If you open an application on your second desktop and it loads a system tray icon, that system tray icon will only appear in the system tray on your second desktop, and not your first, third, or fourth desktops.Assigning Windows to DesktopsTo launch on application window on a specific desktop, first switch to that desktop and then from your taskbar, Start menu, or wherever else.Unfortunately, you can’t actually move windows between virtual desktops once they’re open.

You’ll have to switch back to their associated desktop first.Įach desktop also has its own separate system tray - so system tray icons from your first desktop won’t appear on your other desktops. Windows you open on other desktops won’t appear to be open on your other desktops, so you can’t switch to them with the taskbar or Alt+Tab. You can also click the system tray icon to see an overview of your desktops and switch between them.To change your hotkeys, right-click the system tray icon and select Options.The first time you switch to a virtual desktop, Windows will “create” it - it’s loading a new copy of Explorer.exe for that desktop. If you want to run the tool automatically at login, click the Run automatically at logon checkbox.Switching Between DesktopsYou can customize the keys for switching between virtual desktops, but by default you’ll use Alt+1/2/3/4 to switch between your four virtual desktops. You’ll see the minimal Desktops setup window. Most of them are powerful system utilities full of useful information - not small tools like this one.Open the downloaded Desktops.zip file, extract the Desktops.exe file, and double-click it. If you’re a Windows power user, you should. Sysinternals was once a third-party collection of tools, but the Sysinternals tools are so useful and powerful that Microsoft bought them all a few years ago. You don’t have to pay up, deal with nag screens, or deal with a cluttered application to use them.RELATED:Download from MIcrosoft’s Windows Sysinternals site.

The tool is small, lightweight, and free. Get Virtual DesktopsWhile Microsoft’s Virtual Desktops PowerToy hasn’t worked since Windows XP, they do provide another tool that will let you use virtual desktops on modern versions of Windows.

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