How to Show a Window on All Virtual Desktops in Windows 11

Virtual Desktops in Windows 11 provide an effective way to organise disparate workflows, allowing you to isolate development environments, office administration documents, and personal browsing across dedicated workspaces. However, certain background applications—such as team communication tools (Slack or Microsoft Teams), reference spreadsheets, media players (Spotify), or sticky note checklists—need to remain accessible regardless of which virtual desktop you are currently navigating.

Rather than continually switching back and forth between workspaces to check an incoming chat or adjust a music playlist, Windows 11 includes a native desktop pinning feature. This allows you to pin a specific application window (or all windows from an entire application) so that it follows you seamlessly across every virtual desktop.

Understanding Window Pinning vs App Pinning in Task View

Windows 11 distinguishes between two distinct desktop persistence modes:

• Show this window on all desktops: Pins only the specific active window you selected. If you have three separate Word documents open, only the pinned document will appear across all desktops; the other two remain in their original workspaces.
• Show windows from this app on all desktops: Pins every current and future window associated with that application. Any new instance or document launched from that app will automatically populate across all virtual desktops.

How to Show a Window on All Desktops in Windows 11

You can configure persistent window visibility through the Windows 11 Task View interface:

1. Open the application window you wish to display across all desktops (for example, your music player or reference notes).
2. Open Task View using either of the following methods:
   • Click the Task View button on your taskbar (the icon featuring overlapping squares).
   • Press the keyboard shortcut Windows + Tab.
3. In the Task View overview, you will see your open application thumbnails arranged in the center of the screen, with your virtual desktop previews lined up along the bottom.
4. Locate the thumbnail of the window you want to make persistent.
5. Right-click on the window thumbnail to open its context menu.
6. Select Show this window on all desktops.
   • Alternatively, if you want all instances of that program to appear on every workspace, select Show windows from this app on all desktops.
7. Click anywhere on your desktop or press Esc to exit Task View.

Now, when you switch between your virtual desktops (using Ctrl + Windows + Left Arrow or Ctrl + Windows + Right Arrow), the pinned window remains anchored in place in your taskbar and on your screen.

How to Unpin a Window from All Desktops

If you no longer need the window to follow you across workspaces and want it restricted to a single desktop once again:

1. Press Windows + Tab to re-enter Task View.
2. Locate the pinned window thumbnail.
3. Right-click on the thumbnail.
4. Click on Show this window on all desktops (or Show windows from this app on all desktops) to remove the checkmark.

The window will now remain exclusively on the virtual desktop you were actively viewing when you disabled the option.

How to Move a Pinned Window to a Specific Desktop

If you unpin a window and wish to relocate it to a different workspace entirely:

1. Open Task View (Windows + Tab).
2. Click and drag the window thumbnail directly onto the desired virtual desktop preview thumbnail at the bottom of the screen.
3. Release the mouse button to drop the window into that workspace.
4. Alternatively, right-click the thumbnail, hover over Move to, and select the target desktop number from the flyout menu.

Managing Taskbar and Alt+Tab Behaviour for Virtual Desktops

To ensure your multitasking environment remains uncluttered when working across multiple desktops, Windows 11 lets you choose whether unpinned background apps appear in your main taskbar:

1. Press Windows + I to open Windows Settings.
2. Click on System in the left-hand menu, then select Multitasking.
3. Click on Desktops to expand its configuration options.
4. Locate the setting On the taskbar, show all the open windows:
   • Select Only on the desktop I’m using to keep your taskbar clean and focused exclusively on the active workspace.
   • Select On all desktops if you prefer your entire taskbar to display every running application across your whole system.
5. Configure the Show all open windows when I press Alt+Tab setting similarly based on your personal navigation preference.

Combining persistent pinned windows with clean, isolated taskbars creates an efficient, distraction-free multi-workspace environment in Windows 11.