Desktop icons move after restart windows 10

If you like keeping your desktop items organized a certain way in Windows 10, having them change around after a refresh is annoying. Here’s how to fix it.

Do you like a personalized Windows 10 desktop with your shortcuts, files, and other items organized in a specific way? If so, you might have noticed they can change location when the screen is refreshed. For example, it tends to happen when you modify the screen resolution. It can be quite frustrating after organizing your desktop icons, only to have them disorganized when you connect a second display or refresh the screen. Here is how you can fix that.

Press Windows key + R to bring up the Run dialog and type: %userprofile% and hit Enter.

Your User folder will open. Ensure that hidden items are visible by clicking the View tab and then checking the box Hidden items within the Show/hide group.

Next, open the AppData folder and then open the Local folder.

Select the IconCache file, then click Delete.

That’s it! If you want to confirm it works, move an icon to any location on your desktop, then right-click the desktop and click Refresh or press F5 on your keyboard.

For more on organizing your desktop items, please read our article about using Stardock Fences to hide all desktop icons the easy way.

Or, check out our article on how to create Windows 10 universal app desktop shortcuts.

Is it bothering you that your desktop icons keep moving randomly? Or, are you just seeking ways to arrange the icons effectively? If you have either of these problems, or both, then you’ve come to the right place. This post will show you how to arrange your desktop icons and stop them shifting from one place to another.

How to arrange your desktop icons

It takes you only a few steps to arrange the desktop icons. Here’s how to do it:

1) Right-click a blank area on your desktop to open the context menu.

2) Click Sort by and choose one command (either Name, Size, Item type, or Date modified) from the right menu. These commands indicate how you want to arrange the icons.

3) Now your desktop icons should be displayed in an orderly way. Besides, if you don’t like to arrange the icons manually, you may click View > Auto arrange icons and let Windows do the configuration for you.

These are the simple and useful steps that help you arrange the desktop icons. If you want to lock them in place, please move on to the next part.

How to stop desktop icons from moving randomly

It is most annoying when you find your desktop icons keep moving all the time. You just want them to stay in the place where they should be, rather than wander here and there like a rover. If that’s the case, you should go on with the steps below to lock your desktop icons.

1) Right-click an empty area on your desktop to open the context menu. Click View and then Align icons to grid. Make sure the Auto arrange icons option is unticked.

2) Click Personalize.

3) In the pop-up window, select Themes from its left pane. Then click Desktop icon settings on the right panel.

4) Make sure you uncheck the Allow themes to change desktop icons option. Then click OK to save the change.

5) Run a full scan for viruses and malware with your antivirus program to ensure that your PC has not been infected.

6) With all the steps above completed, you should now check to see whether the icons are still moving randomly.

So that’s all for now – have you mastered the tricks we mention above? If you have any further questions or ideas, please feel free to leave a comment below. Thanks for reading, and good luck to you all!