If you recently updated your Windows 11/10 computer and found that all the Desktop icons had moved from the Primary Monitor to the Secondary Monitor, here is a simple suggestion to help you bring them back to where they were.
It could happen because of the wrong cable setup. Generally, Graphics cards give the HDMI cable/port first preference, the DVI-D cable/port second, and the VGA cable/port third. If you have used the wrong cable to power the wrongly placed monitor, you may face the same problem after each major Windows upgrade. You can then either replace your monitors or make this change in Windows Settings to get things done.
Desktop icons keep moving to second monitor in Windows 11
If the Desktop icons are not on the Primary monitor (Monitor 1) but instead move to the Secondary monitor (Monitor 2) in a Dual-monitor setup, here is what you need to do to make the desktop icons display correctly on your Windows computer.
Desktop icons moved from Primary Monitor to Secondary Monitor in Windows 11
You need to set Monitor 1 as a primary display if you want to get all the icons on monitor 1.
Windows 11
- Open Windows 11 Settings
- Select System settings > Display.
- Select the monitor where you want to get the icons and scroll down until you get Multiple displays option.
- You will see a checkbox labeled Make this my main display.
- Select the checkbox.
Related: Desktop icons move randomly when connected to an External Monitor
Windows 10
- Open Windows Settings and go to System > Display.
- Select the monitor where you want to get the icons and scroll down until you get Multiple displays option.
- Here, you should find a checkbox labeled Make this my main display.
- Select the checkbox.
That’s all! Now you will find all the icons on your primary display.
Related: How to duplicate Desktop Icons on Multiple Monitors in Windows
NOTE: Please read the comments below for some additional tips. This helped some – Go to Display settings, Themes, under related settings, click on Desktop Icon Settings (or just search for it in the display settings). Click on Computer, then Apply. If it doesn’t work, uncheck it, then click Apply. And then this helped some: Uncheck the Show taskbar on all displays ” option.
Read next: How to set up Dual Monitors on Windows.
