Within this article we are going to see how to lock and restore the position of desktop icons . If you’re looking for a quick and easy solution to restore desktop icons to the desired location, you’ve come to the right place. Many people may find it annoying having to organize their desktop icons every time they turn on their computer or change screen resolution.
With the guide that we are going to see together today, you will learn how to save and lock the position of desktop icons and restore it quickly and easily, without having to use paid programs or third-party tools.
Read on to find out how.
Lock desktop icons in Windows 11
Windows 11 will rearrange your icons if you’ve installed or deleted an app, or even if you’ve changed your screen resolution settings. You’ll need to turn off the auto-arrange feature to prevent this from happening.
Follow these steps to do it:
- Right- click anywhereon the desktop.
- Hover over “ View” in the menu.
- A drop down menu will appear. Go to “ Auto Arrange Icons“.
- Uncheckthe option to disable it.
If you want each row and column of icons to line up, you can adjust it here by clicking “ Align Icons to Grid “.
See also: How to hide Desktop Icons in Windows 11
Lock desktop icons in Windows 10
If, on the other hand, you have the Windows 10 operating system and are looking for a way to prevent desktop icons from moving every time you change the screen resolution or add new applications, I also want to reassure you that in this situation the operations to be carried out they are very simple.
To disable the auto arrange feature, the steps are:
- Right-click an empty spot on the desktop.
- Hover over “View” to get more options.
- Uncheck the box next to the Auto Organize icons.
- Make sure the “Align Icons to Grid” option is turned on. This will constrain your desktop icons to a grid arrangement, resulting in perfectly spaced icons.
turning off the auto-arrange feature should prevent Windows from rearranging your desktop icons.
Another way to lock desktop icons on Windows 10 is through the “Settings” app. The steps to do this are:
- Open the Windows 10 Settings app or press the Win button + I shortcut.
- Select “Personalization”.
- Choose “Themes” from the left pane menu.
- Click “Desktop Icon Settings” in the right menu under “Related Settings”. This should bring up a new configuration window.
- Uncheck the box next to “Allow themes to change desktop icons.”
- Select “Apply”, then “OK”.
You may be interested to know: How to Change Icon Size Windows 11/10
Lock desktop icons in Windows 8.1
The steps to pin desktop icons on Windows 8.1 are very similar to Windows 10 and 11. The first way to do it is:
- Right-click on an empty spot on the desktop.
- Select “View” from the drop-down menu.
- Uncheck the “Automatically arrange icons” box.
Lock desktop icons in windows 7
For the few owners of the Windows 7 operating system, the options for locking desktop icons are similar to Windows 10. You can disable the auto-arrange feature by following these steps:
- Right-click anywhere on the desktop.
- Hover over “View” to see more options.
- Uncheck the box next to the Auto Organize icons.
- Make sure the “Align Icons to Grid” option is enabled. This will force desktop icons to be arranged in a grid, resulting in properly spaced icons.
The “Settings” app is another option to lock desktop icons in Windows 7. The steps are as follows:
- Launch the “Settings” app on Windows 7. You can do this by pressing the Win + I button.
- Choose “Personalization”.
- From the menu on the left, select “Themes”.
- In the right-side menu, under “Related Settings,” select “Desktop Icon Settings.” This should open a new configuration window.
- Uncheck the “Allow themes to update desktop icons” option.
- Click on “Apply” and then on “OK”.
Conclusion
While Windows’ auto-arrange feature can be useful, it sometimes causes more inconvenience than it’s worth. Turning it off will solve the problem of constantly moving icons and help keep your desktop organized according to your needs and preferences. In this article we have seen how to save and restore the position of desktop icons quickly and easily. We hope this information has been useful to you.