Stay Organized with Multiple Desktops in Windows 11

Stay Organized with Multiple Desktops in Windows 11

Windows 11 includes a productivity feature that is often overlooked: multiple desktops. Think of them as separate workspaces you can switch between to stay focused and keep things organized.

I'm a big fan of grouping tabs in Chrome to keep my browsing under control, so using multiple desktops in Windows feels like taking that same idea to the next level - only across my whole computer.

Here are a few ways to use multiple desktops:

• Keep one desktop for your main work apps and documents.
• Use another for email, chat, everyday tasks or research.
• Set up a desktop for focused projects without distractions.
• When you are presenting, create a dedicated presentation desktop so your participants only see your slides - notes and other materials are in a different desktop.

Getting started:

• Press Windows key + Tab to open Task View
• Click + New desktop at the top of the screen
• Switch between desktops with Windows key + Ctrl + Left/Right arrow

Tip: Give each desktop a different background to make it easy to tell them apart.

Article by Karen Matthes, Extension Learning Technologies, klm@umn.edu