Help. I can't move my desktop icons

Why can't I move my desktop icons around?

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 rebooting. 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.
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. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (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.)

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I can't move my desktop icons

I can open them, I am just unable to move them. Any ideas?

Restart your computer.
Please detail ALL you have done so far in the way of troubleshooting? Need this info to avoid the been there done that scenarios.

How can I move the trash icon to a different spot on my desktop?

How can I move my trash icon to a different location on the desktop?

Here is a comprensible answer on that.
Here is the answer (not by me): Remove Separator and Trash from Dock?
This answer is for Yosemite however it could be adjusted to use it on 10.6
Please make sure you understand all the instructions before doing anything.
Here is not a so complete answer for 10.5 http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20090523192819542
As before, make sure you understand the instructions before doing anything

My dHow can I rearrange my desktop icons as they have beome unmoveable?

How can I rearrange my desktop icons as they have beome unmoveable? Thank you for providing a solution for this.

I have tried restarting and all perameters are on "None." Still will not move.

I cant move my desktop icons around at all

So im trying to move the desktop icons around and for some reason the computer wont let me do it. Ive also tried doing it on a flash drive and it wont work either, the only thing I can think of is that maybe its a setting of some kind but ive checked several difrent settings and its not what I need ( displays, desktop, general). Im not sure of what to do know. How can I fix this?

Hello joeyman2
It sounds like you are having issues with permissions. Go over the troubleshooting in the first article to get a better understanding of permissions and how they work. You also may need to reinstall the operating system and the second article will walk you through that and it will still keep the data on your Mac. Make sure if you do that to back up your data to an external hard drive.
Troubleshooting permissions issues in Mac OS X
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2963
OS X Mountain Lion: Reinstall OS X
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10763
Regards,
-Norm G.

Cursor keeps drawing boxes, can't click on desktop icons

I can't move the cursor without it drawing a box and I'm unable to open desktop icons. I've employed force quit to close out all running applications however, this leaves me with the force quit application dialogue box stuck open and unable to click on anything else. Shutting down or restarting has had no effect. I did manage to confirm that the battery status is now at change soon. Is this the source of the problem ?

I had a similar problem where it seemed that the right click was engaged and it kept highlighting everything. The battery casing was bowed and loose but I never thought that was a problem until I asked someone at the Apple Store. She recommended taking the battery out completly and running on AC power until I could afford to get a new battery. (I am using mine as a desktop cause the screen went out 3 years ago and I can't afford to get a new one.) Solved the problem immediately and I have not had an issue since. I hope this helps, it is worth a try. It got to the point with mine that I was forced to turn off the computer at the power button without properly shutting it down. It was basically unusable and I need my computer for school. This definately solved the problem. Good Luck.

Dock Problem - Can't move or delete icons

Hey guys, just installed Leopard and now I can't move any icons in the dock around and I can't delete them either. I had Sherlock in the dock on Tiger and now it's a question mark. It won't let me delete it. Let me clarify a couple of things, I'm logged in as administrator and i've verified and repaired permissions. Can't figure it out what the problem is, help if you can please!

It may be that Spotlight is still indexing. Choose the Spotlight icon the upper right of your Menu Bar and click on it. Does it say that is indexing? If so, wait for it to stop.
If not, Go to /Users/~(yourHome)/Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock.plist and com.apple.dock.db Drag these 2 files to the desktop and log out and in or restart.
EDIT: Sherlock is not installed with 10.5.
-mj
[email protected]
Message was edited by: macjack

Hi, how can I move the "Home" icon back to the LHS where it used to be on 3?

The home icon was on the LHS of the screen next to the forward and back buttons - can I move it back there rather than leaving it in its current position way over to the right? Thanks.

Right click a blank part of the tab bar and then click '''Customize'''. A panel will open and while it remains on screen, you can change the layout to suit your own liking.
You can also add buttons and toolbars from within that panel and drag stuff you don't want in there.

How can you lock the desktop icon size?

On my Macbook Pro (10/6.7) the icons on the desktop sometimes change size. I'm not doing anything deliberate to cause this. When the icons change size, I can use View Options to make them the right size again, but it's a pain to have to keep doing that, especially since some icons don't always return to their original positions on the desktop. Is there any to prevent the desktop icons from changing size?

They shrink when you're on the desktop and "pinch" two fingers on the trackpad closer together. If you "spread" two fingers apart, they'll get bigger.
You can disable in System Preferences > trackpad > Two Fingers > uncheck Pinch Open & Close.
Regards,
Captfred

Can I move the bookmark icon back away from the x-out icon?

With the latest version of Firefox the bookmark icon moved all the way to the right, just under the icon to x out of the system. It seemed really happy over the left where it had always been. Can I move it back?

How very annoying is this so called update, if you are right handed you generally hold the iPad in your left hand and use your right hand to type and use the tabs etc, because Apple have moved the favourite tab to the left it means you have to put your hand straight over the screen which blocks everything.
Ironically Apple have done some work on the favourites tab by rounding the icons book edges, pity they never thought more about how their customers have to use the tab, as opposed dressing up the favourite icon!
*If it ain't broken don't fix it*

Can I move the bookmarks icon back over to the right side of the Safari bar in iOS 8?

The bookmarks icon now appears on the left side of the Safari bar in iOS8. Can I move it back to its former place on the right side?

How very annoying is this so called update, if you are right handed you generally hold the iPad in your left hand and use your right hand to type and use the tabs etc, because Apple have moved the favourite tab to the left it means you have to put your hand straight over the screen which blocks everything.
Ironically Apple have done some work on the favourites tab by rounding the icons book edges, pity they never thought more about how their customers have to use the tab, as opposed dressing up the favourite icon!
*If it ain't broken don't fix it*

How can I customise my desktop icons?

Having been lucky in getting a new Mac with OSX Lion installed I wanted to make it more my own as I did with my old iMac running Leopard.
I would like to change such Icons as the Macintosh HD, Trash and even the standard 'Blue Folder' icons to something a bit more personal.
I have already tried the old trick used on previous OSX of opening with "Get Info" then clicking on the little icon image and doing the Copy/Paste, but on opening a PNG or ICNS this way to copy it just shows the standard Apple icon with just the file type?
I can see the actual image is there when it's shown in preview but copying/pasting the little beggar just replaces a desktop icon with the image with file name as shown above!
I realise the new monochrome icons in the dropdowns are untouchable but surely there's way to play with the Desktop icons?
Or am I out of touch with this new OSX Lion and there's a new process for personalization.......

but on opening a PNG or ICNS this way to copy it just shows the standard Apple icon with just the file type?
That's because the custom icon displayed for the file is crated 'on-the-fly' by Finder (using Preview, I think), rather than being an embedded custom icon.
There are solutions.
One that involves no extra software -
Look down in the Get Info window to the section named Preview - it should display a reduced size image of the file's contents. Double-click that, and it will open the file in Preview. Press Command-A (Select All in the Edit menu) followed by Command-C (Copy in File menu). Close the Preview window.
Go back to the Get Info window for the file. Select the icon in the upper left, then press Command-V (Paste in File menu).
This will embed a preview (expressed as a custom icon) in the file. Note that this will increase the file size somewhat.
If all you need is the custom icon to be displayed for a file, open View Options for the Desktop or the folder containing the image (Command-J), then checkmark the item "Show icon preview".

Can i open a desktop icon by clicking on it?

Is there a way to open a desktop icon (folder or file) by just clicking on it?

Yes. Just do a double tap.
Ciao.

Can i customize my desktop icons?

I have visual processing problems, and it would be helpful if I the folders on my desktop were different, even if only different colors. As it is, it is difficult for me to pick out one folder form another. Size isn't an issue, sameness it.

Two ways:
1) You can find other images you want to use for folder icons (must be .icns format), right click on each folder you want to change, and select Get Info. Then click on the miniature version of the folder icon, in the upper left of the Get Info window. Drag or copy and paste the icon you would like to use onto this icon.
2) It may be easier to highlight the name of the folders in different colors, rather than the folder icon itself. Right click on a folder, and under "Tag," choose a color.

Please Help! Can't move forward.Portfolio Recovery and Stellar Recovery. WHAT'S NEXT?

I have the same story most have heard 100x. When I went away to college I racked up debt and made poor financial decisons because I didn't have a good concept of money and Credit. Credit like most teens was this invisible forever giving gift and if I paid the minimums I would be ok'. Suprisingly, my minimum wage retail job didn't provide a stable income and my balances grew. I got overwhelemed really quickly and instead of dealing with the issue. I did a out of sight out of mind. Fast forward to present and I am cleaning up all the mess I made at 18-21 Y.O. From this site I have made a some nice leaps to the right direction. Last year around this time I was at a 420 now I am at a 612! Recently got engaged and me and my Fiancee are looking to purchase a home by the end of this year/ begining of next year. My income is stable, my career is stable, I have a little savings. The only thing holding me back is CS. I thought my best way to move CS faster is to get my 2 Collections deleted. One is from Stellar Recovery for 152 (old comcast bill/cable) from 2013 and the other is from Portfolio Recovery for 676 (I think old BestBuy cc) from 2012. I sent Stellar Recover a DV letter it arrived today. I sent the letter because I have heard a lot of positive things about Stellar. That they delete a lot of accounts and they do so quickly. Also, with such a low balance, I am hoping they feel it's not worth the man hours to even try to look for the information. In terms of Portfolio Recovery I sent a DV letter but the address was wrong (got the alert today) so I called Fedex and asked them to return it. I think that might have been a great mishap. I have read many articles and PR and they seem to be known as the Sharks of the Debt Collectors and sometimes sending DV is a death sentence. I recently read article that you may not even be on their radar but when you send a DV you are letting them know you are a person who is conscience about his/her debt and wants to fix it; it's like blood in the water. They will now pursue you without abandon and possibly sue. My question is, should I send the letter or leave it be? I'm just worried since I am in SOL for both I don't want to draw unnessary attention but I also feel like a waiting duck and desperately want to move forward in my life.

In the same article the repoter was talking to some of the Employees. A staff memeber is quoted as yelling out "We got one" it was a man who had some really large medical expenses and had been unemployed for a very long time. As soon as he got his first paycheck they started in on garnishing his check. They are ruthless. I understand thay "we" owe debt and I understand it should be paid. But sometimes I think we forget about the hummanity of it all. Your post was really helpful. I can learn from what you went through and avoid PR NightmareCthulhunoodle wrote:
They absolutely do. They informed me they had another debt under my name. From 1997. Well past the statute of limitations on that one, but I'm sure it won't stop them. Thank goodness I'm smart enough to hang out on this forum and seek sound advice. And the kicker... at the end of the phone call in which I'd paid my years long debt, they asked me why I'd defaulted in the first place. "Pregnant, lost my job and had to move into my mother-in-law's house. Bad time all around." She asked if I was employed now. I answered in the affirmative. Who's your employer, came next. My answer: "I'd prefer not to say." I'm sure if I'd replied it would be logged in a database somewhere, waiting to be used.
and be on the offense of the situation and not defense.

Help. I can't move my desktop icons

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