What causes icons to stack in the upper right corner on MacBook Pro?

Control click on the Desktop and make sure "Use Stacks" is not checked.

Again, this is what works for me—every time—on my 2019 16" MBP running the latest version of Sonoma (currently 14.4.1):

> 1. Turn off (disable) Snap To Grid.

> 2. Launch Terminal.

> 3. Paste into Terminal:

> defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop true; killall Finder

> 4. Press return, if necessary.

Note: This doesn't excuse Apple's frankly ASTONISHING lack of interest in fixing such a basic bug, but I hope it helps others who encounter it.

This fixed the problem for me on my 2019 MacBook Pro 16-inch.

• Open Terminal.
• Paste the following, and then press return:

rm -f "${HOME}/Desktop/.DS_Store" && defaults delete com.apple.finder DesktopViewSettings && killall Finder

• Choose Log out <Name> from the Apple menu, and then click on Log out.
• Log back in.

Credit to richar___d on reddit

I think I figured out how to replicate the issue: Whenever the GPU swtiches from discreet to integrated, or vise versa, the bug occurs. Resizing the icons or the grid on the desktop fixes the issue until the GPU switches again.

I guess switching off automatic graphics switching would fix the issue but then say goodbye to your battery.

I think I found a temporary solution.

1) Continue using snap to grid option from Sort By menu.

2) Right click on Desktop and select Show View Options.

3) From the same menu, select Clean Up By option and choose one of the options. I chose Type.

No when you move icons around they will align correctly and snap to the grid.

I hope it will be fixed with the next 14.5 update. Fingers crossed. Until then I found a workaround in another chat which "switched off" that bug for me. Settings -> Battery -> Options -> Automatic graphic switching -> off.

When off bug is inactive. When switched on bug is active.

Can confirm disabling automatic graphic switching is a valid workaround for me as well, Sonoma 14.4. Really ridiculous, Apple.

Can you try one thing? Enable Automatic Graphics switching and launch an app that uses the discreet GPU like Photoshop or Resolve. Then try moving icons on the desktop: does it still work fine?

In my experience any workaround stops working the moment the GPU gets switched to or from the discreet GPU. But I can't test it anymore as I have downgraded to Ventura.

Same problem, 2019 16-inch MBP. Ever since upgrading to Sonoma, the icons refuse to leave the top right corner, causing a stack of several icons on top of each other with no way to access the ones below. (No, stacks are not on, stage manager is not on, and "sort by" is set to "snap to grid").

Disabling snap to grid helps, but any new icons (screenshots, mounted drives, new folders) will still spawn at the top right, even if there are already icons there. It pretty much makes the desktop unusable.

This doesn't always happen, and it can be temporarily solved by resizing the grid, but the issue always returns soon.

I have filed a bug report, but 14.1 didn't fix it.

Another poor workaround (Sonoma 14.3.1 !) : organise your desktop by stacks, and group stacks based on creation date. Then thumbnails are correctly arranged. But such a casual attitude from Apple is simply astounding. There was 'Apple then' and 'Apple now'. Not the same story.

I got tired of this and reinstalled Ventura. What a relief! It was a pain to reinstall all my apps and settings, took two whole days, but it was so worth it! I can use my computer again. It's also noticeably faster, with no red screen flashes, no random shutdowns and freezes with DaVinci Resolve, no desktop icons bug, and smoother scrolling and overall system performance.

I highly recommend going back for anyone with issues, as it doesn't seem like Apple is going to support Intel Macs anymore.

jodyr wrote:

I'm reporting that on a 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro, when View Options are set to "Snap to Grid," all the icons "snap" to the top rightmost spot on the desktop. If I move any icon on my desktop, rather than snapping to a position close to where it was, it snaps all the way up to the upper right, resulting in a stack of icons in the upper right spot. Turning off "Snap to Grid" solves the issue, but this is a feature I really like, so I'm hoping we'll get it back soon.

for bugs submit your Apple Feedback here: Product Feedback - Apple

reference

Change Desktop & Dock settings on Mac

Change how desktop stacks are grouped

Use desktop stacks on Mac

jodyr wrote:

I'm reporting that on a 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro, when View Options are set to "Snap to Grid," all the icons "snap" to the top rightmost spot on the desktop. If I move any icon on my desktop, rather than snapping to a position close to where it was, it snaps all the way up to the upper right, resulting in a stack of icons in the upper right spot. Turning off "Snap to Grid" solves the issue, but this is a feature I really like, so I'm hoping we'll get it back soon.

Any resolve here jodyr after the current update ?

see macOS 14.2

Keep your Mac up to date - Apple Support

Still there in 14.3.1. My only workaround is to press "Cmd -" then "Cmd +" to resize the icons on the desktop each time I do something on the desktop. It temporarily fixes the issue for a few minutes only. It has become second nature now but that's the only way I can move icons or create files on the desktop.

Me too....very frustrating!!!!

But I found a solution. Resizing the grid!