You can drag your files back to wherever you had them beforehand with no further ado as long as your pref remains Desktop > command-J > Sort by: > None.)

I now understand that you're trying to get your colored labels to look like this. (Thanks, Urquhart.)

I use a 3rd party app, XtraFinder, that requires jumping through a Recovery Partition/Terminal hoop or two, but the developer has provided pretty good instructions.

Last edited by artie505; 02/28/18 05:22 PM. Reason: An "I saw the light!" moment
The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire