Windows 11 Virtual Desktops: How to Create and Use Them

Virtual desktops let you keep more than one workspace running on the same screen. You might keep a browser and a document on one desktop, a spreadsheet and a chat app on a second, and a game launcher on a third. Switching between them changes the entire set of open windows at once, which is a much cleaner separation than stacking everything on a single crowded taskbar.

The feature is built in, requires no extra software, and is controlled by a handful of keyboard shortcuts. This guide covers how to create desktops, move windows between them, and a few details that surprise people the first time they use them.

PAGE CONTENT

• What Virtual Desktops Are, and What They Are Not
• Open Task View and Create a Desktop
• Switch Between Desktops
• Move Windows Between Desktops
• Rename Desktops and Set Different Wallpapers
• Control What the Taskbar Shows
• Close a Desktop Without Losing Work
• FAQs About Virtual Desktops
• Back Up and Restore Windows with Qiling Disk Master

What Virtual Desktops Are, and What They Are Not

A virtual desktop is a separate workspace on the same computer, and each one keeps its own set of open windows. When you switch, the previous desktop and everything on it stays exactly as you left it, including application state, scroll positions, and open documents.

Three properties are worth understanding before you rely on the feature:

• They are not separate user accounts. All desktops belong to the same signed-in user, share the same files and settings, and use the same password.
• They are not a privacy or security boundary. Anyone sitting at the keyboard can switch to any desktop. Do not treat a desktop as a place to hide a window.
• Applications keep running on desktops you are not viewing. A download continues, music keeps playing, and a build keeps compiling. A desktop is a view, not a pause button.

Open Task View and Create a Desktop

Step 1. Find Task View on the taskbar. Its icon looks like two overlapping squares and sits next to the Start button. If you do not see it, right-click the taskbar, open Taskbar settings, and switch Task View on.

Step 2. Open Task View by clicking that icon or pressing Windows and Tab. The thumbnails of your open windows appear, with the current desktop shown in a row along the bottom.

Step 3. Select New desktop at the end of that row. A second desktop appears and becomes active, and you are looking at an empty workspace.

Step 4. Use the shortcut instead when you are in the middle of something. Pressing Windows, Ctrl and D creates a new desktop immediately without opening Task View.

Step 5. Open the apps you want on the new desktop. They stay with that desktop from then on.

Switch Between Desktops

Step 1. Use Windows, Ctrl and the left or right arrow key to move between desktops in order. This is the fastest method and works without opening any interface.

Step 2. Alternatively, press Windows and Tab and click the thumbnail of the desktop you want.

Step 3. On a laptop with a precision touchpad, swipe left or right with four fingers. The gesture is enabled by default on most Windows 11 machines and mirrors the keyboard shortcut.

Step 4. Watch the taskbar as you switch. By default it shows only the windows belonging to the desktop you are currently viewing, which is the main reason the separation feels complete.

Move Windows Between Desktops

Step 1. Press Windows and Tab to open Task View, where both the window thumbnails and the desktop thumbnails are visible at the same time.

Step 2. Drag a window thumbnail down onto the thumbnail of the desktop where you want it. The window moves, and it appears on the target desktop even though you are still viewing the original one.

Step 3. Repeat for any other windows you want to relocate, then switch to the target desktop to confirm the arrangement.

Step 4. Remember that moving the window does not restart the application. The program continues running and simply appears in the new workspace.

Rename Desktops and Set Different Wallpapers

Naming your desktops turns a set of anonymous workspaces into something you can navigate by purpose.

Step 1. Open Task View with Windows and Tab.

Step 2. Right-click the thumbnail of a desktop and choose Rename. Names such as "Work", "Study" or "Games" make the row readable at a glance.

Step 3. Right-click the same thumbnail again and choose Choose background to give that desktop its own wallpaper. Different backgrounds are the quickest visual cue for knowing which workspace you are in.

Step 4. Apply distinct backgrounds on two or three desktops and switch between them a few times. The colour change makes the active workspace obvious without reading any label.

Control What the Taskbar Shows

Step 1. Open Settings and go to System > Multitasking.

Step 2. Find the option for what the taskbar shows and choose between showing windows from all desktops or only the desktop you are using. Showing only the current desktop keeps each workspace visually clean, which is usually what people want.

Step 3. Review the other options on the same page, such as whether Alt and Tab shows windows from all desktops and whether windows snap when dragged to the edge of the screen. These settings shape how the workspaces interact with each other.

Step 4. Test the change by switching desktops and watching the taskbar. If the buttons do not change, the setting is still set to show all desktops.

Close a Desktop Without Losing Work

Step 1. Press Windows, Ctrl and F4 to close the desktop you are currently on. You can also hover over its thumbnail in Task View and click the close button that appears.

Step 2. Expect the windows to move rather than to close. When a desktop is removed, its open windows are transferred to the neighbouring desktop, so nothing is lost and no application is terminated.

Step 3. Use this deliberately as a tidying tool. If a desktop has become a dumping ground, closing it merges its windows back into the main workspace, where you can sort them properly.

Step 4. Remember that desktops are a session arrangement rather than stored data. Windows does not preserve your extra desktops across a restart, so you will set them up again after a reboot. Nothing is deleted in the process; the windows simply return to a single desktop.

FAQs About Virtual Desktops

Are virtual desktops the same as separate user accounts?

No. They belong to the same account and share the same files, settings, and password. Nothing about them is isolated from a security point of view.

Do applications keep running on desktops I am not viewing?

Yes. A download, a music player, or a long-running task continues normally. Switching desktops changes what you see, not what is running.

Can I use a virtual desktop to keep something private?

No. Anyone with access to the machine can switch to any desktop, so it is not a privacy boundary. Use a separate user account or lock the screen for that purpose.

Do I have to reopen my apps every time I switch?

No. Each desktop keeps its windows in place, and switching back restores exactly what you left. Only a restart clears the arrangement.

How many desktops can I create?

There is no limit you are likely to reach in normal use. Task View scrolls as the row of thumbnails grows, so you can add desktops until the interface becomes unwieldy rather than hitting a fixed cap.

What is the fastest shortcut to remember?

Four shortcuts cover almost everything: Windows and Tab to see all desktops, Windows, Ctrl and D to add one, Windows, Ctrl and an arrow key to move between them, and Windows, Ctrl and F4 to close the current one.

Back Up and Restore Windows with Qiling Disk Master

Virtual desktops keep your session tidy, but they are not a backup. Desktops are not preserved across a restart, and nothing on them is protected if a drive fails. Keep an image as well. Qiling Disk Master handles both the backup and the restore.

• Free Download
• Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

Part 1: Create a Full System Backup

Step 1. Install and open Qiling Disk Master. On the home screen, open "Backup and Recovery" and choose "System Backup". This option automatically includes Windows and the hidden boot partitions, so you do not have to select them one by one.

Step 2. Check the source. The disk where Windows is installed and its system partitions are already ticked for you. If you only need your personal documents, run a separate "File Backup" task instead.

Step 3. Click the destination box and choose where the image should be saved. Use an external HDD or SSD, a NAS, or any drive other than the one Windows is installed on, and make sure it has enough free space.

Step 4. Review the task summary and click "Proceed". Wait until the progress bar reaches 100%. Do not unplug the drive or turn off the PC while the backup is running.

Part 2: Restore Windows from the Backup

Step 1. Open Qiling Disk Master again, go to "Backup and Recovery", and select the recovery option. Your backup images are listed, so pick the one you created before the changes began.

Step 2. Choose the target disk or partition. Normally you restore to the original system disk. If the drive was replaced, select the new disk instead, and the restore rebuilds Windows together with its boot partitions.

Step 3. Preview the restore plan, click "Proceed", and confirm the warning. The PC restarts to finish the job, and Windows comes back exactly as it was on the day the image was created, with your files and programs intact.

Conclusion

Virtual desktops give you several workspaces on one PC, each keeping its own set of open windows. Create one with Windows, Ctrl and D, move between them with Windows, Ctrl and the arrow keys, and close the current one with Windows, Ctrl and F4. Rename them and give each a different wallpaper so the active workspace is obvious at a glance. Two details are worth remembering: applications keep running on desktops you are not viewing, and a desktop is not a privacy boundary, because anyone at the keyboard can switch to any of them. Treat them as a way to organise attention, not as isolation.

Protect your PC with Qiling Backup—create a system image before your next troubleshooting step.

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