Desktop in windows 10: Multiple desktops in Windows — Microsoft Support

Multiple desktops in Windows — Microsoft Support

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Multiple desktops are great for keeping unrelated, ongoing projects organized—or for quickly switching desktops before a meeting.

Create multiple desktops


  1. On the taskbar, select the Task view icon, then select New desktop.

  2. Open the apps you want to use on that desktop.

  3. To switch to another desktop, select Task view again.

Set backgrounds for desktops


You can also choose different backgrounds for each desktop if you’re using a picture. If you’re using a solid color or a slideshow, all your backgrounds will be the same.  

To change a background if you’re using a picture: 

  1. Right-click on the desktop you want to change.

  2. Select Choose background.

  3. Select the list in the Personalize your background section, then select Picture.

  4. Select a picture.

Multiple desktops are great for keeping unrelated, ongoing projects organized—or for quickly switching desktops before a meeting. To create multiple desktops: 

  1. On the taskbar, select Task view > New desktop .

  2. Open the apps you want to use on that desktop.

  3. To switch to another desktop, select Task view again.

How to use multiple desktops in Windows 10

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How to use multiple desktops on Windows 10

Windows 10, now enjoying the October 2020 Update, continues to make it extremely easy to set up and use multiple virtual desktops in Windows 10. Multiple desktops are great for keeping unrelated, ongoing projects organized, or for quickly hiding from the boss that browser game you can’t stop playing. And if you’ve not yet upgraded to Windows 10, be sure to have a look at our collection of the best Windows laptop options with the latest OS.

Ready to tackle the day with multiple desktops? Let’s go!

How to create a new virtual desktop in Windows 10

Creating a new virtual desktop can be done with a couple of clicks or with a keyboard shortcut.

  1. Click the Task View button in your taskbar.
    • You can also use the Windows key + Tab shortcut on your keyboard, or you can swipe with one finger from the left of your touchscreen.
  2. Click New Desktop. (It’s located in the top left corner of your screen.)

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

That’s it. Easy, right? There’s also a Ctrl + Windows key + D keyboard shortcut that will immediately create a new virtual desktop.

How to switch between virtual desktops in Windows 10

Now that you’ve created a new virtual desktop, you can quickly switch a few different ways.

  1. Click the Task View button in your taskbar.
    • You can also use the Windows key + Tab shortcut on your keyboard, or you can swipe with one finger from the left of your touchscreen.
  2. Click Desktop 2 or any other virtual desktop you’ve created.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

You can switch back to your original desktop at any time by following the above steps but choosing Desktop 1. There’s also a Ctrl + Windows key + Left and right arrow keyboard shortcut that you can use to switch between virtual desktops. Using a device with a touchpad? You can perform a four-finger swipe left or right to switch between virtual desktops.

How to move windows between virtual desktops in Windows 10

There are two ways you can move windows between virtual desktops. First, you can click and drag windows; second, you can right-click the window and use the menu.

Click-and-drag method

  1. Click the Task View button in your taskbar.
    • You can also use the Windows key + Tab shortcut on your keyboard, or you can swipe with one finger from the left of your touchscreen.
  2. Click and hold the window you want to move.
  3. Drag and release the window on an alternate desktop.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

  1. Click the Task View button in your taskbar.
    • You can also use the Windows key + Tab shortcut on your keyboard, or you can swipe with one finger from the left of your touchscreen.
  2. Right-click on the window you’d like to move to another desktop.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

  1. Hover your cursor over Move to.
  2. Click the desktop to which you’d like to move the window.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

You can move windows back and forth between desktops to your heart’s content.

How to duplicate windows across virtual desktops

Certain windows or collections of windows from one app can be duplicated across all virtual desktops.

  1. Click the Task View button in your taskbar.
    • You can also use the Windows key + Tab shortcut on your keyboard, or you can swipe with one finger from the left of your touchscreen.
  2. Right-click an active window.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

  1. Click Show this window on all desktops to duplicate a single window.
  2. Click Show windows from this app on all desktops to duplicate all windows from one app.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

How to remove a virtual desktop in Windows 10

Want to get back to just one desktop? No problem.

  1. Click the Task View button in your taskbar.
    • You can also use the Windows key + Tab shortcut on your keyboard, or you can swipe with one finger from the left of your touchscreen.
  2. Hover your cursor over the desktop you’d like to remove.
  3. Click the X in the top-right corner of the desktop icon.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

Open and running windows in a desktop you close will be moved back to your original desktop. You can also use the Ctrl + Windows key + F4 keyboard shortcut to immediately close the virtual desktop you’re currently viewing.

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Cale Hunt is formerly a Senior Editor at Windows Central. He focuses mainly on laptop reviews, news, and accessory coverage. He’s been reviewing laptops and accessories full-time since 2016, with hundreds of reviews published for Windows Central. He is an avid PC gamer and multi-platform user, and spends most of his time either tinkering with or writing about tech.

Windows 10 Desktop — Getting Started

Contents

  1. Windows 10 Desktop Features
  2. Windows 10 Desktop Shortcuts
  3. Themes
  4. Windows 10 Desktop Widgets
  5. 9 0005 Manage shortcuts and desktop items

  6. Conclusion

The Windows 10 desktop is the main element of the user interface of this operating system. It is a graphical interface that displays program shortcuts, files, folders, as well as various widgets and desktop wallpapers.

windows 10

Windows 10 desktop features

The first thing you’ll notice when you run Windows 10 is desktop . It has its own unique design which has been developed to provide the best functionality and usability for the users.

In Windows 10 , the desktop is cleaner and more minimalistic. Many users prefer this approach as it allows them to quickly find the items they need. Shortcuts that used to be on the desktop by default can now be disabled or customized to suit your needs.

Also Windows 10 desktop has a large set of settings that allow users to customize it to their needs. They can change the background image, add and remove labels, customize themes, add various widgets, and more.

Windows 10 Desktop Shortcuts

Shortcuts is a shortcut to files and folders on your computer. With Windows 10 , you can easily add shortcuts to your desktop. To do this, simply open the folder you want to add, right-click on it and choose Send to Desktop. A shortcut for this folder will appear on the desktop.

You can also add shortcuts to applications you use frequently. To do this, find the application shortcut in the « Start » menu, right-click on it and select « Pin to taskbar » or « Send to desktop «.

Themes

Windows 10 comes with a variety of themes that you can use to customize the look of your desktop. Themes can include changes to the desktop background, window and icon colors, and various effects and sounds. To change the theme in Windows 10 , right-click on the desktop and select « Personalization settings «. Here you can choose a theme from the suggested options, or download and install your own theme.

Themes

Widgets on the Windows 10 desktop

Windows 10 also has a set of widgets that you can add to your desktop for more information or quick access to certain features. These include calendar, weather, news, promotions, etc. To add a widget to your Windows 10 desktop, open the Start menu and find the desired widget in the list of applications. Then just drag it to your desktop.

Manage shortcuts and desktop items

Windows 10 offers several ways to manage shortcuts and desktop items. For example, you can resize shortcuts, change their location, or group them into folders. To do this, right-click on an empty area of ​​the desktop and choose View from the context menu. Here you can adjust the size and display of icons on the desktop.

You can also change the scale and resolution of the screen to make the desktop image clearer and larger. To do this, go to the display settings, which can be found in the start menu or by pressing the Win + I keyboard shortcut.0003 Windows 10 Settings

Conclusion

The Windows 10 desktop is an important user interface element that allows users to quickly access files, applications, and other items on a computer. It has a large set of settings and features that allow users to customize it to their needs and preferences. Shortcuts, themes, widgets, and other features help improve your computer experience and make it more convenient and efficient.

Desktops in Windows 10

Everyone is definitely used to the fact that Windows does not have virtual desktops and this model of work is only available on Linux and MacOS. However, Microsoft developers have come to the conclusion that it is better to make concessions to users and implement this feature in the new Windows 10. Desktops in Windows 10 are a very convenient opportunity to expand your “space”. How does this happen? You can simply create as many desktops as you want. We will describe in more detail what functionality you get below.

To try to create a desktop, you need to click on the taskbar icon that looks like this:

You enter a shell similar to Win+Tab in previous versions of Windows. By the way, in this OS, this shell is called that way. The following screenshot shows what happens if you click on the icon shown above.

As you may have guessed, in order to get a new desktop, you must click «Create Desktop» at the bottom right corner.

Now we will observe the following picture:

We now have several desktop options that can be freely selected at any time. The main disadvantage of this function immediately catches your eye — the impossibility of renaming the desktop. Also, when you go to the desktop, for example No. 3, its icons will be the same as on the first one. If you delete a file from the desktop, it will also be deleted on all the others.

What’s the point of these desktops then? And yet he is. When switching to any new desktop, the taskbar remains inactive, i.e. no program is running. It means that a browser and a text editor are running on the first desktop, and a graphics editor and a spreadsheet processor are running on the second.

Why is it convenient? Because you can work with several programs at the same time, and they will not interfere with each other. Since switching between desktops is quite easy and intuitive, this workflow is pleasant and fun.

You can ask about what is happening with the RAM at this time, because if you run several desktops and several programs in each of them, there will not be enough memory. Let’s see how the RAM on our device will handle. The amount of memory is 4 GB. So, let’s run 5 programs in each of the three desktops and put the screenshots of the «Task Manager» here.

1. Started one desktop with 5 programs: Word, Edge, Explorer, Google Chrome, Notepad.

2. Launch a second desktop with the same programs, but instead of Edge, launch Visual Studio:

3. Launch the third desktop with 5 more programs:

We can observe that the memory load has increased by only 13 percent, i.e. this feature is very well optimized. When the desktop is inactive, the programs running on it stop using a lot of resources, and this has a great effect on the final memory load.