Windows 11 moving files/shortcuts on the desktop...

Just wanted to chime in and say that this exact same thing is happening on my system (running Windows 11 Pro) and it's driving me nuts. New files saved to the desktop appear in the upper left corner, to the right of the recycle bin, and push my icons out of order from there. Renaming a file on the desktop causes it to jump to that position and shift the icons as well. It happens every time without exception. I've tried the same fixes as you without luck. I don't remember exactly when it started but it's been an issue for several weeks now.

Hello, same issue. Don't remember when started, probably early this year.

I tried all previous mentioned checks (except modifying regedit) without change. Getting bored to have to rearrange my desktop icons after most downloads on desktop!

Trick: I created a "Download folder" on the desktop and try to move downloaded files there instead of desktop!

Hope Microsoft will finally solve and fix this issue!

Hello Haien,

Thank you for that process. I already had some things in place, such as the no autoarrange and the to grid section (screenshot #1).

Screenshot #2 shows where any additional save was going, and screenshot #3 shows how it should look.

When I attempt to do the Sort By steps, I have no option for none (see screenshot #4). However, I clicked and played with sorted by item, rearranged them again, resaved a new screenshot, and it went to the 'end" of the left column icons.

I entered in your registry edit as suggested, restarted and rinsed/repeated the process with a few downloads and new screen shots. While when they download they go "in line" aka at the end of the current row of icons on the right - when I edit the name and/or edit the file, it does move the icon again to a gap in left aligned icons and/or the end of the line on the left aligned, rather than saving where it was originally located to begin with on the desktop... Any further suggestions?

Anything "pasted" (via copy/paste) to the desktop immediately saves back under the recycle bin. This is about 45minutes after the regedit operations.

I have checked for a windows update a few times, I have already reset to default the settings, I've looked through the forums and have not found a solution quite yet.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Dear Krystyna Lynn

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A. I'm Haien from Microsoft Q&A.

I’m sorry to hear that the automatic repositioning of your desktop icons on Windows 11 Home is driving you crazy. I understand your immense frustration with Windows 11 constantly rearranging your desktop icons, even after you've disabled "Auto Arrange Icons" and confirmed it's not due to resolution changes or other common culprits. I’m here to help you find a solution.  To help you further, I hope that you can provide a screenshot of that error whenever it happens again so I can check it for you.

 
Here are some effective ways that you can try for fixing your problem:

Solution 1: Verify and Reset Desktop Settings

• Right-click the desktop > select View > confirm Auto Arrange Icons is unchecked and Align Icons to Grid is checked.
• Right-click again > choose Sort by > None to clear any hidden sorting.
• Restart your PC and test by saving a new file (e.g., screenshot) to see if icons shift.

Solution 2: Update Windows and Check for Patches

• Go to Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates > install any available July 2025 patches, and restart.
• Retest the desktop layout after saving a file.

Solution 3: Apply Registry Edit to Lock Layout

• Press Win + R > type regedit > press Enter.
• Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop.
• Right-click Desktop >   select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value > name it NoAutoArrange, and set its value to 1.
• Click OK, restart your PC, and test by adding a new file.

Note/Warning: Back up the registry (File > Export) before editing - errors can cause issues. If it doesn’t work, revert by deleting the key.

• If you've already tried these steps and are still encountering issues, please reply to this thread with the requested details so we can investigate further and ensure your subscription is activated properly. Also, please keep me updated with anything new that you were try to each option.
• If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". 
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We appreciate your patience and look forward to resolving this quickly for you. 

Warm regards,

Haien - MSFT | Microsoft Q&A Support Specialist 

Same issue. It's been happening since I installed Win11 ages ago, so not a new issue. I just finally got frustrated to try searching for a solution again. None of the above changes helped.

I've got two monitors. My "main" is to the right of the other one. All my icons are on the main one, and saving puts whatever new file I try to save to the desktop in the top right corner. If I move all my icons to the secondary monitor, newly saved files appear in the top left of my primary monitor and it doesn't reposition everything. If I could even just make files save to the secondary monitor instead, I'd be happy as it wouldn't reorganize all my icons.