Windows 10: Windows 10: How do I prevent taskbar icons within a group from changing positions?

If I open several instances of an app, for example three power point presentations Office 2019 the three icons on the task bar are labelled and grouped together: ppt1-ppt2-ppt3. This is fine and exactly what I want but during work, copying slides from one presentation to another etc. suddenly the position of the icons on the taskbar changes, for example ppt3-ppt1-ppt2. This is very annoying and disrupts my work flow. How can I stop this unwanted behavior?

:)

 

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.

 

Windows 10 desktop icons not in order

In ccleaner, did you uncheck cleaning the icon cache... have not used in a while; however, I think that is what the option is called.

Now, if you are setting the icons and they move after you have set the settings and not changed them... you may have the "Random Windows 10 Icon movement problem".
Some people have this and some don't.

Here is a thread on the problem at Windows10 forums: Windows 10: Folder View Settings and Desktop Icon Positions Not Saving

 

Taskbar icons refuse to group

That's would be a rarher bold statement.

I have already reported some rather curious behavior from Chrome

Chrome shortcut pinned to taskbar: open or to the side? - Windows 10 Forums

that somehow prevented it from combining with its own pinned icon. This is not as drastic as what the OP reported, but still a step in a similar direction.