How can I move my OS X desktop icons to the left-side of the screen?

April 17, 2007 12:06 PM

Is there any way to have desktop icons in OS X sit on the left side of the screen instead of the right? I can move them to the left side, but the grid makes it so I can't sit the icons right against the left side - there's a huge gap, instead.
posted by apetpsychic to Computers & Internet (6 answers total)

Don't know if this is the answer you seek, but you can turn off the grid and put them anywhere you like.

Finder > View > View Options > uncheck "Snap to grid."
posted by thejoshu at 12:09 PM on April 17, 2007

Response by poster: If it comes to that I'll just leave them on the right.
posted by apetpsychic at 12:12 PM on April 17, 2007

i've tried doing similar things to no avail, on of the annoying things about having a mac is the little changes you aren't able to make...
posted by Bengston at 12:55 PM on April 17, 2007

*one* of the annoying things
posted by Bengston at 12:55 PM on April 17, 2007

You were half way there by using Joshu advice... after you uncheck snap to grid move the icons as far over to the left as you want. Then turn snap to grid back on. All of the icons will stay in the farthest position to the left.

Why you would want this instead of using the contextual menus from the drive- I can only imagine.
posted by bkeene12 at 3:41 PM on April 17, 2007

Dang, I wish there was an answer to this. I have the same problem. I use two monitors, with the left one as the main. As such, newly created icons and desktop items land themselves on the right side of the left monitor (which is to say that they stack vertically in the center of the two monitors, starting from top to bottom, then right to left. It's so f'n back asswards it's ridiculous.)

If you use your desktop a lot (as a pitstop/launchpad for links, files, etc. then the "snap to grid on/off" trick doesn't work because new items will stack right, and old ones will stay where you put them last. And forget the "clean up" option.

It'd be like if your stapler was only allowed to be in the second desk drawer of your filing cabinet. It's manageable, but would drive you nuts after a while.
posted by iamkimiam at 11:24 AM on April 18, 2007