If you’re using a higher resolution screen, Windows automatically re-arranges all of your icons and it can be a pain to keep them all in the same place. However, there are programs that you can use to quickly save the icon layout on your desktop in Windows. My recommendation would be DesktopOK, which supports 64-bit operating systems. For Window 95, 98, ME, 2000, and XP, there is an older program that still works great called Icon Restore.

DesktopOK

DesktopOK is a tiny little app that I really like to use because it doesn’t have a lot of features and it doesn’t require you to install it on your system. If you’re someone like me and you just want to save your desktop icon layout once or twice a month, then this program is perfect. It does have some automated functionalty also, so if your needs require saving the layout more often, DesktopOK can handle that too.

The executable is simple and easy to use.

To save your current desktop layout, just click the Save button. The listbox below will automatically be populated with a new entry. The name will be the resolution by default and it will also record the time. If you want to adjust the naming convention, click on Options and then Save options and you’ll be able to add extra items to the name such as the user name, PC name, etc. ..

The Auto-Save feature is a useful addition to the Windows 10 operating system. It can help you save your desktop layout changes at set intervals, which can be helpful if you have a lot of duplicate desktop icons.

You can save the layout when shutting down and restore the layout when booting up. You can also have it always restore to a specific layout when booting up. Finally, you can set it so that DesktopOK starts when Windows starts and runs minimized in the system tray automatically.

DesktopOK lets you restore a desktop layout, which means any new items you add to the desktop will stay in their current positions. ..

DesktopOK doesn’t know about your new desktop items until you perform a new save with the new desktop items. I think this is better because I would not want something I added to the desktop to suddenly disappear when I restore.

The program also has a couple of other small but useful features under the Tools menu item. You can tile or cascade windows, and you can hide your mouse cursor when it’s no longer moving for a certain number of seconds. ..

If you want to keep your desktop clean but still be able to access your icons and windows, you can hide them when the mouse isn’t moving for a certain amount of time. You can then choose to show them again when you left or right click on the mouse. If your mouse has a wheel, you can use it to control the volume when your mouse is in the taskbar or scroll through windows when it’s in the main desktop area. Under System, you can open some common dialogs in Windows like User Accounts, Task Manager, Display, etc. ..

DesktopOK is a useful tool for Windows users who want to keep their desktop icons in a consistent layout. I have found it very useful on my office laptop because there my desktop icons constantly get scattered whenever I connect my laptop to an external display or projector. Now I can bring my desktop back to normal in just a couple of clicks.

Icon Restore

The Icon Restore DLL file installs a layout.dll file that comes with the Resource Kit and the required registry entries. Once installed, you’ll find two new options when you right-click on any Windows system icon, Save Desktop Icon Layout and Restore Desktop Icon Layout.

This means that by right-clicking on My Computer, My Documents, or the Recycle Bin, you can access the new menu options.

To arrange your icons on your desktop, first right-click on My Computer and left-click on Save Desktop Icon Layout. This will save the icon layout in a file called “Desktop.ini.” If your computer screen resolution ever changes or you have to start your computer in Safe Mode, etc., you can easily restore your previous icon positions by right-clicking and choosing Restore Desktop Icon Layout. ..

This program is great for creating multiple icon layouts and is free to use.

I restored my desktop to see what happened. If you delete anything off your desktop, that item will not appear when you perform a restore. This includes shortcuts, program files, text files, anything basically!

I prefer this type of behavior because it keeps my desktop clean and organized. Icon Restore will not restore deleted icons, but will keep the original positions of the other icons. ..