User profile for user: BradTrent
BradTrent Author
User level: Level 1
33 points

Sequoia 15.4.1 moving my HD Icons around the Desktop

One week into my new Mac Studio (M4 Max/64 GB/16-Core CPU/40-Core GPU Sequoia 15.4.1) and the only bug so far is this annoying thing where my hard drive icons never stay in the upper right corner where I place them! Yes, 'Snap To Grid' is set...as I have done with every Mac I've used in decades. And I've tried 'Adjust Grid Spacing"...no luck. And I did a completely clean install on this machine and did not use Migration Assistant, but to be clear...I had 15.4.1 on my 2019 iMac and this was not an issue on that machine, so the Mac Silicon thing appears to be what's causing this. I've read through multiple posts about this issue in the Ventura and Sonoma forums, where nobody (not surprisingly all Mac Silicon users) seems to have discovered a fix. All other icons lock in wherever I place them, but after waking from sleep or a restart, all hard drive icons...the boot drive and any externally mounted discs...shift to the middle of my monitor...WTAF?!!

Mac Studio, macOS 15.4

Posted on May 2, 2025 4:13 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: Owl-53
Owl-53
User level: Level 10
102,433 points

Posted on May 2, 2025 4:59 AM

Sorry, Neither of the suggestions worked


On a M2, M3 and current machine, M4 machine all with Sequoia 15.4.1


I have tested my suggestion before composing the reply to your query


I will say, can not replicate this issue


To further trouble shot this issue


Restart in Safe Mode. This will perform a Disk Repair, clear cache files and only load Apple Software, extensions and fonts.


The boot up will be slow and can take some time - Normal.


Safe Mode will also eliminate Third Party Software, extensions and drivers from loading.


It will only load the Minimum amount of Core Apple Processes to allow the the computer to function at a reduced Level of Performance 


Does the issue present in this mode ?


Sometimes a Safe Boot followed by a Normal Boot will just put things right.


If not - there could be something in the main User Account playing up. To further isolate this - Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac. Then log out of the Main User account and log into the dummy account and test again if the issue persists.


If the issue is present in the dummy account - then, this appears to be a System Wide issue on the computer.


To avoid a session of Q&A, Q&A  and Q&A  


Download the Application Etrecheck  ( External Link ) directly from the Developer.


The Application is Not a " Silver Bullet "  and is  only a tool to examine the Hardware / Software used on this computer 


This is a Diagnostic Tool that makes no changes to the computer Hardware / Software used on this computer 


The application is free or paid from added features. 


The Report will Not Reveal Any Personal Information. 


Post back the Full Report - copy and paste - >>>> using the Additional Text Icon ( 3rd Icon to last ) <<<<






View in context
12 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: Owl-53
Owl-53
User level: Level 10
102,433 points

May 2, 2025 4:59 AM in response to BradTrent

Sorry, Neither of the suggestions worked


On a M2, M3 and current machine, M4 machine all with Sequoia 15.4.1


I have tested my suggestion before composing the reply to your query


I will say, can not replicate this issue


To further trouble shot this issue


Restart in Safe Mode. This will perform a Disk Repair, clear cache files and only load Apple Software, extensions and fonts.


The boot up will be slow and can take some time - Normal.


Safe Mode will also eliminate Third Party Software, extensions and drivers from loading.


It will only load the Minimum amount of Core Apple Processes to allow the the computer to function at a reduced Level of Performance 


Does the issue present in this mode ?


Sometimes a Safe Boot followed by a Normal Boot will just put things right.


If not - there could be something in the main User Account playing up. To further isolate this - Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac. Then log out of the Main User account and log into the dummy account and test again if the issue persists.


If the issue is present in the dummy account - then, this appears to be a System Wide issue on the computer.


To avoid a session of Q&A, Q&A  and Q&A  


Download the Application Etrecheck  ( External Link ) directly from the Developer.


The Application is Not a " Silver Bullet "  and is  only a tool to examine the Hardware / Software used on this computer 


This is a Diagnostic Tool that makes no changes to the computer Hardware / Software used on this computer 


The application is free or paid from added features. 


The Report will Not Reveal Any Personal Information. 


Post back the Full Report - copy and paste - >>>> using the Additional Text Icon ( 3rd Icon to last ) <<<<






Reply
User profile for user: BradTrent
BradTrent Author
User level: Level 1
33 points

May 2, 2025 8:42 AM in response to BradTrent

OK...just spent an hour on the line with Apple tech support with two techs who both claimed to have never heard about this issue, but immediately told me to set my 'View' mode to 'Use Stacks'...which slides everything onto the right side of the monitor...but does also seem to lock the hard rives into their chosen locations, as well. Of course, it disables the ability to just have any random files hanging out on their own on the desktop, but I guess I'll just hafta get used to this 'improvement' and change the way I've worked for the past couple of decades.....😒

Reply
User profile for user: BradTrent
BradTrent Author
User level: Level 1
33 points

May 2, 2025 1:04 PM in response to Owl-53

Here's the thing...you've said you couldn't replicate the situation, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not 'a thing'. Multiple posts from Mac Silicon users reporting the same thing over different OS Forums within the Apple Discussion universe confirm that this is far from a random bug. And when Apple tech support...after poking around remotely through my system for over an hour...can't seem to figure it out and only offer using 'Stacks' as a patch, you know there is definitely an issue. Considering I started my new Mac Studio up as a new box and specifically avoided using Migration Assistant in order to ensure I wasn't dragging bad old garbage onto my clean new machine, I'd say that's strong evidence that there is an unexplained bug that will cause this to happen.


[Edited by Moderator]

Reply
User profile for user: BradTrent
BradTrent Author
User level: Level 1
33 points

May 3, 2025 5:39 AM in response to Owl-53

Unexplained…random…you pick the word that best fits. While I’m good at figuring things out, I’m not tech support, so when one Apple guy pokes around for half and hour, then bumps it up to a higher level of genius and he spends another 45 minutes going through my cores and systems remotely, I figure I’m on solid ground calling it a bug…and a known bug that’s been talked about a lot on these forums. There are a million things that can be causing those icons to float around a desktop. I was simply hoping someone in here had found a solution…🤷‍♂️

Reply

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Sequoia 15.4.1 moving my HD Icons around the Desktop

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.
Learn more Sign up