Deleted files from desktop reappear

Hello SFMarais,

Ensuring files remain deleted as expected is important and you've come to a great place for help. To confirm, are you moving the files to the Trash? If so, are you emptying the Trash after you've moved the files? If not, empty the trash to see if the issue remains. We just want to make sure all the steps are being taken to delete the documents.

If the issue remains, restart your Mac using the steps listed below. While restarting is a simple step, restarting can be helpful in resolving many issues. You can also find these steps outlined in the following article.

1. Click the Apple logo towards the top-left.
2. Click Restart in the menu that appears.
3. Log back in and test to see if the issue persists.

Shut down or restart your Mac - Apple Support

Let us know how that goes!

Thank you for providing those additional details, SFMarais.

Even when iCloud Drive is enabled and syncing your Documents and Desktop folders, content shouldn't return once deleted. You mentioned macOS Monterey is currently installed, have you updated to macOS 12.6? If not, updating is a great next step that can help with resolving this issue. If you need to reference the steps for updating macOS they are listed below, and can be found in the following article.

1. "Before continuing, it's a good idea to back up your Mac.
2. From the Apple menu  in the corner of your screen, choose System Preferences.
3. Click Software Update in the System Preferences window. Can't find Software Update?
4. Software Update now checks for new software.

• If Software Update finds new software, click Update Now or Upgrade Now to install. You might be asked to restart or enter an administrator password.
• If Software Update says that your Mac is up to date, then no new software is currently available for your Mac model."

Update macOS on Mac - Apple Support

Have a great day!