If you have recently updated your Windows 11/10 computer and then found that all the Desktop icons had moved from the Primary Monitor to the Secondary Monitor, here is a simple suggestion that will help you bring back all the icons where they were.
It could happen because of the wrong cable setup. Generally, Graphics cards give HDMI cable/port the first preference, DVI-D cable/port the second preference and VGA cable/port the third preference. 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 moved from Primary Monitor to Secondary Monitor
If the Desktop icons are not on the Primary monitor (Monitor 1), but instead are moving to the Secondary monitor (Monitor 2) on a Dual-monitor setup, here is what you need to do to make the desktop icons display correctly on your Windows computer.
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 click Apply. And then this helped some – Uncheck the Show taskbar on all display option.
Read next: How to set up Dual Monitors on Windows.
Does not work – the primary already listed as the main display – icons still jump to second screen. There doesn’t appear to be a fix for this, as when you start hearing sfc /scannow and other bullshit answers, you know there is no fix.
This post does not recommend running SFC – so what are you talking about!?
Same thing is happening to me.I can’t fix it
If you want your desktop icons to “follow” the monitor that is set as your ‘main’ monitor, you must do this:
1_Right click desktop, go to ‘view’ and….
2_Choose medium icon size
3_Use ‘auto-arrange icons’
4_Use ‘align icons to grid’
Whenever you flip-flop your monitors as main and secondary, your desktop icons should remain on the monitor currently set as ‘main’. I do this using a small program called ‘MultiMonitor Tool’ when I want to game on my larger monitor while having football games etc going on my secondary monitor.
Right click on the taskbar, open “Taskbar settings”, and uncheck the checkbox that says “Show taskbar on all displays”
Thank you! This worked as I was having the same problem.