Can't Move Desktop Icons

I can click and highlight and hold icons, but when I try to drag and drop them, they don't move. They go back to their original location. help? thanks!

sorry I answered my own question. Thanks guys!
I just went ctrl+click on desktop.. > show view options > arrange by > none
bye

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Can't move desktop icons around

Hello,
I have a MacBook Pro with OS X 10.10.2 Yosemite, and when I try to move my desktop icons around the desktop they snap back to where they were before I tried to move them. I have tried changing settings and restarting my computer.
Cheers,
Adam

Hi. This doesn't resolve the problem on my end. The icons still can't be re-arranged or moved around. Sure, they will adjust to "Set by Sort", but I still can't drag them around, say from one folder into another. They are fixed to their spot.

How can I move an icon/file from one screen of my ipad to another?

How can I move an icon/file from one screen on my ipad to another?

Press and hold the icon until they start to wiggle. Then while holding it, drag it to the edge of the screen and wait for the page to switch, then let go of the app

[Solved] wy i can place xfce4 desktop icons in a "grid" only?

hello archers!
im in love with xfce4 DE, but the annoying thing is that i can place the desktop icons only in a invisible "grid" of tiles.
i changed the display manager to gdm, but it didn't help. i tryed changing the WM, but didn't not find out how to do that.
Yes, i dont understand how DE's working internal, cause there are so many parts, as DM, WM, session-manager, and so on, which confuses me.
So how i can place my icons individually on the desktop?
Thanks in advance!!
Last edited by xfce-tux (2011-09-12 21:13:34)

Another way to adjust the desktop grid size settings and more.
Source: http://git.xfce.org/xfce/xfdesktop/tree/README
HIDDEN CUSTOMISATIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you're using the icon view, and would like to change how the text looks,
you have three things you can change: the opacity (transparency) of the
rounded text background, the color of the rounded text background, and the
color of the text itself.
You'd want to add something like this to your ~/.gtkrc-2.0 file:
style "xfdesktop-icon-view" {
XfdesktopIconView::label-alpha = 75
XfdesktopIconView::selected-label-alpha = 100
XfdesktopIconVIew::ellipsize-icon-labels = 1
XfdesktopIconView::shadow-x-offset = 1
XfdesktopIconView::shadow-y-offset = 1
XfdesktopIconView::shadow-color = "#ff0000"
XfdesktopIconView::selected-shadow-x-offset = 2
XfdesktopIconView::selected-shadow-y-offset = 2
XfdesktopIconView::selected-shadow-color = "#00ff00"
XfdesktopIconVIew::cell-spacing = 6
XfdesktopIconView::cell-padding = 6
XfdesktopIconView::cell-text-width-proportion = 2.5
base[NORMAL] = "#00ff00"
base[SELECTED] = "#5050ff"
base[ACTIVE] = "#0000ff"
fg[NORMAL] = "#ff0000"
fg[SELECTED] = "#ff0000"
fg[ACTIVE] = "#ff0000"
widget_class "*XfdesktopIconView*" style "xfdesktop-icon-view"
The first three entries set the opacity of the rounded text background
(allowed values are from 0 (totally transparent) to 255 (totally opaque),
and whether or not unselected icons get their labels ellipsized
(truncated) to fit on one line. (The 'selected-' version controls the
opacity of icons that have been selected with the mouse.)
The second six entries can be used to enable a text shadow to be painted
with the icon labels. The offsets are in pixels. Setting them to 0 (the
defaults) will disable the shadows entirely. Again, the 'selected-'
versions apply to icons that have been selected with the mouse.
The third four entries set spacing and sizing for individual icons on
the grid. The 'cell-spacing' property specifies the spacing between each
'cell' in the grid of icons. The 'cell-padding' property sets extra
padding placed around each icon+text. The units for these two are in
pixels. The 'cell-text-width-proportion' property specifies the maximum
width of the text label underneat the icon, as a multiplier of the icon
width (so for 30px icons, '2.5' would leave a 75px wide area underneath
for the text).
The fourth three entries set the color of the rounded text background.
* NORMAL sets the color for the regular, unselected state.
* SELECTED sets the color for when the icon is selected, and the desktop has
keyboard/mouse focus.
* ACTIVE sets the color for when the icon is selected, but the desktop does
not have keyboard/mouse focus.
The final three entries set the color of the label text. See above for the
differences between NORMAL, SELECTED, and ACTIVE.

OSX Yosemite: I can not move the icons on my display. They always jump to an other position

Hello,
I updated my OS X to Yosemite last week.
First problem: Since then, I can not update several applications any more. Yestersday, there where 5 updates: iMovie, iPhoto, Keynote, Pages and Numbers. iMovie and iPhoto updates were ok, but for the other 3 I received a message ""Update Unavailable with This Apple ID.This update is not available for this Apple ID either because it was bought by a different user or the item was refunded or cancelled"". As far as I know, I was never refunded, or I never cancelled an app that was originating from Apple. I even don't know how to di it !!
Second problem: I can not move any more the icons on my display. And sometimes thy are moved to an other position after start. For example: the Mackintosh HD and the external Time-Maschine HD were always in the right upper corner on the display. This morning, after starting, they were in the left lower corner!! No way to slide them back to the other side. They always jump back to the lower left.
HEEELLLPPP !!

Hello,
Performance tip: Keep the Desktop clutter-free (empty, if possible) by: Klaus1
Mac OS X's Desktop is the de facto location for downloaded files, and for many users, in-progress works that will either be organized later or deleted altogether. The desktop can also be gluttonous, however, becoming a catch-all for files that linger indefinitely.
Unfortunately - aside from the effect of disarray it creates - keeping dozens or hundreds of files on the Desktop can significantly degrade performance. Not necessarily because the system is sluggish with regard to rendering the icons on the desktop and storing them in memory persistently (which may be true in some cases), but more likely because keeping an excessive number of items on the Desktop can cause the windowserver process to generate reams of logfiles, which obviously draws resources away from other system tasks. Each of your icons on your desktop is stored as a window in the window server, not as an alias. The more you have stored, the more strain it puts on the window server. Check your desktop for unnecessary icons and clear them out.
Keeping as few items as possible on the Desktop can prove a surprisingly effective performance boon. Even creating a single folder on your Desktop and placing all current and future clutter inside, then logging out and back in can provide an immediately noticeable speed boost, particularly for the Finder.
And it is why Apple invented 'Stacks' for Leopard.
Keep your Desktop as clutter free as possible!
Carolyn

Can't delete desktop icons

I'm running Vista. I loaded a program and then deleted it. It left two desktop icons. These two can not be deleted in any of the traditional ways. When I try to click on them, it says the link is missing. When I try to drag to recylce bin, it shows a red x. When I try to right click, does not give the option to delete. I rebooted in safe mood but that didn't help to get rid of the icons. I tried to reload the program and then delete but that didn't work either. Any suggestions??

Good info, but I also have one and tried to find mine in the registry -and it is not there- even using a search/find in any form. I cannot even locate it in the command prompt directory of my desktop -or anywhere else except as an icon on the desktop. It does not even have a file extension, and the system cannot recognize it to delete it. I have tried doing so from the command prompt as well as from the regedit and the system just doesn't seem to "see" it, but it still shows an icon on the desktop anyway. It is a generic Explorer desktop icon and is named CANID0X3 from a manual of a Porter-Cable tool that I own. When I deleted the file this was left behind and was somehow placed on my desktop and it has been there ever since despite my best efforts. I even tried re-installing the manual and deleting it again, but the system doesn't see the file to correct it.
Any suggestions? Doing a re-install of Windows is a little drastic to cure this otherwise benign problem. It just bugs the heck out of me that I can't get rid of the dumb thing!
Any suggestions, insights, or considerations would be very much appreciated. Thx.

Can't drag desktop icons & other problems

Hi.. I cannot drag my desktop icons nor items from a folder to DT. When this happened, I lost printing from my Lexmark E120N, my memory chips were listed as 68k and 28 k when they are 1 gig & 2 gig. That seems to have cleared up. I also cannot copy anything nor paste anything. When attempting to use Tech Tool 5, it opens, but is frozen. I ran it from the install disk & it said everything was fine! Any help will be greatly appreciated.... TIA, Jack PS: I repaired permissions also.

HI Jack,
You booted from your Apple install disk and the hard disk "*appears to be ok*? Did you check the S.M.A.R.T status? Here's how.
Insert Installer disk and Restart, holding down the "C" key until grey Apple appears.
Go to Installer menu (Panther and earlier) or Utilities menu (Tiger and later) and launch Disk Utility.
Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in the left panel.
Select First Aid in the Main panel.
(Check S.M.A.R.T Status of HDD at the bottom of right panel. It should say: Verified)
Click Repair Disk on the bottom right.
If DU reports disk does not need repairs quit DU and restart.
If DU reports errors Repair again and again until DU reports disk is repaired.
Also, run the Apple Hardware Test
If you can, make sure your important files are backed up.
Carolyn

Can't access desktop icons

Hello,
I'm having an intermittent problem with the desktop icons on my MacBook Pro. Occasionally, the desktop icons become inaccessible. I'll hover over them with the mouse and can't click on them. I'll also sometimes add a document to the desktop and it doesn't show up. Both of these problems can be solved by clicking on the "desktop icon view" and changing the size of the icons briefly. I hate having to do this so often. Can anyone help with this?
Thank you!
Erin

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
One thing to try would be to repair your disk. You will have to boot from your install disc and navigate to Disk Utility on the install disc. The select your hard drive by brand name and go to the First Aid Tab and click on the "Repair Disk" button. Repeat until there is nothing left to repair.
If you get errors you cannot repair, then you will need a more powerful utility such as Disk Warrior to repair your drive.
You could also try creating a new user account and see if the problem is there in it.
You could also try reinstalling the OS, but don't do this until any errors reported by Disk Utility are repaired.
Good luck!

Can i hide desktop icons?

is it possible to have no icons on the desktop showing.
for example, in windows i just right click on the desktop, arrange icons by, and then click show desktop icons. which either hides/shows the desktop icons.
is it possible to do something similar with mac?

hiya,
when i put a '.' in front of the file name, it comes up with a message saying "...these names are reserved for the system".
if i can help it, i don't want to install a programme, just so i can use one of its features i.e. hiding desktop icons.
the reason i want to hide my desktop icons is so i can just see my wallpaper.
is there no simple, say for example, turn on/off desktop icons? or something along those lines?
thanks.

Mavericks 10.9.5 Unable to move desktop icon. Sort By = None.

ON version 10.9.5 Mavericks.
This was working but the past few days is no longer.
I am unable to move a desktop icon (i.e. drag it and move it into another folder, etc).
View/Sort BY = None.

Take these steps if the cursor changes from an arrow to a white "prohibited" symbol when you try to move an icon on the Desktop.
Sometimes the problem may be solved just by logging out or restarting the computer. Try that first, if you haven't already done it. Otherwise, continue.
Select the icon of your home folder (a house) in the sidebar of a Finder window and open it. The Desktop folder is one of the subfolders. Select it and open the Info window. In the General section of the window, the Kind will be either Folder or something else, such as Anything.
If the Kind is Folder, uncheck the box marked Locked. Close the Info window and test.
If the Kind is not Folder, make sure the Locked box is not checked and that you have Read & Write privileges in the Sharing & Permissions section. Then close the Info window and do as follows.
Back up all data before continuing.
Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:
xattr -d com.apple.FinderInfo Desktop
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C.
Launch the built-in Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.
Paste into the Terminal window by pressing command-V. You should get a new line ending in a dollar sign ($). Quit Terminal.
Relaunch the Finder.
If the problem is now resolved, and if you use iPhoto, continue.
Quit iPhoto if it's running. Launch it while holding down the option key. It will prompt you to select a library. Choose the one you want to use (not the Desktop folder.)

How can I restore desktop icon for hp 1000 printer to check ink cartridge levels, etc.

How can I restore the icon on my desktop for my hp 1000 printer. want to check ink levels, print test page, etc.

What operating system? I recommend not using the software CD as it may be out of date. Get the latest software for your printer from the "Support & Drivers" link at the top of this page.
Say thanks by clicking "Kudos" "thumbs up" in the post that helped you.
I am employed by HP

Can't put desktop icons on second monitor

I have two monitors but the Leopard Finder won't let me put desktop icons on the second one. Windows I drag onto it fine, but if I try to drag a desktop icon over there, it immediately snaps back to my main monitor. View option for Desktop is "Arrange by: None" so this shouldn't be happening!

Never mind... restarting fixed the problem.

Can't click desktop icons

Sometimes after sleep all the desktop icons (disks, folders, documents, etc...) are unresponsive and the only way to fix it is to restart. This doesn't happen on my other machines. Anyone else experience this issue and know a possible fix?

Thanks for the reply - I should've been more specific:
This is a new machine. Even though it's the previous generation it was purchased only a few months ago. It doesn't require a hard restart - apps function fine and it'll allow a soft restart. It's just the desktop icons that are unresponsive. If this is just a little quirk it's no big deal, but I'd love to figure this out in case it turns into a larger issue. I'll also go ahead and run Diskwarrior.

How can I move desktop pictures from OS 10.6.7 to OS 10.10.2?

Is there a way to move desktop pictures between different Mac systems?
OS 10.6.7 had two nice pictures of stones in a riverbed that I wish I had somehow saved when I upgraded to OS 10.10.2.
I still have the installation disk for the earlier system and could install it on a thumb drive, but I don’t have a clue about moving the pictures from there to Yosemite.

Open the /Library/Desktop Pictures/ folder and drag them over.
(124461)

How can I replace desktop icon accidentally changed?

Trying to change a new folder icon I've changed the icon of desktop. I'd like to restor the old one. Can anyone help me?

The easiest way is to do it through iTunes. Connect your iPad to your computer, launch iTunes, choose your iPad under "Devices", then click on "Apps" at the top of the main window. You'll see your iPad's layout. Click on the page with the app you want to move, then drag the app to the page you want.
You can also drag the apps around on the iPad itself, but it's a little more of a pain. Hold your finger down on any app until every icon starts to shake. You can now drag and drop any icon to different locations/pages. To drag an app to another page, drag it to the far right or left of thew screen until the page switches - you'll have to do this until you get it to the page you want it on. Press the home button to get out of this mode (the icons will stop shaking).

Can't Move Desktop Icons

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