Windows 10: Desktop icons change position after disconnecting 2nd display

I am running Window 10 on my laptop. At the office I connect a 2nd display monitor.

Whenever I disconnect from that display to work at home, all my icons move position. I have my laptop display set as primary.

Is there a way to save the icon positions?

:)

 

How to prevent desktop icons from changing positions

Hi Stephen,

There are various reasons why you're experiencing the issue. Let us isolate your concern by enabling the
Auto arrange icons option, and then disabling it to see if the issue will persist. To do this follow these steps:

• Go to the Desktop screen, and then right click anywhere.
• Hover your mouse on View.
• Select Auto arrange icons.
• Restart the computer.
• After restarting the computer, check if your Desktop icons are still in the right position after clicking the
  Auto arrange icons option.
• If your Desktop icons are in the right position, repeat steps 1-3 to disable the
  Auto arrange icons option.
  
• Customize the position of your Desktop icons.
• Restart the computer.
• After restarting the computer, check if the issue will occur.

We'll be waiting for your response.

 

Desktop Icons move when changing to or from Extending Display.

Desktop icons are not managed successfully in Win 10 or any other previous versions of windows for more than the last 10 years (at least as long as there has been the ability to use two displays).

Currently using a laptop with external display that is set to be the 2nd display in extended display settings.

When I go portable with my laptop there can be several impacts including No Icons usually accompanied with primary desktop being the 2nd monitor that is no longer present. Recovery of course causes all desktop icons to take up a new location when the laptop
display is restored to primary.

Attempting to be proactive by changing display mode from extended to single primary (of the laptop of course) does not always prevent icons from moving.

Having searched the community questions and answers I have found all the supposed fixes already in place showing that Microsoft is both listening and reacting by making those changes during updates (except for system restore which appears to need user to
initiate creating a restore fileset.). However there is a LONG history of ICONs changing position when using dual display configurations. There are a few other bugs that have been in windows for a long time suggesting that Win 10 is a rehash of prior work
allowing old bugs to persist, but I digress.

This problem has another source of scrambling icon position by the use of screen zoom scaling.

(Hold down CTRL and move the mouse wheel.) Display changes resolution and Icons move to stay visible on the display as the resolution is reduced. Neat feature but when changing back to higher resolution original Icon positions are not restored.

This is not a video driver issue, nor a Icon setting like auto arrange being active. Please assume I have already covered the obvious.

Windows 10 needs a setting that provides a position lock for existing icons on the desktop.

Yes that also means an array of icon position information must be safely stored as each display resolution will need different positions defined.

 

Desktop Icons change their position

I have a similar problem but connected with extended desktop. Whenever I disconnect from extended desktop with just uplugging my surface pro 4 from docking station then all the icons positioning is lost - which is completely annoying. Can you help with that?

regards

piotr