Your Desktop is a special folder which shows your background wallpaper that you have chosen and your files, folders, documents, shortcuts and all such items you have stored. It appears every time you sign in to Windows. In this article, will we learn how to disable the Align Desktop Icons to Grid feature for your user account in Windows 10.
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Tip: In earlier Windows versions, the Desktop had important icons enabled by default - This PC, Network, Control Panel, and your User files folder. They were all visible by default. However, in modern Windows versions, Microsoft made most of these icons hidden. In Windows 10, only the Recycle Bin is present on the Desktop by default. Also, the Windows 10 Start Menu does not have links to these icons either. You can enable classic Desktop icons as follows:
Enable Desktop Icons in Windows 10
By default, Align Desktop Icons is enabled. If you drag and drop icons anywhere on the Desktop, they will be snapped to a grid and will get auto-arranged. It is possible to disable this feature and to place the desktop icons at any position you like on Desktop. Here is how to disable this feature.
To disable Align Desktop Icons to Grid on Desktop in Windows 10, do the following.
- Minimize all open windows and apps. You can use Win + D or Win + M shortcut keys. Alternatively, you can right-click the taskbar and select "Show the desktop" from the context menu or left click the far end of the taskbar.
Tip: See What is the difference between Win + D (Show Desktop) and Win + M (Minimize All) keyboard shortcuts in Windows - Right click the empty space on your Desktop and select View - Align icons to grid. This command will toggle the Align icons to grid feature.
When Align icons to grid is disable, a check mark will disappear next to the context menu command's name.
This is pretty simple.
This feature can be configured with a special Registry tweak. Here is how it can be done.
Disable Align Desktop Icons to Grid with a Registry tweak
- Open the Registry Editor app.
- Go to the following Registry key.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop
See how to go to a Registry key with one click.
- On the right, modify or create a new 32-Bit DWORD value "FFlags". Set it to one of the following values in decimal.
1075839520 - disable Auto Arrange Icons and Align Icons to Grid
1075839525 - enable Auto Arrange Icons and Align Icons to Grid
1075839521 - enable Auto Arrange Icons and disable Align Icons to Grid
1075839524 - disable Auto Arrange Icons but enable Align Icons to GridNote: Even if you are running 64-bit Windows you must still create a 32-bit DWORD value.
- To make the changes done by the Registry tweak take effect, you need to restart the Explorer shell.
That's it.
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Thank you, Sergey, for this article on how to disable Windows 10 Align Desktop Icons to Grid through the registry. You have stopped a constant nuisance, that I’ve had to fix over and over again. Now I have my desktop defaulting to 1075839520. What a joy!
You are welcome.
environment: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit version 1703 OS 15063.608
Hi Sergey, The fix disappears after reboot. How can I make it permanent? Thanks!
Just now tried it in Safe Mode, Administrator.
The decimal value I set to 1075839520, that changed the hexadecimal value to 669af90.
But on reboot, it changed back to hexadecimal 0x48200224, decimal 1210057252.
I had made sure the FFlags was a 32-bit DWORD.
Has Microsoft put a limit on what kind of changes to the registry we can make?
Quite possible.
What if you just untick the option in the context menu?
I’m having the exact same problem as Sonya. When Explorer shuts down and restarts, the FFlags reset to 1210057252. Occasionally, the icons will auto arrange to the left side of the screen. I was hoping that Sonya figured this out and has a solution. Changing the option in the context menu has no effect on this behavior.
alignment grid – is really making me mad . How do I get rid of it.
This:
I cannot disable the arrange icons to grid, even if i have used the registry thing. And it does not also work when trying to disable it from view options. Does anyone have another idea on how to solve this issue? I have the Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.4170.0 version of win.