Cfrgtkky

Desktop icons keep rearranging whenever I refresh the desktop or boot the system.

When I arrange the icons by moving them with the mouse and refresh it, it'd be undone and rearranged by name. What's the solution?

I use Ubuntu 16.04.

I think this is a bug. How should I report it?

A better way might be:
Open a terminal from the desktop then enter the following commands:

cd ~/local/share/gvfs-metadata

sudo chown $USER home

chmod 755 home

This allows your desktop software to change/save the icon configuration.

(Thanks to the community for correcting spelling and syntax errors.)

EDIT (August 30th, 2017):

Before trying the solution below and if the other answers didn't work, try this:

$ sudo chown -R (UserName) /home/(UserName)/.local/

For some reason, I have had this issue again after updating Ubuntu 17.04, so I've considered and tried the other answers and they actually didn't work (not because they forgot the "." in "~/.local/..."(again, I'm using 17.04) but because changing the mode and ownership of "./local/share/gvfs-metadata/home" didn't work, most likely it wasn't the right file.) I put this here instead of editing their answer because it may be different on the earlier versions of Ubuntu, and unfortunately, I am not yet allowed to comment. I have decided to chown and chmod all of the "~/.config" directory to no avail, then, after considering the other answers and comments, I tried to chown and chmod the whole "~/.local" directory, testing the result after each step, and I noticed it worked immediately just as I chowned it. No chmod necessary. It could just be my weird setup, but try it anyway because if it works, you're not weakening your security or altering your whole home directory, and it'll fix whatever other configuration files are needed by the desktop client, if any. I hope this helps.
==END OF EDIT.==

I did this,

$ sudo chown -R (UserName) /home/(UserName)

$ sudo chmod -R 766 /home/(UserName)

The first command ensures that the mentioned username (in this case, you) owns all the files in the /home/(UserName) directory.

The second command ensures you, the owner, have full permissions (read, write, execute) on those files, and everyone else has read and write, which allows the desktop program to write to the configuration file. It doesn't have to be 777, or 766 (read the edit at the bottom). It can be 666 if you want it that way, 766 just gives you execute permissions, just to make sure the configuration files can be overwritten and read.

The reason this works is because the desktop program runs as whatever user you log in as, not root. If that user doesn't own the configuration files or have write access to them, then every time you refresh the desktop or reboot, because the old files couldn't be overwritten, it reloads the old configuration (like the desktop settings, location of the desktop icons, etc.). By running these commands, you give yourself ownership and complete control over those files, and because the desktop program runs as your user, it will also be able to overwrite, do what it needs to do with those files.

Also these commands gives the user's home directory (/home/(UserName)) and all the subdirectories write/create privileges also, enabling the user and the desktop program to create those files should they not exist. If those files don't exist and aren't created, the desktop program will generate a new layout every time it is refreshed or restarted. These commands should ensure you full access to all the subdirectories and the desktop program should now be able to create these files and save your layout.

Edit: When you use the chmod command, you don't have to make them world readable/writable/executable (777), infact, you really shouldn't unless you have to, especially if you have a multi-user machine. It was my mistake for originally suggesting 777, and therefore, I have edited my answer to read 766, not 777. You can use whatever you wish, but you only need to ensure you can write to and read any and all of your configuration files needed for the desktop program and any other software to work.



Something to remember... Security and convenience (or functionality) usually don't mix.

For users who would prefer a GUI (graphical) way of dealing with the OP, this may be useful to you.

Procedure: open Nautilus (Files) as root then change the file called ‘ home ‘ to be USER Read/Writable

Launch Terminal => sudo nautilus

Nautilus ( Files ) > Home > /.local > /share > /gvfs-metadata

Right click on file called " home " select “ Properties “ and change “ Permissions “

Note that the file called " home " likely was set to " root " privilege (it probably had a small lock symbol on the icon) which means that the user (you) could not alter it.

Rationale:

The problem is difficult to reproduce but it seems that Ubuntu 16.04 will lose the ability to ‘remember’ desktop icon placement locations when folders that are located on the desktop have their permissions altered. This seems to happen when the application ' Nautilus ( icon name is “Files” ) ' is simultaneously open in multiple permission states. When Nautilus (Files) is launched using the Unity launcher, the control level is that of a “ user “. When Nautilus (Files) is started from the terminal (CLI) using sudo, it is opened with all the permissions of “ root “. In addition to changing the permission of a folder located on the desktop, Ubuntu will also change the permission of the file that retains the desktop configuration information.
Unfortunately this does not happen on a regular basis so it is difficult to confirm this theory.

Non-anorak luck:
Hi-I am not a computer nerd+ not really interested, am refugee to Xubuntu 16.04 from Windows XP.
But,for what it's worth,I had same annoying problem for 2 years+ this appeared to solve it for me.
On Settings (or the top LH corner list,I don't know its techy name)click on Desktop>Icons Tab +at Icon Size I reduced the size of desktop icons to 50+Bingo! I've never had the problem since (prob. 2 months with multiple computer re-starts).
Hope this is of help to other people.
Computer technical details: desktop ,second hand re-furbished.And it's black.
Good luck.