Windows 10 How to unscramble desktop after update

[sidleonard]

On several occasions, after a Windows update is done my desktop shortcut items (some are websites, other are text documents I created) become scrambled; I then have to reorganize them which is a real hassle. When I had Windows 7, I was able to restore my desktop when the same thing happened. I assume there is a way to do so with Windows 10, but I have been unable to discover how it is done. I am not tech-savvy, so please explain the procedure in simple layman terms. Thank you. Sid Leonard

 

[davehc]

Not sure what order you have them in, but, first, try this.
Right click the desktop and select "View"
Make sure the "Auto arrange" an "Align to grid" items are UNticked.
Now try and arrange your icons/shortcuts, to your preference.

 

[sidleonard]

Thank you. I have them arranged as I want them, and then when certain updates are done, they are scrambled. I want to be able to restore the arrangement I had before the scrambling. Is there not a way to do this, so I don't have to rearrange them? Thanks, Sid L.

 

[davehc]

See if this will work
Right-click on the Desktop -> click Refresh
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif]reboot[/FONT]explorer.exe

Jusy in case:
To reboot explorer.
Right click the task bar and select task manager.
Under the "processes" tab, scroll down to Windows explorer
Right click it and restart.
There will be a temporary loss of screen - only about a second, or less, the screen should then be saved.

An alternative is to open the Windows explorer, under "Users" - username, you will see the item "desktop"
Right click it drag it to a safe place and selct the option to copy it there.
Now, if ever you lose the positions, after updates etc, you can reverse this and drag it back again. Just remember, if you do this, it will return the desktop as it was at the moment you initially moved it.
.

 

[sidleonard]

Thanks, Davehc, for sticking with me on this. - I use Google Chrome; does this change the procedure you suggested? Sid L.

 

[davehc]

No. The browsers are not related.
I can see a confusion here. When I refer to "explorer", I am referring that which controls the desktop, and is listed in the task manager. I believe you may have misread it as Internet explorer - a different item.

 

[sidleonard]

Thanks, Dave. Yes, I am easily confused, but I learn something new every time generous people like you share your expertise me. I will try your suggestions the next time my desktop is scrambled. Again, thanks for your help. Sid