If you find yourself drowning in open windows and browser tabs, Windows 11 offers a feature that can instantly organize your digital life: Virtual Desktops. This feature allows you to create entirely separate workspaces on a single monitor. For example, you can have one desktop dedicated exclusively to work applications, and another for gaming or personal browsing, keeping them completely isolated from one another.
How to Create and Manage Virtual Desktops
The control center for virtual desktops is called Task View.
- To open Task View, click the icon on your taskbar that looks like two overlapping squares, or press Windows Key + Tab.
- At the bottom of the screen, you will see your current desktop. Click the “+” (New desktop) button to create a second workspace.
- You can right-click any desktop thumbnail here to Rename it (e.g., “Work”, “Music”, “Browsing”).
- You can also select Choose background to give each desktop a different wallpaper. This is a highly recommended trick, as changing the wallpaper makes it immediately obvious which workspace you are currently in.
Essential Keyboard Shortcuts
While you can use the mouse in Task View, virtual desktops are much faster to use once you memorize these four essential keyboard shortcuts:
- Create a new desktop: Press
Windows Key + Ctrl + D. - Switch to the desktop on the right: Press
Windows Key + Ctrl + Right Arrow. This slides your screen to the next workspace instantly. - Switch to the desktop on the left: Press
Windows Key + Ctrl + Left Arrow. - Close the current desktop: Press
Windows Key + Ctrl + F4. (Any apps open on that desktop will simply be moved to the adjacent desktop; they will not be force-closed).
How to Move Apps Between Desktops
If you opened an app on your personal desktop but meant to open it on your work desktop, it is easy to move it.
- Press Windows Key + Tab to open Task View.
- Hover over the desktop that currently holds the app.
- Right-click the specific app window you want to move.
- Select Move to, and choose the name of the destination desktop. Alternatively, you can simply click and drag the app window down onto the thumbnail of the target desktop.