Solved How do I undo an icon/window move action on desktop?


d4005

Well-known member
Member
Local time
2:25 PM
Posts
55
OS
Win11 Home
I'll often find that rather than single/double clicking on a window or icon, I accidentally move it. Is there any way of undoing that move (drag) operation?

I like to have all my windows in specific positions and moving them elsewhere just means I have to align it back to where I want it to. I'd much rather just Ctrl-Z that move. It's not an OCD thing, it's more a case of being able to quickly restore a window because I can see the top or bottom or left-edge or right-edge of it behind the window I'm currently looking at. When you've got a dozen or more active applications across 3 monitors, it makes life easier. Much easier than Alt-Tabbing 10 times.

I've tried clicking on the desktop background and hitting Ctrl-Z, or going into an explorer instance and trying it there. I'm guessing the answer will be no but I've often been surprised by this forum :cool:
 
Windows Build/Version
22H2/22621.521

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Predator Triton
    CPU
    i7-11800H
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX™ 3060
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 43" super widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    3840x1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB SSD internal, 2x4TB SSD external
    Keyboard
    Logitech silent thing
    Mouse
    Traditional MS Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    120down/44up
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    MalwareBytes/Defender
Well, this may sound old school - but.... I use iconoid (Download Iconoid - MajorGeeks). It's obviously an old app, but it works perfectly in W11. There is a "positions" tab which allows you to save your icon positions and restore them at boot - or any time you like. You can add it to your desktop context menu (in the "options" tab) and save and restore icon positions at will. I recognize this isn't exactly what you're asking, but it may be a good option for you.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10, W11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    2 HP Desktops, 1 Dell Desktop, 2 Dell XPS Laptops, 1 HP Laptop
Well, this may sound old school - but.... I use iconoid (Download Iconoid - MajorGeeks). It's obviously an old app, but it works perfectly in W11. There is a "positions" tab which allows you to save your icon positions and restore them at boot - or any time you like. You can add it to your desktop context menu (in the "options" tab) and save and restore icon positions at will. I recognize this isn't exactly what you're asking, but it may be a good option for you.
I have an app like that (I forget what it's called) for restoring icons. At least for restoring the ones that I've previously asked it to save ;-) I do save fairly often though.

It's mostly those accidental window moves that I'm keen to restore.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Predator Triton
    CPU
    i7-11800H
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX™ 3060
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 43" super widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    3840x1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB SSD internal, 2x4TB SSD external
    Keyboard
    Logitech silent thing
    Mouse
    Traditional MS Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    120down/44up
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    MalwareBytes/Defender

Create as many icon layouts as you want. Create a shortcut to any of them. Keymap the shortcut(s). I wouldn’t use ctrl+z tho as it will interfere with other functions.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
I get over this problem by taking a full screenshot when I have set up my desktop layout; I then use this as my wallpaper, so it's just a matter of dragging the icons back to their original positiion.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro v 23H2 (Build 22631.3527)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Precision 3660 Tower Workstation
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-12900 5.10 GHz
    Motherboard
    64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
    Memory
    32.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 770
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell P2714H Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x 512GB NVME PC801 NVMe SK hynix Boot
    1 x 1TB Seagate ST1000LM049-2GH172 Internal HDD
    1 x 1TB Seagate STGX4000400 External HDD
    1 x 2TB Seagate STGX4000400 External HDD
    1 x 4TB Seagate STGX4000400 External HDD
    PSU
    300 Watts
    Cooling
    Air
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Wired Keyboard 600
    Mouse
    Microsoft USB Basic Optical Mouse v2.0
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender + Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    BaseBoard Manufacturer Dell Inc.
    BaseBoard Product 0J1CP3
    BaseBoard Version A01
It seems that everyone's focusing on the icons, I wish I hadn't mentioned them. I'm mostly interested in accidental window dragging that I want to undo.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Predator Triton
    CPU
    i7-11800H
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX™ 3060
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 43" super widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    3840x1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB SSD internal, 2x4TB SSD external
    Keyboard
    Logitech silent thing
    Mouse
    Traditional MS Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    120down/44up
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    MalwareBytes/Defender

Bottom reply. Create that script and keyMap it. About as close as you can get to what you’re asking, afaik
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
I ended up going with DisplayFusion. It definitely lets me restore all windows to their saved positions from a simple right-click on their icon in the systray.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Predator Triton
    CPU
    i7-11800H
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX™ 3060
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 43" super widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    3840x1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB SSD internal, 2x4TB SSD external
    Keyboard
    Logitech silent thing
    Mouse
    Traditional MS Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    120down/44up
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    MalwareBytes/Defender

Latest Support Threads

Back
Top Bottom