Desktop Icon Columns

paulsalter · 02 Oct 2014

If it works the same as Win 8

Turn off the Auto Arrange Icons
Turn on the Align Icons to Grid

See if that makes a difference, with that in 8 mine all align in rows/columns and I can move them about

CalBear37 · 02 Oct 2014

JDobbsy1987 said:

Ah i see, i don't use the auto arrange feature to be honest.

What OS have you been using when this works? Win 7 or Win 8?

Regards,
Jamie

Win XP, Win 7, Win 8. Perhaps even earlier than that, my memory is fading

It appears that Microsoft decided to limit the auto arrange to one column. Perhaps that is in conjunction with the multiple desktops for some reason. I have two 24-inch monitors. The task bar is for very frequently used programs, the desktop icons are for frequently used programs and files, the start menu is for all other programs.

David Bailey · 02 Oct 2014

In your columns are the text labels positioned to the right of the icons ?

Mystere · 02 Oct 2014

CalBear37 said:

I want to use auto arrange. It keeps things neat and tidy for all those icons. If you turn it on it appears you can only make 1 column. When you try to move an icon to the right of the column a "line" like this appears in the existing column perhaps indicating the limit of icon placement.
|------| That doesn't happen in previous versions of Windows.

The line shows insertion point, just like the caret when you drag text in word or other apps.

When you have Auto-arrange, the icons are constrained to the auto-arranged group. This has always been the case, but in older versions of Windows if you dropped the icon outside of the range it just moved it back to the end of the list. The effect here is the same, you get the icon moved to the same place, but the feedback just always shows you where the icon will go.

You certainly CAN move icons to more than one column, I had no trouble doing this.

See this image where I dragged an icon in auto-arrange mode from the left column to the right

JDobbsy1987 · 02 Oct 2014

This is where i was getting lost, i understand how auto arrange works but couldn't get to the bottom of the columns thing as i could drag / drop across multiple columns.

CalBear37, can you show a screenshot of how you saw it working in the past?

CalBear37 · 02 Oct 2014

paulsalter said:

If it works the same as Win 8

Turn off the Auto Arrange Icons
Turn on the Align Icons to Grid

See if that makes a difference, with that in 8 mine all align in rows/columns and I can move them about

That works. Now I feel really stupid!

JDobbsy1987 · 02 Oct 2014

ahhh... Now i know what the issue was lol.

Nice one paul

paulsalter · 03 Oct 2014

Good to hear you have got I sorted out now :)

endeavor · 04 Oct 2014

CalBear37, I prefer and have always used that feature too, however I keep both Auto Arrange AND Align To Grid check marked. fwiw though, this is not a question but a fwiw, once in a while when a new shortcut or something is saved to the Desktop though, it places itself in the beginning row thus throwing the oder of everything else off by one - I simply drag it to the end and then all else falls into place. It's not a problem since it does not happen that often and the resolve is quick. It happens on 7, 8, but have not had enough time to see if happens on 10 yet. no biggy, just a fyi.

Liquidirt · 05 Aug 2015

I'm having kind of the same problem, I like to put desktop icons in any place and cannot move them at all, I have tried the Homegroup thing, the arrange Icon thing and the Align icons to grid, each one on or off. Nothing seems to allow me to move icons where I would want them. Is there any other method?