Stop Windows 11 from moving desktop icons

Tony Foote 0 Reputation points
2026-10-31T12:51:08.8166667+00:00

How can I stop my desktop icons from rearranging on start up?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Desktop, Start, and personalization | Desktop
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  1. Ferdinand Nanalig 33,820 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-31T14:31:07.1066667+00:00

    I understand the above steps didn't work; please try these next steps;

    Right-click an empty spot on the desktop and choose Personalization, then go to Themes. Scroll down to Related Settings and click Desktop icon settings. In the window that opens, uncheck “Allow themes to change desktop icons” at the bottom, then click Apply and OK.

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  2. Ferdinand Nanalig 33,820 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-31T13:35:29.4833333+00:00

    Hi, let me help you.

    Check if your GPU resolution settings are the same as the Windows Resolution settings.

    Right-click an empty area of the desktop, choose Display settings, and scroll to Display resolution. Note the value shown there, and the refresh rate under Advanced display settings if you want to compare that too.

    Then check the GPU side. For NVIDIA, right-click the desktop, open NVIDIA Control Panel, and go to Display > Change resolution. For AMD, right-click the desktop, open AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition, and look under Settings > Display. For Intel, open Intel Graphics Command Center and go to Display > General, or right-click the desktop and choose Intel Graphics Settings. In each case, look at the resolution and refresh rate listed for your active monitor and compare them to what Windows shows.

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  3. Tony Foote 0 Reputation points
    2026-10-31T12:58:00.43+00:00

    Auto arrange icons is off.

    With the icons placed where needed I right clicked the desktop and selected refresh.

    Then when I restarted windows explorer the desktop icons moved again.

    Cloud sync apps are disabled.

    What next?

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