After arranging your icons perfectly, you can lock that layout using a free third-party tool called (by Nenad Hrg). It saves a snapshot of your icon positions. If Windows forgets them, you restore the save file in one click.

A popular app that keeps your icons organized in shaded areas on your desktop. Summary Checklist Uncheck Auto Arrange Prevents Windows from forcing a layout. Refresh Desktop Forces Windows to save current position. Disable Themes Prevents theme updates from moving icons. Delete IconCache.db Fixes a corrupted icon database. Use DesktopOK Permanently backups icon positions.

If the icons keep moving after a reboot, you can try disabling the Windows desktop fix-up feature in the registry.

Your desktop will reappear, and Windows will build a fresh icon database. —it should appear correctly.

Type the following commands one by one, pressing after each line:

. Depending on whether your icons are moving after a restart or are missing entirely, use the following methods: Microsoft Learn 1. Stop Icons from Auto-Arranging

(Optional) Check or uncheck . If you want absolute freedom to place icons anywhere, uncheck it. If you want them in straight rows but not forced to the left, leave it checked.

Contact your IT administrator or check local Group Policy settings (Part 7)

Even if your hard drive has space, the might be corrupted.