How to use the multiple desktop feature on Windows

Q: Is there a simple way to manage a single Windows computer that everyone in the family uses?

A: Interested in the multiple desktop feature on Windows? The standard way to keep things separate is to create separate user accounts, each with its own password: Press the Windows Logo key + I to open the Settings menu, then go to Accounts > Family > Add Someone.

This allows for the complete separation of apps and files and lets parents employ parental controls for younger user’s accounts.

If this level of complexity is too much, Windows also has a feature called ‘Multiple Desktops’ which allows multiple users who use the same user account but keep things separated while running.

It’s a lot less complicated and resource-intensive than setting up separate accounts, but it lacks the controls and privacy that you may want.

Getting started with the multiple desktop feature on Windows

The multiple desktop feature is very simple to set up as you simply tap the Windows Logo key + Tab (Task View) to create or switch to another desktop.

Once you’ve created them, you can rename them (right-click on each one) for easy identification.

For example, you may want to create one desktop labeled ‘Work’, another labeled ‘Kids’, and maybe a third labeled ‘Streaming’.

Each session can open their own apps and sign in to specific online accounts, but they will share the same wallpaper, pinned Taskbar items, and installed apps.

Even if you don’t have multiple users on your computer, separating your personal apps from your work apps on separate desktop sessions may provide better organization.

Easy Switching

To show everyone in the family how to switch between the available desktops, just press the Win+Tab keys. Once Task View is open, click on a desktop session or float the mouse cursor over each of the desktops to get a preview of the open windows.

If you end up with many desktops, another quick way to toggle through them is by pressing Ctrl+Win+Left or Right arrow keys.

Potential Downsides

Since this approach does not keep things truly separate, there are several scenarios that could lead to some confusion.

When certain apps are running on Desktop 1 (Spotify for example), should you try to open it from Desktop 2 it will switch back to Desktop 1 because Spotify doesn’t allow for multiple instances to run in one user account.

Other apps, like Word or Chrome with separate profiles, will allow for multiple sessions to run on separate desktops.

Remember, there’s no true separation of the apps and data, so everyone will have access to everything in every desktop session.

Closed sessions when using the multiple desktop feature on Windows

If you turn off or restart your computer, the various desktop sessions will remain available. If, however, you close a desktop session, everything that’s still running will automatically move to the next available desktop (usually to the left).

This means that you will have to recreate the second desktop, close the apps on the first desktop, and reopen them on the second if you want to maintain the separation.

While it’s a simple tool, it may not be the best approach for a large number of non-technical users.