Sick and tired of Win11 messing with desktop icons!

spapakons · Dec 17, 2023

In that case download a third party tool to store the icon positions so you can restore them after they have moved. Inconvenient but simple fix.

retiredat44 · Dec 17, 2023

spapakons said:
Clean installation is not Panacea (the solution for everything). You may introduce more trouble than you think. A simple office or internet PC only has a couple of applications easy to reinstall, but the average home computer has dozens of applications which would take many hours or even days to reinstall and reconfigure. Let alone the hours needed to take a full backup of the data and restore them. No thanks, I would rather try to fix the issue than go through this hassle... again. Yes, I speak of experience. Besides the whole point of this forum is to find a solution to our issues and AVOID a clean installation at all costs. Unless we are talking about a new computer (either new or refurbished) a clean installation should be the Last Resort.

I have a couple flight sims and having to go through all my bindings would take years! Of course I try and keep backups, but they are not always the fix when you need them!

spapakons · Dec 18, 2023

Even if you reinstall your applications and restore your backup you never have the same system you had before. There is always a feeling something is missing, you occasionally discover you don't have a certain application or the new configuration feels off. Unless you have kept the installers, some time you cannot find the version of the application you are familiar with and install a newer version which has different interface. It can take many days until you get used to the new system and until then you have many inconveniences. Been there, done that, unfortunately. So I try to avoid a clean installation. I would do it if I have a severe issue I cannot fix, such as a virus, knock on wood.

Berton · Dec 18, 2023

And Windows is not alone in the issue, add a new icon to the desktop in Linux Mint also moves the others around, all part of the GUI.

Eksy61 · Dec 27, 2023

I purchased Stardock Fences. Now the icons can't move because they're stuck inside their various fences, and the Fences app keeps each fence's icons sorted by name.

markw51 · Dec 27, 2023

And iOS is even worse that that!

joe2989 · Dec 28, 2023

Just right click anywhere on desktop, select view, uncheck auto-arrange icons

spapakons · Dec 28, 2023

If you want to place the icons whenever you like, you must also uncheck the "Align icons to grid". Otherwise you may try to place an icon and accidentally move the others, very annoying as well.