How to Turn On or off Align Icons to Grid on Desktop in Windows 11

How to Turn On or Off ‘Align Icons to Grid’ Using the Desktop Context Menu

This method works the same on Windows 11 Home and Pro, and you don’t need administrator rights. The setting applies only to your own user account.

1. Right-click an empty spot on the desktop. Make sure you are not clicking on an icon. A context menu 🖱️ appears.
2. Hover over View. A sub-menu opens with the icon size options (Large icons, Medium icons, Small icons) and a few checkboxes below them.
3. Click Align icons to grid. The menu closes and the setting changes right away.

To check the current state, open the same menu again. A checkmark next to Align icons to grid means it is on. No checkmark means it is off. Click the option again at any time to reverse it.

If the View sub-menu looks different from what you expect, check whether Auto arrange icons is checked. When it is on, Windows keeps icons packed in order from the top left, so you can’t drag them to free spots, whatever the grid setting says. Also note that if Show desktop icons is unchecked, your icons are hidden, not gone. Check it to bring them back.

How to Manage ‘Auto Arrange Icons’ and ‘Align Icons to Grid’ Using the Registry Editor

You can use it to control both Auto arrange icons and Align icons to grid with one value. Use this method if you want to set both options at once, or if you manage several PCs and prefer a repeatable change.

In Registry Editor, click File › Export, choose a location, and save the file. To undo changes later, double-click that file and confirm the merge.

1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type regedit and press Enter, or click OK. If a User Account Control prompt appears, click Yes. Administrator permission might be required. The Registry Editor window opens.
3. Go to this location. You can paste it into the address bar at the top of the window, or expand the folders in the left pane:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop
4. In the right-hand pane, look for a value named FFlags. If it doesn't exist, create it: right-click an empty space in the right pane, then choose New › DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it exactly as shown.
5. Double-click FFlags. An edit window opens where you can change the value data (the number that decides how the setting behaves).
6. Enter the value data for the combination you want, using the list below.

• Turn OFF both 'Auto arrange icons' and 'Align icons to grid': set the FFlags value to 40200220.
• Turn ON 'Auto arrange icons' and turn OFF 'Align icons to grid': set the FFlags value to 40200221.
• Turn OFF 'Auto arrange icons' and turn ON 'Align icons to grid' (Default): set the FFlags value to 40200224.
• Turn ON both 'Auto arrange icons' and 'Align icons to grid': set the FFlags value to 40200225.

7. Click OK to save the value, then close the Registry Editor.
8. Restart your computer, or sign out and back in, so the change takes effect. The desktop picks up the new setting when it loads again.

To go back to the default, set the value to the one listed for the default option above. You can also confirm the result by right-clicking the desktop and opening View, where the checkmarks should match what you set.

Summary

For most people, the right-click menu is the quickest way to turn Align icons to grid on or off. The Registry Editor is the better choice when you want to set Auto arrange icons and grid alignment together. Either way, you can change it back whenever you like.