Windows 10: How do I change the spacing of desktop icons?

Discus and support How do I change the spacing of desktop icons? in Windows 10 Customization to solve the problem; I have found this question here before but the answers did not address my problem. The icons on my desktop were previously much closer together than... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Customization' started by jocraddy, May 11, 2020.

  1. JOCRADDY
    jocraddy Win User

    How do I change the spacing of desktop icons?


    I have found this question here before but the answers did not address my problem. The icons on my desktop were previously much closer together than they now are, and I cannot seem to get them back the way they were. The icon size is the same as it has always been, and I have always had the grid option turned on, but there are now giant gaps between and below the icons which, while not causing any problems, is just a tad irritating. I was wondering if anyone could explain what has happened to my desktop? I have not changed anything, it was fine yesterday but when I opened my laptop today the icons were like this. Thank you for your time!How do I change the spacing of desktop icons? [​IMG]

    :)
     
    jocraddy, May 11, 2020
    #1
  2. MCK
    mck Win User

    Cannot change desktop icon

    Sometimes a desktop icon changes from what it was to a plain white folder. Might be something I did but not sure what.

    To change it to the icon I want, I go:
    1. Rt-click icon > Properties > Change icon
    2. I select the icon I want from the thumbnails of icons.
    3. Click OK
    4. Click Apply
    But the icon does not change. It just stays looking like a white folder.
    HOWEVER, if I pin the icon to the taskbar, the icon on the taskbar does look like the icon I selected in step-2. So the change is registered with Win10 but the icon on the desktop just doesn't change.

    Any ideas on how to fix this?
     
    mck, May 11, 2020
    #2
  3. JENNIFER CHA
    Jennifer Cha Win User
    Space allotted to desktop icons

    Hi Bob,

    Windows 10 have various options to personalize your PC based on your liking. To help us provide the appropriate steps on how to make the changes that you want, we would like to ask for additional details. Please answer the following:

    • What is the current build and version of your Windows 10 device?
    • Can you please provide a screenshot of the desktop icon having an extra space?
    • Have you made any recent changes to the settings before this occurred?

    We hope to hear from you soon.
     
    Jennifer Cha, May 11, 2020
    #3
  4. PETER1986C
    Peter1986C Win User

    How do I change the spacing of desktop icons?

    Remove Linux Desktop Icons

    I am not sure whether this will work (Ubuntu does not have icons like that on the desktop by default), but I suggest opening the trash bin and sweeping the icons into the window showing the trash bin.
     
    Peter1986C, May 11, 2020
    #4
Thema:

How do I change the spacing of desktop icons?

Loading...

  1. How do I change the spacing of desktop icons? - Similar Threads - change spacing desktop

  2. How do I revert the awful taskbar icon spacing changes?

    in Windows 10 Gaming
    How do I revert the awful taskbar icon spacing changes?: After going through a windows update on 3/15/2023, I find myself greeted with taskbar icons that are larger and take up far too much space. I see no option whatsoever to revert this change to the original tight aesthetic. How can I go about doing so? This is bothering me a...

  3. How do I revert the awful taskbar icon spacing changes?

    in Windows 10 Software and Apps
    How do I revert the awful taskbar icon spacing changes?: After going through a windows update on 3/15/2023, I find myself greeted with taskbar icons that are larger and take up far too much space. I see no option whatsoever to revert this change to the original tight aesthetic. How can I go about doing so? This is bothering me a...

  4. Desktop Icon Spacing . . .

    in Windows 10 Customization
    Desktop Icon Spacing . . .: My computer, is a Dell laptop. Running Windows 10 Pro My desktop icons, are very far apart. I want to get them, closer. Here,'is the way to do it, by editing the registry. =============================== regedit Hkey_current_user control_panel Desktop WindowsMetric...

  5. Icon spacings changed out of nowhere- how do I revert?

    in Windows 10 Customization
    Icon spacings changed out of nowhere- how do I revert?: I left my computer in sleep mode for a few minutes, and when I came back, suddenly spacing everywhere changed and I hate how it looks. Changes I've noticed include: - Pinned icons on taskbar have wider spacing in between - Navigation panel on file explorer has wider...

  6. How do I change the desktop icon text color?

    in Windows 10 Customization
    How do I change the desktop icon text color?: The articles I found online are either ancient or they do not work. The general idea is to change to orange as a solid color, which supposedly changes the text to black, It doesn't. What's the point about personalizing if something that basic is impossible?...

  7. How do I change the pictures on my desktop icons?

    in Windows 10 Customization
    How do I change the pictures on my desktop icons?: I have tried to change the desktop icons according to Microsoft help but some of the categories they say will be present are not there. So can someone tell me how to change shortcut icons in windows 10 please?...

  8. how do I change icon size on desktop

    in Windows 10 Customization
    how do I change icon size on desktop: how do I change icon size on desktop? thanks https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-do-i-change-icon-size-on-desktop/befff26f-6769-41aa-9350-d428c49e4f13

  9. Desktop icon spacing

    in Windows 10 Customization
    Desktop icon spacing: I'm used to tweaking the values in HKCU\ControlPanel\Desktop\WindowsMetrics\Icon Spacing in previous version of Windows, but it appears to work a bit differently in Win10. Changing the Icon Spacing from the default of -1560 to, say -2000, gives more room for the icon title...

  10. Change Desktop Icon Spacing in Windows 10

    in Windows 10 Tutorials
    Change Desktop Icon Spacing in Windows 10: How to: Change Desktop Icon Spacing in Windows 10 How to Change Desktop Icon Horizontal and Vertical Spacing in Windows 10 [img] Information Icon horizontal spacing is for how wide (left/right) the desktop icon will be. The wider it is, the more text that will display...