Desktop icons move randomly when connected to an External Monitor in Windows 10

You have a Windows 10 dual monitor setup running, and if you switch from the main display to the external monitor, you may notice that the desktop icons have been moved to random positions. In this article, we will identify the potential cause of this problem, as well as the workaround that you can try to help you alleviate the problem.

Desktop icons continue to move randomly to the second monitor

You expand your display to an external monitor, then make the external monitor your primary display. After making these changes, your desktop icons move to random positions on the desktop.

This problem occurs because, to calculate the positions of the desktop icons, Windows uses the current display resolution. Windows interprets the change in the main display as a change in screen resolution.

So if you are faced with this problem on setting up your dual monitor for Windows 10 computers, you can try the workaround described below to work around this unusual display / monitor behavior.

To work around the problem, do the following:

After changing your main view, simply drag the icons from the desktop to the desired positions.

If you are looking for more options, try these suggestions:

If you notice that your desktop icons continue to move to the second monitor in Windows 10, you can try the workarounds recommended below in no particular order to alleviate this problem.

• Delete the IconCache files under the folder Application data.
• Switch off Automatic organization by right-clicking on a free space on your desktop, then uncheck Automatic reorganization icons in the context menu.
• Move your icons to your main office where you want them. But leave an icon behind.

One of the 3 workarounds should work for you.

How to Lock Desktop Icons in a Multiple Monitor Configuration

Another thing when it comes to desktop icons is how to lock the desktop icons in a multi-monitor configuration.

Windows 10 doesn’t offer a simple way to lock all icons on the desktop. So if you’ve carefully organized the icons on the desktop and don’t want others to rearrange them, you can use a free tool.

• DeskLock is a free utility for locking desktop icons. After installing the DeskLock application, simply right-click the running DeskLock icon in the system tray, then select Activated option to lock all icons on the desktop. Once the icons are locked, you cannot move icons on the desktop by dragging or dropping them.
• DesktopOK locks, saves and restores the position of desktop icons.

Then read: Desktop icons are slow to load in Windows 10.

• Keywords: Office, multiple monitors