[Fix] Desktop Icons Position and Folder View Settings Problem in Windows 10

I have received many emails and comments from various AskVG readers about this annoying problem in Windows 10. Th problem occurs when Windows 10 doesn’t save the position of icons on Desktop and the user-defined folder view settings.

If you put icons on Desktop in a certain order in Windows 10 and restart your computer, Windows 10 forgets the icons position and always puts the icons at the extreme left corner of the screen. Same thing happens with folder view settings. When a user changes a folder view to thumbnails, list, large icons, etc and closes Windows Explorer and then re-opens the same folder again, Windows 10 automatically changes the folder view to details.

Its a very irritating situation. Windows 10 never stores the Desktop icons placement order and folder view settings in Windows Explorer.

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Sometimes this problem might be related to the popular antivirus company ESET products. Almost all users who are facing this problem in Windows 10, have reported that they were using ESET NOD32 antivirus or ESET Smart Security suite in their Windows 10 machines.

This problem occurs due to the faulty Cleaner module present in ESET products. Actually whenever ESET detects some malicious item in a computer, the older version of its Cleaner module changes an important key value in Registry during the cleaning process which causes this annoying problem in Windows 10. ESET has confirmed this issue and has released a testing update which fixes the Cleaner module functionality to solve this problem in Windows 10. But the update has not been released to stable channel. You’ll need to change the update server to pre-release in ESET settings to download and install the new testing update. It may take some time for ESET to release the same update to stable channel.

In the meantime, if you are using Windows 10 and facing this problem, following steps will fix the problem (thanks to Arshia):

1. Press WIN+R keys together to launch RUN dialog box. Now type regedit in RUN and press Enter. It’ll open Registry Editor.

2. Now go to following keys one by one:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{42aedc87-2188-41fd-b9a3-0c966feabec1}\InProcServer32

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Wow6432Node\CLSID\{42aedc87-2188-41fd-b9a3-0c966feabec1}\InProcServer32

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3. In right-side pane, check the value of (Default) string in both keys. It should be set to following:

%SystemRoot%\system32\windows.storage.dll

If the value is set to %SystemRoot%\SysWow64\shell32.dll or something else, you’ll need to change the value of (Default) to %SystemRoot%\system32\windows.storage.dll.

Fix_Desktop_Icons_Position_Folder_View_Problems_in_Windows_10.png

4. The above mentioned Registry keys are protected and to change the value of (Default), you’ll need to first take ownership of InProcServer32 key in both locations.

You can take ownership of the keys with the help of following guide:

[Guide] How to Take Ownership (Permission) of a Registry Key in Windows?

5. After taking ownership, double-click on (Default) string and change its value to %SystemRoot%\system32\windows.storage.dll in both keys.

Close Registry Editor and restart your computer to take effects. Now Windows 10 will always remember Desktop icons position and folder view settings.

NOTE: If you don’t want to modify Registry yourself, you can download following ready-made Registry script to do the task automatically:

After downloading the ZIP file, extract it and run the .REG file to fix the problem. But first you’ll need to manually take ownership of the Registry key as mentioned in above tutorial. The Registry script can only change values in Registry Editor. It can’t take ownership of keys.

PS: If you don’t have ESET products installed in your computer but still facing this problem in Windows 10, check out following tutorials to fix the problem:

How to Fix Annoying Folder View Type Change Problem in Windows

[Solution] Windows Desktop doesn’t Save User Customized Settings

Published in: Troubleshooting Guides, Windows 10

About the author: Vishal Gupta (also known as VG) has been awarded with Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award. He holds Masters degree in Computer Applications (MCA). He has written several tech articles for popular newspapers and magazines and has also appeared in tech shows on various TV channels.

Comments

NOTE: Older comments have been removed to reduce database overhead.

  1. Desktop Icon Save and Restore Has done this job for me for many years. It works well in Windows 10

  2. The same problem occurred to my pc some days ago after trying to control it remotely via the official android app of ms (RC client), I thought it was the app’s or MS’s fault but today i realized that it was nothing but a bug of my AV, that was painful but a system restore did the trick for me and by the way the icon positions and size were resetting not only after a restart but also after refreshing the desktop (at least in my case).

  3. I try to do steps as you wrote, but at the end I got “catastrophic failure” as I try to grant permissions

  4. i think it is kinda working, but you will found that the icon will move back to original position once you reboot or refresh your screen after you move the icon.

  5. F**ck, Nick is right. Seemed to help but after one Logoff/Logon the Desktop Icons are at default again and the mentioned Registry Values are %SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll again.
    So we’re waiting for Eset to publish an improved version. :-((

  6. Thank you!
    First it worked fine, but after a restart the registry settings are the same as before.
    I have ESET NOD32 running and will try the newest version of the av engine ( ver6).

  7. Hi worked fine on win 10 but i get a message that the firewall and the antivirus is off. They work normally but i keep getting thow annoying message every 1 minute and i cant turn it off. Please help.

  8. Basta ZMover saves both Icon Positions on desktop and individual window sizes from windows you pick. Once in use you realize again that Microsoft is a slow learner in small things.

  9. worked for me: “Registry Script to Fix Desktop Icons Position Problem in Windows 10”

    THANKS A LOT!

  10. upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10 on HP laptop, and no Desktop file or app is on the Start screen. Also means I don’t have access to the recycle bin. How do I install the Desktop App to the Start Screen?

  11. Why has a class action not been initiated against Microsoft for this screw up. Why are the board officers of Microsoft still in their jobs. Why all of Microsoft vice-presidents still in their jobs. Microsoft has huge quality control problems going all the way back to Windows 8 and “forgetting” the start button.

  12. I don’t have Eset. Also, neither of these keys appear in the registry.
    Last comment – please put a date at the top of your answer….this could be years out of date & I don’t know how to find that out.
    Any other suggestions? HP Pavilion Aug 2015 Win 10 – losing my desktop layout has been driving me c.zy
    thanks

  13. Hi VG

    I’m using Windows 10. If I open a folder (by cicking on a shortcut), move its screen position, close it, then open it again, it opens in the new position. So far, so good. However, if I open a second folder it opens over the top of the first one (slightly displaced), regardless of its previous screen position. How I can I make the second folder’s position independent of the first folder’s position? Thanks.

  14. I have this problem with both Windows 7 and 10. It seems to be something to do with the stock Windows operating system rather than a third party app.

    On my desktop PC (Win 7), it is definitely the result of the screen setting functionality. This is annoying because it is simply a matter of accidentally hitting one of the monitor buttons. I don’t need to have opened the Windows settings from the Control Panel or the context menu. I run two monitors and simply shutting off the second monitor causes the icons to pile up on the left edge of the screen. Booting into Safe Mode will do the same as Windows goes to a low resolution setting on Safe Mode

    For my laptop, I have yet to understand what causes it. All I know is that sometimes when I shutdown and reboot my laptop, all my careful organization goes to dung.

    Working with the registry is a recipe for disaster. I have always done a backup of the registry before attempting to work with it. Thankfully, my last f’up was only to have loaded the registry back into itself so now everything is duplicated. A “.reg” files will load when double clicked on. Oops. Everything is functioning, thankfully. At this point, the old adage, “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” definitely applies.

    I now take a screen shot of my desktop and use it as my background. It makes it much easier to put things back.

  15. I’am having trouble every time I click an icon to move delete or open
    laptop freezes & have close down manually

  16. Windows 10 is getting crappier. HELP ME !!!

    There is news that an update will cripple most versions.

  17. As someone mentioned above:
    %SystemRoot%\system32\windows.storage.dll
    was set already in both cases to the recommended value, yet the icon moving problem still exists.
    Other programs that might affect this (based on other problems that have been corrected) are my VPN software – PIA, and my Anti virus software – AVAST or AVG.
    The way to test is not hard, just a real pain to do, so I haven’t yet.
    That would be to disable both programs so they do not start.
    Set the icons in the preferred locations and Mouse Button 2 click on REFRESH.
    Clicking REFRESH is the normal way to ‘SET’ the location of icons after moving them.
    I wanted to put those notes here and I’ll confirm it if I ever test as I mentioned above.

  18. The values in my registry WAS set according to this and it still doesn’t work.

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