Member Avatar for A Monkeys Uncle

I have my desktop icons in the order I want them in but I can't figure out how to lock them in place. I want to set the icons so that if one is moved it snaps back to the place it was moved from immediately. Thanks in advance.

BTW I'm using Windows XP Pro.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Catweazle

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— correctly pointed you to the Arrange Icons menu, and is right that XP does not offer a built‑in “lock icons and snap them back” feature. To get the exact behavior you described you need a small helper: either a desktop organiser that prevents dragging, a layout saver/restorer, or a lightweight script that will restore positions when they change.

Practical choices and a simple workflow:

  1. Use a desktop organiser that can freeze icon groups (for example, tools that create “fences” or locked zones). That prevents accidental moves rather than restoring them after the fact.
  2. Use an icon-layout saver/restore utility (search for “save desktop icon layout” utilities). Typical workflow: arrange icons exactly how you want them, open the utility and click Save. If icons get moved later, open the same tool and click Restore (or use a hotkey if the tool offers one). Save one layout per screen resolution or per monitor setup.
  3. If you like scripting, a small AutoHotkey script can call a saved layout restore on a hotkey or when Explorer restarts — useful for an “instant revert” effect, but it requires a bit of setup.

Quick troubleshooting notes: icons often move because screen resolution or monitor setup changed, because Explorer crashed/restarted, or because “Auto arrange”/“Align to grid” settings were toggled. After creating stable layouts, save them for each resolution and restore the matching layout when you switch displays. For an immediate, no-hassle fix on XP, the layout-save/restore approach is the most reliable.

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Member Avatar for Mr Andy

If you right-click the desktop and hover the cursor over "arrange icons by" you'll be presented with various options to control your desktop icons. Probably "auto arrange" is what you are after although be aware that it will stack your icons from left to right and top to bottom. Hope this helps.

Member Avatar for Catweazle

There is no option to artistically arrange them on screen and then lock them there, however :(

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