This happens to me too (using KDE 3.5.1 on debian/unstable). Even if "Align to Grid" is checked, each time I login they appear quite "unaligned". They are more o less in the place they should be, but not aligned at all.

A momentary workaround is: 
1- open the Configure Desktop dialog and go to the Behaviour tab.
2- uncheck "Show icons on desktop".
3- Click Apply.
4- Check again "Show icons on desktop".
5- Click Apply.

and your icons will be correctly aligned... until you logout.

The same problem here (KDE 3.5.1 on debian/unstable). Alignment doesn't work at all, unless you use the workaround proposed by Ernesto for the current session.

Similar problem here (FC5), but with a dual head system (ATI card and Drivers from livna) running Xinerama.  Icons on Desktop 1 (the notebook's 1280x800 display) align properly and snap back in place when moved.  Icons on Desktop 2 (separate 1280x1024 monitor) don't align or snap back when moved.  Only when Ernesto's workaround is used do they align.

I can confirm the problem. Using dual head, the align to grid option doesn't work for desktop2. Running kde 3.5.2 on gentoo linux here.

*** This bug has been confirmed by popular vote. ***

Confirmed in single head kde 3.5.2 on gentoo linux.

Ditto for 3.5.2 on gentoo again, single-head.  Ernesto's fix works too.

Same problem with 3.5.2 under ArchLinux.

The bug seems in some way related to the config option 
UseXineramaScreen in ~/kde/share/config/kickerrc.
If I set this to 0 the symbols are perfectly after restarting kde,
but the option it changed back to -1, which messes up the order for
the next restart.

Same here.
Problem only appears when xinerama is enabled.

FC5/KDE 3.5.2/x86_64 based on kde-redhat's SRPMs.

I've been able to reproduce this on Xinearama-less (single-head) KDE 3.5.2 machine.

Ernesto (#2) solution seems to work just fine.

Same problem with kde 3.5.2, debian testing: when I'm checking option Alihn to grid it takes no effect to desktop.

Still have this problem after upgrading to 3.5.3

SVN commit 554047 by mueller:

fix align-to-grid option which regressed due to the startup performance
patches. 
BUG: 122001
BUG: 127672
BUG: 114766
BUG: 117952


 M  +9 -0      desktop.cc  


--- branches/KDE/3.5/kdebase/kdesktop/desktop.cc #554046:554047
@@ -735,6 +735,15 @@
     // hurra! kicker is alive
     if ( m_waitForKicker ) m_waitForKicker->stop();
 
+    // -2: all screens
+    // -1: primary screen
+    // else: screen number
+
+    if (screen <= -2)
+       screen = kdesktop_screen_number;
+    else if (screen == -1)
+       screen = kapp->desktop()->primaryScreen();
+
     if ( (screen == kdesktop_screen_number) && m_pIconView )
         m_pIconView->updateWorkArea(area);
 }

Thank you very much for fixing this problem!!!  :-)

Dirk Mueller wrote:

[bugs.kde.org quoted mail]

Thanks, working fine! 

*** Bug 117550 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

*** Bug 116341 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Verified that this resolves the issue for me on a twinview setup with Xinerama. Thankyou.

I still have the same problem, even after patching sources.
I'm running TwinView on Slackware current.

I'm running KDE 3.5.3

Still finding this problem on Kubuntu Dapper

kdesktop --version
Qt: 3.3.6
KDE: 3.5.3
KDesktop: 3.5.3

Hm, sometimes, when I'm inserting DVD in the drive, the line "XineramaScreen=-1" is appearing in file ~/.kde/share/config/kickerrc and function "Align to Grid" stops working. If I delete this line, it begins to work again. Why it is so?
Kde 3.5.3, debian testing.

I forget to say that I have only one display.

Thank you very much Alexander!  You seem to have located the problem.  I found the same line (XineramaScreen=-1), and after deleting it and issuing "dcop kicker kicker restart" the icons behave again!  Incidentally, I also have only one screen and am not running xinerama.  KDE Developers: this clue might make the problem easier to fix.

Is this supposed to be fixed in 3.5.5? If so, I suggest reopening this bug.
I just installed 3.5.5 in hope that this annoying "align to grid" bug has been fixed, but I still experience problems in my xinerama setup even after wiping out my ~/.kde directory.
I let the wizard create a clean configuration, but icons could only be placed and aligned on xinerama screen 1 (which is my right screen at 1024x768; my left screen is 1280x1024). When I disable "align to grid", I can move icons to screen 2, but as soon as I enable "align to grid", they jump back to screen 1.
Sometimes enabling "align to grid" doesn't even work on screen 1. Moving the taskbar from screen 2 back to the default screen 1 also forces the icons back to screen 1 and makes "align to grid" work again (for screen 1 only).

Pleeeeeaaaaase fix this. KDE is wonderful, but this one's just so annoying...

This isn't fixed/broken again in kde 3.5.5 (Twinview, X86_64, openSUSE 10.1)
$ kdesktop --version
Qt: 3.3.7
KDE: 3.5.5 "release .2"
KDesktop: 3.5.5

This is definitly related to twinview (more than 1 X11 screen per display device) since the same sw release does work perfectly well when only one screen is configured.

Seems like this is quite not fixed;-)
So I vote for a reopening of this one.

Using debian testing/sid and twinview.
peppe@hoth ~: kdesktop --version
Qt: 3.3.7
KDE: 3.5.5
KDesktop: 3.5.5

Reopening as requested

I can confirm this on debian etch 4.0 with kde 3.5.5 and Kubuntu Edgy with kde 3.5.6 and nvidia twinview.

Lets hope for KDE4 as noone seems to be interested in fixing this mess in the 3.5 branch.

I'm running here on Suse-9.3 with current KDE compiled from source (> 3.5.6) and here it works. I run my X server in Xinerama mode with 2 screens (left=1:1400x1050 and right=2:1280x1024) and can enable/disable aligning to grid without problems. Even moving kicker from one screen to the other does not force any Icons jump to the other screen.

The problem is that if you enable align to grid you can't place icons on one of the two screens.. Try that..

Seems to be fixed in KDE 3.5.7, at least it's now working on my Gentoo system...

Kdesktop is no more mantained. Fortunatly this bug seems not to be valid for KDE 4. Please reopen if this bug is not a kdesktop one (and it is not solved) or it can be reproduced on KDE 4.

Bug closed. Kdesktop is no more mantained.