Tutorial: How to Enable or Disable “Align Icons to Grid” on Windows 10 and 11 Desktop?

The Windows desktop is something everyone customizes. One of these options allows your icons to be neatly arranged in an invisible grid to maintain perfect separation.

By default, Windows will place all icons into an invisible grid, perfectly spaced, called "Align icons to grid". If you prefer to place your icons where you want, you can change this setting in the desktop context menu.

This setting is easy to change for anyone of any skill level.

Right-click on your desktop and click View.

Check or uncheck Align icons to grid.

Try moving your desktop icons around and see which setting you like.

Note that if you move your icons and then change your mind, you will need to move all your icons again. Because of this, we recommend that you try moving a few icons around first.