Most Windows Users Seriously Underutilize This Powerful Desktop Feature

Windows offers many useful but hidden features, from clipboard history to a set of customization options. One of the best ones that you’re probably not using is the ability to create multiple desktops. Virtual desktops are a great productivity tool that segments your computer into specialized sections, helping you stay organized and focused.

You can do this in a general way, such as creating separate desktops for business and personal use. You can also get more granular, with desks dedicated to various tasks such as editing, spreadsheets and meetings, or to specific clients. All your programs are available on every desktop, but it’s how you choose to segment them that matters. It’s available on both versions of Windows 11 as well as Windows 10, and setting it up is remarkably simple.

Creating new virtual desktops in Windows is simple:

1. Hover over the Task View icon or press the button Windows + tab keys together.

2. Select New office.

You can also hit Windows + Ctrl + D to quickly create a new desktop. Once you have the number of desktops you want, you can customize each one to make them easier to distinguish. Hover over the Task View icon or tap Windows + tabright-click on the desktop you want to change, then you can Rename or choose a unique wallpaper (the latter feature is only available in Windows 11).

To change desktops, use the Task View icon or Windows + Ctrl + Left/Right Arrow to browse them. For faster switching, change the positioning of each desktop via Task View by right-clicking it and using Move right Or Move leftor by dragging them to the bottom of the screen. When you need to move a program from one desktop to another, simply drag and drop a window open on your current desktop to another via Task View.

When you no longer need a desktop, close it by clicking the button X in the upper right corner of the task view, or tap Windows + Ctrl + F4.

For best results, dedicate each desk to a particular purpose so you don’t go wrong. You can keep music, chat, and social apps on one desktop, keeping these potential distractions away from working in Excel or your email client. Using application features such as browser profiles can further aid in logical separation. If you have a single monitor, virtual desktops are an effective way to get more screen real estate.

You can get even more out of your multi-desktop setup by adjusting certain settings in Windows. To better optimize your taskbar and Alt+Tab functionality on multiple desktops, follow these steps:

1. Open it Settings application with Windows + I.

2. Select SystemSO Multitasking.

3. Expand it Desktop computers section.

There you can choose either Only on desktop I use Or On all desktops for the two options available: In the taskbar, show all open windows And Show all open windows when I press Alt+Tab. For more segmentation, limit app switching to the desktop you’re currently using.

This multi-desktop functionality can be enhanced with a small free program called Windows Virtual Desktop Helper, available on GitHub. This is particularly useful if you use many different desktops and often have difficulty navigating or differentiating between them, as it provides the ability to display the name of a desktop more prominently when you switch to it, as well as display the desktop you are on in the system tray. You can also use it to navigate between desktops from the system tray or set custom navigation keyboard shortcuts to quickly switch to different desktops.