We'll show you how to use virtual desktops on Windows 10.
Using virtual desktops in Windows 10 can be highly advantageous, particularly for anyone with a single-monitor setup. If you're still working from home due to the pandemic and juggling several different projects on the same computer, multiple desktops can be a life-saver. [And now, if you're one of the many who are upgrading to Windows 11, it's even easier to set up and toggle between multiple virtual desktops. And you'll have access to other cool features like support for Android apps.] Whether you're a longtime Windows 10 user or have only recently upgraded to Windows 10 after support for Windows 7 ended in 2020, we'll walk you through using multiple virtual desktops.
The Task View pane in Windows 10 allows you to add an unlimited number of virtual desktops quickly and easily. You can manage the view of your virtual desktop, and move applications to different desktops, show windows on all desktops or close pages on a selected desktop. Here's how to do it.
How to add a desktop in Windows 10
To add a virtual desktop, open up the new Task View pane by clicking the Task View button [two overlapping rectangles] on the taskbar, or by pressing the Windows Key + Tab. In the Task View pane, click New desktop to add a virtual desktop. If you have two or more desktops already open, the "Add a desktop" button will appear as a gray tile with a plus symbol. You can also quickly add a desktop without entering the Task View pane by using the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + Ctrl + D.
How to switch between desktops in Windows 10
To switch between virtual desktops, open the Task View pane and click on the desktop you want to switch to. You can also quickly switch desktops without going into the Task View pane by using the keyboard shortcuts Windows Key + Ctrl + Left Arrow and Windows Key + Ctrl + Right Arrow.
You can add an unlimited number of virtual desktops -- we stopped at 368.
How to move windows between desktops in Windows 10
To move a window from one desktop to another, you first have to open up the Task View pane and then hover over the desktop containing the window you want to move. The windows on that desktop will pop up; find the window you want to move, right-click it, and go to Move to and choose the desktop you want to move the window to. You can also drag and drop windows -- grab the window you want to move and drag it into the desired desktop.
How to close a desktop in Windows 10
To close a virtual desktop, open up the Task View pane and hover over the desktop you want to close until a small X appears in the upper-right corner. Click the X to close the desktop. You can also close the desktop you're currently on without going into the Task View pane by using the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + Ctrl + F4.
For more on Windows 10, check out how to get Windows Photo Viewer back in Windows 10, everything you need to know about the latest Windows 10 update and six simple security changes all Windows 10 users need to make. Plus, here's how you'll download Windows 11 for free, and how to tell if your computer is compatible with Windows 11.
First published on Jan. 28, 2015 at 2:05 p.m. PT.The Virtual Desktops feature of Windows 10, also known as Task View, is getting further improvements in the near future. Soon you will be able to add or remove Virtual Desktops individually for each of the connected displays.
The change has been discovered by Albacore, a well known Windows enthusiast and the author of the ViveTool app. A new toggle switch is now hidden on the Multitasking page in Settings > System.
This is one of the most anticipated features by users with multiple displays connected to the PC. When enabled, it will allow you define the individual number of virtual desktop of each of the monitors you are currently using.
The Task View virtual desktop feature in Windows 10 is something that users of Mac OS X or Linux have for many years. But for casual PC users who have used Windows only since eternity, it is a step forward. The ability to have multiple desktops exists in Windows since Windows 2000 at the API level. Several third party apps have used those APIs to provide virtual desktops, but it is Windows 10 that has made this feature available out-of-the-box in a useful way.
Task View opens a desktop overview when you click on the icon in the taskbar. While you can manipulate virtual desktops with your mouse, there are also plenty of keyboard shortcut to manage it efficiently. You can also create an extra desktop shortcut to open it.
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hopefully this is the right forum to ask advice regarding this question... scenario: display 1 - 1080p projector display 2 - 22" 1080p monitor pc - nuc outputs x 2 - hdmi and displayport i would like to set up a movie environment on 1 display [projector] and a music environment on the smaller screen - by environment i mean different wallpaper and icons for each display, and the ability to launch a movie app [netflix for example] on the large display and a music app [spotify for example] on the small display, simultaneously, without one environment interfering with the other... to make matters a bit more complicated, i would like to be able to manage the movie environment on the small display so that when i turn on the projector netflix [or plex, etc.] is already launched and ready to go, as opposed to selecting a movie app once the projector is on. hopefully this makes sense. so can i accomplish this with virtual desktops? i'm thinking the simplest route would be to extend the the dual displays and place the movie icons on one display and music icons on the other, and pre launch the apps once so they remember where to open in the future, i.e. which side of the dual displays. but i couldn't figure out how to use separate wallpapers when extending the monitors nor would i be able to pre-launch the movie [for example] app before turning on the projector.
note: the small screen [music environment] will always by on and, hopefully, act as the movie and music hub.
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About different wallpapers...
Change Desktop Background in Windows 10 | Tutorials
1. simplest way is to select two pictures [in pictures folder], right click and select set as desktop background. You can click first, then hold ctrl key and click second
2. in Settings / Personalization / background when you have previous backgrounds, you can select background for each desktop by right clicking on itLast edited by Brink; 12 Feb 2019 at 16:44. Reason: added tutorial link for more info
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thanks very much for the responses, very much appreciated, but i guess i didn't explain what i want to accomplish well enough.... i guess what i want to do is duplicate the movie desktop, so it appears on the small screen and the projector screen, which would allow me to control everything using the small screen view, so when i turn on the projector everything i've done on the small screen will be displayed on the big screen. in short i want to stage what what projector viewers will see when i turn on the projector, without them seeing me go thorugh the "mousing" process of launching plex, searchnig for a movie, selecting a movie, and then hitting play.
but once this is done, i want to be able to then see [or toggle to] and use a music desktop on the small screen without the projector viewers seeing it, i want them to continue seeing the movie desktop, make sense?
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found a solution to my needs, i.e. control an extended [and out of sight] display from the main display....
i can set up the 2nd [extended] display with all of my movie/vid program icons, the first display with all of my music program icons, and manage the 2nd display from the first display using the "remote monitor" app from the windows store, works like a charm!