How to Create Virtual Desktops in Windows 11

How to Create Virtual Desktops in 🪟 Windows 11

You can create virtual desktops from the taskbar 🖥️ or with keyboard shortcuts. Task View is the tool that shows all your open windows and virtual desktops in one place. Microsoft introduced it in Windows 10, and Windows 11 keeps it with a refreshed look.

Your virtual desktops stay in place after you restart the 🔄 PC, so you can set them up once and keep using them. There is no need to install anything or change a setting to turn the feature on.

Using Keyboard Shortcuts

The fastest way to create a new workspace is with your keyboard.

1. Press Win+Ctrl+D.
2. Look at the screen. Windows adds a new desktop and switches to it right away. It will be empty, with no windows open and only the taskbar 🖥️ and wallpaper showing.
3. Repeat the shortcut for each extra desktop you want.

Windows 11 does not ask you to confirm anything. If the shortcut seems to do nothing, check that you are holding all three keys together. Press Win+Tab to confirm that the new desktop is there.

After the shortcut runs, you are already on the new desktop. Open the apps you want for that task here. Windows keeps them separate from the apps on your first desktop.

Using the Taskbar

If you prefer the mouse, use the Task View button on the taskbar 🖥️.

1. Click the Task View icon on the taskbar 🖥️. It looks like two overlapping squares. You will see your open windows, and a row of desktop thumbnails along the bottom of the screen.
2. Click the + New desktop button. A new thumbnail appears in the row.
3. Click the new thumbnail to switch to it, or click + New desktop again to add more.

You can also hover over the Task View icon without clicking. A small preview of your desktops pops up, and you can click one to jump to it.

If you can’t find the Task View icon, it may be hidden. Go to Settings › Personalization › Taskbar, open Taskbar items and switch Task view to On. The Win+Tab shortcut works whether the icon is visible or not.

Managing Your Virtual Desktops

Customizing virtual desktops makes them much easier to spot at a glance. Names like “Desktop 4” tell you nothing, and a different wallpaper tells you where you are as soon as you switch.

Renaming and Backgrounds

To rename a desktop:

1. Open Task View with Win+Tab or the taskbar 🖥️ icon.
2. Right-click the thumbnail of the desktop you want to change.
3. Select Rename, type a new name such as “Work” or “Personal”, and press Enter. The new name now shows under the thumbnail.

To give a desktop its own background:

1. In Task View, right-click the desktop’s thumbnail.
2. Select Choose background. Windows opens the Personalization settings for that desktop.
3. Pick a picture, solid color or slideshow. Only that desktop changes.

If Choose background is missing from the right-click menu 🖱️, your copy of Windows 11 is probably an early build that predates per-desktop backgrounds. Run Windows Update 🔃 to get it. This visual separation makes it easier to keep work and personal tasks apart.

Moving Windows Between Desktops

Need to move an app to another desktop?

1. Open Task View with Windows + Tab.
2. Right-click the window you want to move. Its thumbnail sits in the main area of Task View.
3. Select Move to.
4. Choose the desktop where the app should go. The window disappears from the current desktop and shows up on the one you picked.

The same right-click menu has options to show a window, or all windows from that app, on every desktop. Use these for things like a music player or chat app that you want to see everywhere. You can also drag a window's thumbnail onto a desktop thumbnail at the bottom of the screen.

Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

Summary

Virtual desktops help organize your digital life by letting you create separate spaces for different tasks. Start with two, one for work and one for everything else. Add more only when you actually need them.