Desktop icons/Folders - unable to move them

Sometimes I want to move a folder somewhere on my desktop. When I move the icon/folder it always snaps back to the upper right hand corner of my screen.
How can I turn this alignment feature off and on?
Thanks...

SoCalRich wrote:
Sometimes I want to move a folder somewhere on my desktop. When I move the icon/folder it always snaps back to the upper right hand corner of my screen.
How can I turn this alignment feature off and on?
In the Finder select menu item View -> Show View Options. Look at the "Arrange by" setting at the bottom of the window.

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2Z691-6040-A (OEM) Drop-in DVD...
System Requirements
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Compatibility
eMac (2005), iBook G4 (Mid 2005), iMac G5 17-inch (ALS), iMac G5 20-inch (ALS), iMac G5 (17-inch iSight), iMac G5 (20-inch iSight), iMac (Early 2006 17-inch), iMac (Early 2006 20-inch), iMac (Mid 2006 17-inch), iMac (17-inch Late 2006 CD), iMac (17-inch Late 2006), iMac (20-inch Late 2006), iMac (24-inch Late 2006), iMac (20-inch Mid 2007), iMac (24-inch Mid 2007), Mac mini, Mac mini (Late 2005), Mac mini (Early 2006), Mac mini (Late 2006), Mac mini (Mid 2007), Mac Pro, Mac Pro (8-core), MacBook (13-inch), MacBook (13-inch Late 2006), MacBook (13-inch Mid 2007), MacBook (13-inch Late 2007), MacBook (13-inch Early 2008), MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBook Pro (17-inch), MacBook Pro (15-inch Glossy), MacBook Pro (15-inch Core 2 Duo), MacBook Pro (17-inch Core 2 Duo), MacBook Pro (15-inch 2.4/2.2GHz), MacBook Pro (17-inch 2.4GHz), MacBook Pro (Early 2008), Power Mac G5 (Early 2005), Power Mac G5 (Late 2005), PowerBook G4 (15-inch Double-Layer SD), PowerBook G4 (17-inch Double-Layer SD), Xserve (Late 2006)
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Message was edited by: myhighway

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Always right back all on the Left side of the screen usually....

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See if this works:
If you're using windows 7, right click on the desktop and click personalize. On the left, click on change desk top icons, a new box opens. Un-tick the Allow themes to change desktop icons box.
Post back with your results
Say "thanks" by clicking the Kudos thumbs up!
Was your question answered? Mark it as an Accepted Solution!
I work on behalf of HP

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.
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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:
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☞ 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.)

Why am I unable to move icons around on desktop? How do I release these?

Why am I unable to move icons around on desktop? How do I release these?

In Finder "View > Show View Options > Arrange By " there you will find choices as to how your desktop arranges itself or not.

Desktop icons/Folders - unable to move them

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