Windows 10 Multiple desktop with different shortcuts

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On the desktop window, click the Task view icon from the taskbar.

From the displayed bar just above the taskbar, click the + sign to add a new virtual desktop.

After a virtual desktop is added, although all the virtual desktop screens will have the same desktop icons, opened applications on one desktop will not be displayed on the others However, if you have added a few virtual desktops, you can move applications from one virtual desktop to another by following the instructions given below:

1. Make sure that you are on the desktop screen that has the application that you want to move.
2. Ensure that the application is opened and you can access its window.
3. Keeping the application’s interface open, click the Task view icon from the taskbar
4. Once the mini bar appears and the desktop screen gets dimmed, on the desktop screen, right-click the title bar of the opened application that you wish to move to another virtual desktop.
5. From the context menu, hover mouse to the Move option.
6. From the submenu that appears, click the name of the virtual desktop where you want to move the opened application.

Hope this helps.

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I believe the answer to your question is no. I say that from what I have read, and my personal testing of the system. You can test it yourself by sending a shortcut to the desktop. It sends it to all. Delete it from Desktop 3, and all shortcuts are gone from all desktops.

A simple way to demonstrate this is to create a recycle bin shortcut on virtual desktop three. It is now on all three desktops. Go to desktop 2 and delete it there, and it is now gone from all three.

Like you, I wanted to use different desktops for different desktop folder usages. Can’t do it. Multiple desktops is nothing more than a virtualized multiple monitor configuration, without the benefit of isolating desktop icons to a specific monitor.

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That is not what the OP asked.

Can you either let us know how to have «Different Desktop Icons» on multiple virtual desktops or lets us know why this is not a feature

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I am in agreement with the OP. The «idea» behind Windows 10 multiple desktops, and how it has been explained, is like having multiple desks in an office. Well that’s exactly what I need. Presently in our den, we have two desks with two computers. On one desk I have bills and household/school paperwork. On the other desk are all the items related to games, crafts, design, etc. I don’t mix the paperwork between the two and when I am sitting at one desk, I do not have the items from the other desk cluttering my work’s space or view.

Now in Windows 10, I was hoping to use it like they say. multiple deskTOPS. I just upgraded to windows 10 last night. This morning, as I was moving all the icons back the way I had had them organized (before Windows decided to clutter them all to the left of my screen,) I discovered «multiple desktops» with the «task view». Yippie! Now I can move all my shortcuts and icons which «I» use over to new desktops, and leave all my son’s games and programming **** on this one. WRONG.

Unbelievable that I can’t do this. I get that apps «running» on one desktop won’t clutter the other, but all the icons that were on our previous Windows 7 desktop are shortcuts to certain apps or documents/folders we want quick access to right from the desktop and are organized by subject: programming, school, system maintenance, customization and media. Having all of them on just one desktop does NOT help me, and neither does having ALL of them on EVERY desktop help the way JamesSpisiak describes above.

I have no use for a second desktop that doesn’t function like an actual second desk . «TOP.» That is the OP’s original question and concern, and it is mine as well. I can’t figure out why Microsoft didn’t provide this functionality. Logging in under another user’s account might solve this problem, but that is NOT how we want to manage our computers. We do not want entirely separate accounts, we just want our «clutter» to be organized in a logical way. I didn’t like the immensely time-consuming and draining headaches associated with managing «multiple accounts» with MS OSs. We don’t have «privileges» issues in our household and basically it’s a «privileges» nightmare using multiple accounts. As is accessing and installing programs, customization, maintenance, etc. For me, managing ONE account is most efficient for the way our family to use the computer.

That leaves «personal files and shortcuts» clutter as our only remaining headache. My previous use of 3rd party apps which help with such things also created a maintenance nightmare for me. I’d rather it all be in one system and that’s what I thought «task view» was going to be. Even for just my files and needs, separate from my son’s, I was excited to keep system maintenance activities, shortcuts, and files separate on it’s own desktop view, as well as my other tasks and activities on their own desktop views, as well as my son’s. Right now, it just operates like a browser when you want to open other unrelated searches in another tab or window.

How to Switch Between Desktops in Windows 10?

Windows 10 provides an amazing feature with which you can easily manage and organise your work. This feature is Multiple Desktops, also termed as Virtual Desktop. Yes! You can have more than one desktop at a time on a single machine, and of course, switch between them.

Imagine having 10 to 15 applications open on your desktop. What a mess! To manage this stuff, you can go for multiple desktops and move a few of the applications to another desktop.

If you are working on multiple projects simultaneously, then you can create different desktops for different projects. Such as one for a game related project, one for an under-development website, one for communicating with your teammates and another, maybe for some amusement like songs, games or a movie.

After creating a number of desktops, you need to know how to switch between them. Windows 10 is very fast and switching between the desktops is even faster. This article is going to tell you three very simple methods to quickly switch to a different desktop in Windows 10.

Steps to switch between the Desktops in Windows 10

Method 1: Using Task View Button

Task View button is present on the taskbar in Windows 10. This button looks like:

Sometimes, the Task View button is hidden by default. You can make it visible in two steps:

• Right-click on Taskbar.
• Select the Show Task View button.

Step 1: Click on the Task View button present on the taskbar.

As soon as you click, a new screen will appear.

This screen contains four things:

1. Taskbar at the bottom: This taskbar belongs to the desktop which is currently open.
2. Desktop ribbon: Above the taskbar, appears a ribbon which holds all the desktops which you have created. They are given names like Desktop 1, Desktop 2 and so on.
3. New Desktop button: Look at the right-most corner on the Desktop ribbon, you will find a New Desktop button represented by a Plus sign. By clicking on this button, you can create a new desktop.
4. Active applications on the current desktop: The major part of this screen is covered by the snaps of applications which are active on the current desktop. If you hover the mouse on different desktops present on the ribbon, the applications of the respective desktop will appear in this area.

Step 2: Just click on the desktop which you want to open from the Desktop ribbon.

Method 2: Ctrl + Windows + Arrow Key(Left/Right)

This is a keyboard shortcut to switch between the desktops in Windows 10.

Step 1: Press the Ctrl key and Windows key simultaneously.

Step 2: Without leaving the above two keys, press the left/right arrow key once.
This will take you to the neighbouring desktop. Pressing the arrow key again will take you to the next desktop. In this way, you can go through all the desktops one by one using the keyboard shortcut.

Method 3: Four – finger Swipe

If you have a touch-screen, then this is the best way to switch between the desktops in Windows 10.

Swipe with four fingers in either direction and the neighbouring desktop will slide into the screen. If you want to go back to the previous desktop, swipe again with four fingers in the opposite direction.

That’s it! Now you know how to switch between the desktops quickly in Windows 10 and you can do multitasking more efficiently.

How to use multiple desktops in Windows 10

Windows 10’s virtual desktops feature is super helpful if you’re working on a bunch of different things.

If you’re a single-monitor user — or even if you’re not — multiple virtual desktops can be very handy. Especially if you’re now working from home for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus pandemic and juggling different projects on the same computer. Whether you’re a longtime Windows 10 ($170 at Best Buy) user or have only recently upgraded after support for Windows 7 ended earlier this year, multiple desktops are a super useful feature.

The Task View pane in Windows 10 allows you to add an unlimited number of virtual desktops quickly and easily. You can manage the view of your virtual desktop, and move applications to different desktops, show windows on all desktops or close pages on a selected desktop.

How to add a desktop in Windows 10

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To add a virtual desktop, open up the new Task View pane by clicking the Task View button (two overlapping rectangles) on the taskbar, or by pressing the Windows Key + Tab. In the Task View pane, click New desktop to add a virtual desktop. If you have two or more desktops already open, the «Add a desktop» button will appear as a gray tile with a plus symbol. You can also quickly add a desktop without entering the Task View pane by using the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + Ctrl + D.

How to switch between desktops

To switch between virtual desktops, open the Task View pane and click on the desktop you want to switch to. You can also quickly switch desktops without going into the Task View pane by using the keyboard shortcuts Windows Key + Ctrl + Left Arrow and Windows Key + Ctrl + Right Arrow.

You can add an unlimited number of virtual desktops — we stopped at 368.

Read more from TechRepublic: 20 pro tips to make Windows 10 work the way you want (free PDF)

Move windows between desktops

To move a window from one desktop to another, you first have to open up the Task View pane and then hover over the desktop containing the window you want to move. The windows on that desktop will pop up; find the window you want to move, right-click it, and go to Move to and choose the desktop you want to move the window to. You can also drag and drop windows — grab the window you want to move and drag it into the desired desktop.

Close a desktop

To close a virtual desktop, open up the Task View pane and hover over the desktop you want to close until a small X appears in the upper right corner. Click the X to close the desktop. You can also close desktops without going into the Task View pane by using the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + Ctrl + F4 (this will close the desktop you’re currently on).