Did Ventura break snap-to-grid on desktop?

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Did Ventura break snap-to-grid on desktop?

So, I've always kept my desktop files automatically snapped to grid. It helps my ADHD brain if it stays tidy. But with the upgrade to Ventura, nothing is staying snapped. I have to constantly 'clean up' the desktop to have it realign. And even then, it's not actually snapping to what used to be the grid.*

As in —

New behaviour: I drag something to the desktop. It stays where I dragged it. Desktop is a mess of things in random places. I have to waste time clicking 'clean up' if I want to keep things tidy.

Desired / old behaviour: I drag something to the desktop. It immediately moves into the currently not-full column. The next thing I drag goes below that or, when full, starts a new column. Everything is tidy.

*Even when clicking 'clean up', the new behaviour doesn't snap to what used to be the grid. It leaves an odd space for stage manager on the right (b/c I keep my doc on the left). Then I can manually select all and move the files back into the old snap position.

Anyone else having this problem?

Anyway to make snap to grid work like it used to in Ventura?

MacBook Air

Posted on Oct 30, 2022 06:38 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

PapaandMamaBear Author

Level 1

28 points

Oct 30, 2022 07:51 PM in response to PapaandMamaBear

OH - I solved the problem. I actually wanted "Sort by › Kind" — that keeps the files snapped to the grid, in automatic columns.

Sorry for wasting your time. I do appreciate that you were so fast to offer help!

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Answer 2

dialabrain

Level 10

133,493 points

Oct 30, 2022 06:54 PM in response to PapaandMamaBear

I don't keep anything on my Desktop but Ventura does have a "Snap to Grid" function. I don't know if it's the same pre-Ventura.

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Answer 3

dialabrain

Level 10

133,493 points

Oct 30, 2022 07:11 PM in response to PapaandMamaBear

I had to create some folders even to try it. As near as I can tell it works as designed. I placed 4 folders in random positions, selected them all, the chose "Clean Up By" > Name. Only one folder is selected in the first shot. They all have to be selected.

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Answer 4

dialabrain

Level 10

133,493 points

Oct 30, 2022 07:29 PM in response to PapaandMamaBear

Mine snap to the nearest grid position when dropped. I don't have to clean up anything unless I drop something far enough away from others. As far as I remember, that's how it always worked.

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Answer 5

Oct 30, 2022 07:01 PM in response to dialabrain

I'm using that. It's not doing what it used to do.

It's possible I'm using the wrong name for the feature. Before Ventura, everything would stay tidy on the desktop. Now it just lands and stays wherever.

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Answer 6

Oct 30, 2022 07:23 PM in response to dialabrain

Thanks for looking at this. Yes - I also have been getting the same result if I click 'clean up' every single time I put something on the desktop. This is a new behaviour though.

Previously, before Ventura, if I dropped something on the desktop, it would automatically 'clean up' and stay cleaned up and snapped to grid, all the time. I didn't have to do the extra step of clicking 'clean up'.

That's the behaviour I'm keen to have back. That anything I place on the desktop automatically cleans up and snaps to grid, and stays cleaned up and snapped to grid.

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Answer 7

Oct 30, 2022 07:40 PM in response to dialabrain

I appreciate you taking the time. But you mention above not usually putting files on the desktop.

The behaviour with Ventura is not how it's always worked. I can assure you. I've been on Mac since the early 2000s. I'm used to the desktop behaving the way I describe in my initial question. I've had it set up for as long as I remember so that anything dropped on the desktop immediately cleaned up and snapped to grid.

This setting seems to be broken or gone.

If I drag something to the desktop now, it lands in a random place, and I have to manually click 'clean up' for it to clean up against the right edge, in neat columns.

Before Ventura, it was possible to drag something to the desktop, and have it immediately form columns on the right edge. That is, previously it immediately, automatically, and always did what 'clean up' does.

Sorry to be a broken record. I feel like I've said this a few different ways, and it sounds like maybe I'm still not communicating clearly.

I'd love to find a way to get the desktop to behave as it has for the last 15 years or so.

Before, to borrow the old phrase: it just worked

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Answer 8

dialabrain

Level 10

133,493 points

Oct 30, 2022 07:49 PM in response to PapaandMamaBear

Well, I just checked two Macs, one running Catalina and one runnng Monterey. They behave the same way as Ventura. And for what it's worth, I've been using Macs since 1985. 😎

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Answer 9

dialabrain

Level 10

133,493 points

Oct 30, 2022 07:53 PM in response to PapaandMamaBear

Enjoy.

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Did Ventura break snap-to-grid on desktop?

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