Last Updated on April 26, 2026
Many Microsoft Windows users tend to keep their commonly used program shortcuts, files and folders on their desktop for easy access. And if you have a lot of items on your desktop and something gets moved or removed, it can be a hassle trying to find it mixed in with all your other desktop icons.
Even though using the Windows desktop to store your files and folders is not the best file management method you can use, it seems to work out well for many people. So it makes sense that you would want to be able to backup your icons just in case something gets moved. In this article, we will be showing you how to back up and restore your Windows desktop icon layout using a couple of free applications.
Why Do Desktop Icons Keep Rearranging Themselves?
If you find your icons constantly scrambled, it usually isn’t a virus or a failing hard drive. Windows automatically recalculates the desktop grid whenever a display change occurs.
The most common culprits are connecting a laptop to a docking station, plugging in a secondary monitor, or updating your graphics card (GPU) drivers. Additionally, if you play PC games in “Fullscreen” mode at a lower resolution than your native desktop, Windows temporarily shrinks the desktop space, forcing all your carefully placed icons into the top left corner.
Before You Start: Check Your Native Windows Settings
Before relying on third-party backup tools, you need to make sure Windows isn’t actively fighting against you. If a specific setting is toggled on, your icons will automatically snap back to a default grid no matter how many times you restore them.
Right-click anywhere on the empty space of your desktop and hover over View. Make sure that Auto arrange icons is unchecked. You can leave Align icons to grid checked if you want them to snap into neat rows, but auto-arrange must be disabled if you want to freely place items around your screen.
Back Up Your Windows Desktop Icon Using DesktopOK
The first tool we will be using to back up the Windows desktop is called DesktopOK and it can be downloaded here. You can use the installer which will install the app like a regular program or you can use the standalone (portable) version which doesn’t require you to install anything.
The image below shows our sample desktop will its shortcuts, files and folders organized in a specific order.
We will be using the portable version and once you download the zip file and extract its contents, you just need to run the DesktopOK_x64.exe file to start the program.
One the program opens, you just need to click on the Save button to back up the current layout of your desktop icons. You can click the Save button again if you want to save a back up a different desktop icon layout in case you made some changes and want to have a backup of that as well.
Now if something happens to your desktop icon layout and you want to restore it using one of your saved backups, you can simply select it from the list and click on the Restore button.
DesktopOK also has an option to export your saved desktop icon layouts to a file that you can then import back into the program if you have removed the app from your computer for some reason. You can save your layout file by clicking on the DesktopOK menu.
When you click on the Options menu, you will see an auto save feature which can be used to automatically back up your Windows desktop icon layout at specific intervals. You can also specify how many backups\versions you want to have saved.
One of the best technical features hidden in this menu is how DesktopOK handles different monitor setups. If you look closely at the saved layouts list, you will notice it records the exact screen resolution (such as 1920×1080 or 2560×1440). If you frequently undock your laptop to take it on the go and then plug it back into an ultrawide monitor at your desk, you can save a unique icon layout for each specific hardware configuration.
Right clicking on a backup in the main window will give you an option to have the layout be restored when Windows starts up.
Back Up Your Windows Desktop Icon Layout Using ReIcon
The next app we will be using to back up our Windows desktop icon layout is called ReIcon (re-icon), and it can be downloaded here. ReIcon also has a portable version if you do not want to install the program itself.
When you first run the executable, you may see a popup similar to what is shown below. This is because Windows doesn’t recognize the publisher, but you can simply click on More info and then click the Run anyway button to get past it. Then it will not appear again after that.
Once you run the program, all you need to do is click on the save icon that looks like a floppy disk, and it will save your current desktop icon layout with the date and time as well as the number of icons on your desktop. You can then save additional layouts as needed. The button at the left of the toolbar is used to restore the layout that you have selected from the main window. You can also delete the layout by selecting it and clicking on the trash can icon.
When you right click on a saved icon layout, you can do things such as update it with the current icon layout you have on your desktop as well as rename it, so it makes a little more sense when you have multiple saved layouts.
The Create Shortcut option comes in handy because you can then have the app make a shortcut that you can put on your desktop or taskbar etc. and when you double click it, your desktop icon layout will be restored to that particular backup.
Windows Desktop Icon FAQ
Do these tools back up my actual files?
No. Programs like DesktopOK and ReIcon only record the registry coordinates (the X and Y axis positions) of your shortcuts. If you permanently delete a file from your desktop, restoring a layout backup will not bring the file itself back.
Why do my icons go blank or turn white?
If your icons are staying in the correct place but the pictures turn into generic white sheets of paper, your IconCache.db file is corrupted. You will need to rebuild the Windows icon cache using the command prompt to fix the images.
Will this work on Windows 11?
Yes. Both of these portable utilities work perfectly on Windows 10 and Windows 11. However, since Windows 11 frequently updates its File Explorer shell, you may occasionally need to right-click your desktop and hit “Refresh” after restoring a layout for the changes to visually appear.
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