved:

    • The Don’t save settings at exit policy prevents some desktop changes from being saved when signing out.
    • Its policy name is NoSaveSettings.
    • It is mapped to the registry value NoSaveSettings under: Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
    • Shortcuts placed on the desktop are always saved, but some desktop state changes are not.

    If only the This PC icon keeps changing position, remove and re-add that default desktop icon:

    1. Open Settings.
    2. Go to Personalization > Themes.
    3. Select Desktop icon settings.
    4. Clear This PC, apply the change, then open Desktop icon settings again and enable This PC.

    If desktop icons are being moved between monitors, a practical reset is:

    1. Open Display settings.
    2. Confirm the correct monitor is set as Main display.
    3. Temporarily disable the other display so the icons move to the main display.
    4. Re-enable the other display.
    5. Sign out or restart Windows.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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