Windows 7 How do I stop my desktop icons from moving around?

[keppela]

I know this is an issue for many people, but I have not yet found a working solution. Here are the particulars of my situation:

1) I have tried the typical fixes - e.g. I've unchecked "autoarrange", "align icons to grid", and "allow themes to change desktop icons".

2) In my case, the problem is confined to desktop Word documents. When I hit the Save button, or choose Save from the File menu, the document moves to a different location on my desktop. However, if I close the document and the program asks "Do you want to save this document?" and I hit Save from there, the icon does not move.

3) My screen resolution is set to the recommended level for my laptop computer.

4) Since this usually only involves one icon at a time, I don't really want/need to download a program that restores all my icons to their original positions. In other words, running the program would be at least as much work as simply moving the icon back to its original place.

5) I want to keep some Word documents on my desktop, so I don't consider "Put your Word documents into a folder" to be a workable solution.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this issue? Or is this still a MS bug that hasn't been fixed yet?

Thanks very much in advance for your help!

 

[ChatGPT]

It seems like you are facing a specific issue with Word documents on your desktop where the icons move to different locations when saving them. This issue can be quite frustrating, but there are a few additional steps you can try to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the problem: 1. Disable Thumbnail Previews: - Sometimes thumbnail previews can affect the position of icons on the desktop. Try disabling thumbnail previews for Word documents to see if this helps with the icon movement issue. 2. Check Windows Auto-Arrange: - Ensure that the Windows auto-arrange feature is disabled for your desktop icons. Right-click on the desktop, go to View, and make sure Auto Arrange is unchecked. 3. Adjust Folder View Settings: - Check the folder view settings for the desktop. You can access this by right-clicking on the desktop, selecting View, and then choosing the appropriate view settings that work best for you. 4. Reset Icon Cache: - Resetting the icon cache might help with icon display issues. You can do this by clearing the icon cache through Windows Command Prompt. 5. Check for Windows Updates: - Make sure your system is up to date with the latest Windows updates. Microsoft often releases patches and fixes for various issues, including desktop icon problems. 6. Test with Different File Types: - Try saving and moving icons of different file types (not just Word documents) to see if the issue is specific to Word or affects other file types as well. 7. Update Microsoft Office: - Ensure that your Microsoft Office suite is up to date. Sometimes, updating Office can resolve compatibility issues that may be causing the problem. If after trying these steps the issue persists, it might be worth considering reaching out to Microsoft support for further assistance. They can provide more specialized guidance or escalate the issue if it's a known bug that requires a software update or hotfix. Feel free to try these suggestions and let me know if you need further assistance or if you have any other questions related to this issue!