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How do I put different wallpapers on different desktops?

Windows 10’s Virtual Desktops Are Getting Custom Wallpaper Backgrounds

Chris Hoffman
@chrisbhoffman

Windows 10’s Virtual Desktops are an underappreciated power-user feature, giving you a way to group windows into their own spaces for more powerful multitasking. Now, Microsoft is adding custom desktop backgrounds, letting you give each desktop a unique wallpaper.

This change is part of Windows 10 Insider build 21337, which was released on March 17, 2021. It will likely appear in a stable form in Windows 10’s 21H2 Update, which is planned for release in the latter half of 2021—likely in October 2021.

Once you have the update installed, you’ll be able to head to Settings > Personalization > Background to set this up. Simply left-clicking a background here will set it as the background for only your current virtual desktop. You can right-click a background image on this Settings page and assign it to a specific virtual desktop, too. Or, even easier, you can right-click a virtual desktop thumbnail in Task View and select “Choose Background.”

Your chosen background will appear both on that virtual desktop and in the thumbnails on the Task View screen.

Microsoft

There’s one more improvement to virtual desktops in this Insider build, too: You can now drag and drop virtual desktop thumbnails in the Task View interface to rearrange them.

Windows 10’sMay 2020 Update already added the ability to set custom names for each desktop, so Microsoft is slowly makingWindows 10’s virtual desktops even more powerful.

RELATED: What's New in Windows 10's November 2021 Update [21H2]

If you haven’t tried virtual desktops yet, they’re accessible in the Task View interface. Press Windows+Tab or click the “Task View” icon to the right of Cortana on your taskbar to open it. You’ll see the virtual desktops at the top of the Task View screen. You can drag an open window from this screen to another virtual desktop, and click the thumbnails to switch between them.

Windows 10 also has some convenient keyboard and touchpad shortcuts for quickly switching between virtual desktops.

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RELATED: How to Quickly Switch Between Virtual Desktops on Windows 10

Chris Hoffman
Chris Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. He's written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Chris has written for The New York Times, been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miami's NBC 6, and had his work covered by news outlets like the BBC. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read nearly one billion times---and that's just here at How-To Geek. Read Full Bio »

How to set different wallpapers on dual monitors in Windows 10

1. Right-click your desktop background and select "Personalize" from the menu.

"Personalize" should be the icon at the bottom of the drop-down menu.Ross James/Business Insider

2. In the new menu, browse for the images you want. Find both of the images you want so they're pre-loaded in the "Choose your picture" bar.

3. Right-click the images you want from this bar. This will allow you to assign each image to its own monitor. They will all be "fit" in the same way [you can select this using the "Choose a fit" drop-down menu], so it's a good idea to choose images that are similar dimensions.

Right-click the images in the preview panel, as well as the "fit" style from this screen.Ross James/Business Insider

Do this for both pictures, and they will appear on your monitors.

One way to get the most out of this tool is to use two pictures that compliment each other.Ross James/Business Insider

While you have multiple displays set up, you'll also be offered a new fit option — "Span." Span will allow long images, like panoramic shots, to be stretched across the multiple displays.

To do this:

1. Set the long image as the background on your first monitor.

2. Under "Choose a fit," select "Span."

3. The image will fill both monitors.

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Set different wallpaper on different desktops on Windows 11

To set different wallpaper on different desktops on Windows 11, follow these steps:

Click on the Desktop on your Taskbar.
Right-click on the available desktop and select Choose background option.
Or, press Win+I > Personalization > Background.
Right-click on an image that you want to set as wallpaper.
Select Set for desktop > Desktop 1/2/3, etc.

To get started, you can click on theDesktopicon on your Taskbar to display all the available desktops. Right-click on one of the desktops and select theChoose backgroundoption.

Alternatively, you can pressWin+Ito open Windows Settings and go toPersonalization > Background. It is the same place from where you set the desktop wallpaper.

Now, you can find some wallpapers on your screen. Right-click on one of them that you would like to set as desktop background and chooseSet for desktop > Desktop 1/2/3or any other number that you may have.

If you want to select a custom wallpaper, you can click on theBrowse photosbutton, select the image, and perform the same steps as above to set it as the desktop background.

Before concluding, you should know a few things:

First, a similar option is present in Windows 10 toset different wallpaper on a dual monitorsetup. However, if you notice minutely, you can find a tiny difference. In Windows 10, it isSet for monitor 1/2/3. But, in Windows 11, it is calledSet for desktop. As of now, there is no option on Windows 11 to set different wallpapers on a dual monitor setup.

Second, if you close the second or third desktop, your wallpaper setting will be removed. You have to set the wallpaper again.

That’s all! Hope this guide helps.

Related reads:

How to change wallpaper inWindows 11
How to switch back to the Classic Start Menu in Windows 11.

Can Windows 10 desktops have different backgrounds?

No, there is currently no built-in support for a different background for each virtual desktop.

Can you have two different desktop backgrounds?

You can set different wallpapers when using dual monitors on Windows 10 so that each display has its own distinct background. To set these different wallpapers, you’ll need to go to Windows 10’s “Personalize” menu, which you can open with just a click.

Can you have a different wallpaper for each page?

First, you’ll need to download Go Multiple Wallpaper app from the Play Store. … From here, choose the icon for Go Multiple Wallpaper. On the next screen, choose one image for your each home screen. You can choose from built-in images, or add ones from your gallery.

Can you get moving desktop backgrounds?

Enter Desktop Live Wallpapers in the search bar and press ↵ Enter . This searches for an app called Dynamic Wallpaper in the Microsoft Store. There are other animated wallpaper apps you can download for Windows, though most are paid software. A couple of programs include Deskscapes, and Wallpaper Engine.

Can you have different backgrounds on different desktops Windows 10?

To change desktop backgrounds individually for each monitor, head to Settings > Personalization > Background. Under Choose Your Picture, right-click a background image and select “Set for monitor 1,” “Set for monitor 2,” or whichever other monitor you want to use it on.

How do I set dual monitor wallpaper?

Determine the Resolution

Before setting up your wallpaper, you need to know the resolution of your dual-screens. Right-click an open space on your desktop and select “Screen Resolution.” Write down the resolution of display 1, then click display 2 and write that resolution down.