Windows 11 icons

LightFlare

My work PC was recently upgraded to enable Windows 11 to be introduced.

Since then, I have a really annoying issue with the desktop icons loaded via the network.

We/I actually do t use half of them, so I like to drag and position them away from those that I do need.

However, at times during the day (will happen multiple times), the icons decide to totally rearrange themselves and mingle with each other and totally change position.

I have tried disabling auto-arrange and align to grid, but the issue persists.

Any ideas ? Or do I just contact IT and get them to sort out (if they can)

Thanks

Newcad

It's a well known annoyance (bug?) with Widows 11, if you do a websearch you will find lots of complaints about it.
even when you have ticked  'Align icons  to Grid' and unticked 'Auto arrange icons' Windows 11 will still move them about for some users.

This article gives a number of different way you can try to get them to stay in place (and then tries to persuade you to buy a PDF app but ignore that).
https://updf.com/skills/how-to-lock-desktop-icons-windows-10-11/

If none of those work, or there are any (all) you don't want to or can't try, then I would check your system files, and maybe the system image.

If you don't already know how to do that:
Click on the Windows search bar and type: CMD
The search result for CMD (Command Prompt) will be displayed, click Run as administrator;
Copy and paste (or type in) the command below then press 'Enter':

sfc /scannow

It will take a while to scan your system files, and fix them if necessary.
If it does find errors to fix then I suggest that you then copy/paste (or type in)

Dism /Online /Cleanup-image /RestoreHealth

Again that will take a while to run as it checks your system image and fixes anything necessary.
Then run sfc /scannow again just to be sure.

Close the command window, Restart your machine (Restart not Shutdown) and then make sure you have set 'Align icons to grid' and unticked 'Auto arrange icons' to see if it is now fixed.

(Sorry the post formatter got screwed up there and it took me a while to sort it out).

Teapot55

What about if you right-click on an icon and select ‘remove icon’? Would that work?

LightFlare

thanks for the replies:

I dont have acess to any system files (or the ability to modify any) and likewise with deleting the icons -- since its a works pc connected to the network we have limited permissions and the icons just reappear after reboot

Newcad

As it's a works PC endpoint on a network then you almost certainly shouldn't be changing most/any of those setting anyway (if you want to keep the job).

About all you can do is ask your works IT to take a look and try and sort it out for you.

Complaining to your boss that it's adversely affecting your productivity might help, but if IT can't fix it anyway then maybe not.

outtatune

Also, why do you care where desktop icons are? I never even see the ones on my work computer as they're covered by my work.
There are far better ways of starting apps than clicking on desktop icons.

Neil_Jones

LightFlare said:

My work PC was recently upgraded to enable Windows 11 to be introduced.

Since then, I have a really annoying issue with the desktop icons loaded via the network.

We/I actually do t use half of them, so I like to drag and position them away from those that I do need.

However, at times during the day (will happen multiple times), the icons decide to totally rearrange themselves and mingle with each other and totally change position.

I have tried disabling auto-arrange and align to grid, but the issue persists.

Any ideas ? Or do I just contact IT and get them to sort out (if they can)

Thanks

easy solution:

Tell your work IT department about it and let them sort it out.

On my home device I've never had this issue, but the Pinned section of the Start Menu in 11 is probably a better place for this sort of thing as you can get to it from pretty much anywhere.

Desktop shortcuts are a legacy of the days in Windows before the Start Menu was a thing, as before the Start Menu Program Manager with its copious shortcuts was the most common (but probably not the only) way to launch anything in Windows 3.1 (IIRC the "desktop" itself was nothing more than a dumping ground for minimised programs in the absence of a taskbar, and I don't think you could add your own shortcuts to it).

LightFlare

will get in touch with IT

Thanks all