Windows stacks icons in columns on the left side of the desktop. But you're not stuck with that arrangement. You can move an icon by darging it to a new place on the desktop.

You can also have Windows automatically arrange your icons. Right-click an empty area of the desktop, click View, and then click Auto Arrange Icons. Windows stacks your icons in the upper-left corner and locks them in place. To unlock the icons so that you can move them again, click Auto Arrange Icons again, clearing the check mark next to it.