The Shifting Grid
In Ubuntu, the default file manager (Nautilus) tries to keep your folders tidy. By default, it automatically organizes files based on alphabetical order. If you switch to Icon View and manually drag a PDF to the far right corner of the window because you want it separated from the main group, the moment you close and reopen that folder, Nautilus will aggressively snap that PDF back into the alphabetical grid, completely ruining your spatial organization. For users migrating from older versions of macOS or Windows who rely heavily on visual, spatial memory, this strict grid enforcement is maddening.
Disabling Automatic Sorting
To preserve your manual layouts and stop Ubuntu from automatically organizing files into a rigid grid, you must change the specific view properties of the folder.
Open the folder you wish to customize in the Files (Nautilus) app. Ensure you are in “Icon View” (the grid icon in the top header bar). Now, click the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner of the window. In the dropdown menu, look closely for the sorting options. You will see choices like “Name,” “Size,” “Type,” etc. You must deselect all of them. (In some newer GNOME versions, you may need to install an extension like “Desktop Icons NG” to regain true spatial layout on the desktop itself, as native Nautilus has severely restricted free-form icon placement in recent updates). If you can select a “None” or “Manual” sort option, do so. This tells the file manager to respect the exact X/Y coordinates where you drop an icon.