Windows Icon Spacing reverting back to default after rebooting

I have an ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16 laptop. I usually set my icon spacing to a value of -2100

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics

Every reboot, that value goes back to -1200 so the icons are squooshed next to each other and the text is truncated.

I initially thought it might be due to one of the built in utilities that handles multi monitors, GlideX and ScreenXpert but even after uninstalling them, that didn't fix the issue.

What else might be causing this?

Edit: I just denied permissions for all users of that key, let's see what happens next reboot.

Both on my working PC (see my system specs) and on my VirtualBox testsystem (with Windows 11 Home 24H2) I have that value at -1620.

I never experienced any problems when rebooting the system, the value is very fix and stays so.
On the testsystem, I now changed the value into -2100 and did reboot twice (once to make the value work, although a log off/log on should do for that) and watched the result: no problem at all, the value stays like I set it.
And that key did not get any change of user permissions.

So it to my opinion has to be something else that is causing the change. Maybe some app that is activated at startup is changing the value? You might switch off all apps that are automatically started at reboot and see if that helps.

BTW. There is a slight difference between your system and mine:
I don't jet have the last version of Windows (always postpone regular update at least for one month) and I have no education version.

I think I shot myself in the foot. I set all permissions of all users for that key to none, now I can't view or edit anything. I have no clue how to reset the permissions back to default

I fixed the permissions issue by running regedit as a Trusted Installer using NSUDO

Now I have to find out what is causing this entry to revert back to default upon rebooting

Kees said:

I don't jet have the last version of Windows (always postpone regular update at least for one month)...

Click to expand...

In the meantime I updated the testsystem to Windows 11 Home 26100.4351.
No problems there as well, Icon Spacing stays at -2100 after I changed it that way.

Spartan said:

Now I have to find out what is causing this entry to revert back to default upon rebooting

Click to expand...

As I said before you could try to switch off apps one by one that are run at startup.
Here you find a overview what kind of starting up apps you can change in what environment;

I mostly do it in the task manager, tab startup apps.

Glad you found that, must have been a puzzle what it really was...
Thank you for the feedback!