macOS Tahoe: Finder Clean-up misarranges Desktop icons

I keep working files & folders on the Finder Desktop with icons at minimum size, lable on right and Grid Spacing at maximum (to show as much of the name as possible). This allows me to use the Clean-up (by Kind) command to move all the Desktop icons in to orderly columns grouped starting with attached drives, then folders then files.


Since installing the Tahoe Mac OS Update, when the Display Setting resolution is set to Default, using the Clean-up command arranges the Desktop icons in neat columns on the right side of the Desktop except that only the first column (furthest to the right side) is places with no gaps in the column; the icon columns to the left of the first column have gaps for no apparent reason.


And, if any resolution other than Default is used, using the Clean-up command results in the Desktop icons being scattered across the Desktop in partial columns of no apparent order instead of orderly columns on the right side of the Desktop.


Can you help me recover the capability to organizing my Desktop icons into orderly columns as I've been able to do for several decades before the Tahoe update was installed?


Thank you.

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 26.2

Posted on Jan 13, 2026 6:50 AM

Reply
4 replies

Jan 13, 2026 7:35 AM in response to ubik380

I have no answer specific to eliminating the gaps that are present in your columns, but I suggest that you might consider using stacks to help organize your desktop files and folders.


When I organize my desktop in Sequoia as you describe, I do see these unexplained gaps between files here and there. But when I use the stacks feature, those gaps don't appear when a stack is expanded.


Use desktop stacks on Mac - Apple Support


Jan 13, 2026 11:03 AM in response to ubik380

ubik380 wrote:

Stacks is an interesting feature but I'm wondering why a change was made to the Finder that causes my preferred method of viewing/managing my Desktop is now unavailable. This would seem to be a bug - is it going to be corrected?


To be proactive you can file a bug report / submit your Apple Feedback here:

Feedback - macOS - Apple


your macOS 26.2 is current.

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macOS Tahoe: Finder Clean-up misarranges Desktop icons

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