Windows 11 - Indendent Virtual Desktops on each Monitor

Said 471

I have Win 11 laptop connected to an external monitor. I have two virtual desktops on my laptop's built-in screen and another two virtual desktops open on the external monitor. Total of 4 virtual desktops simultaneously. When I scroll between two desktops in one monitor other monitor scrolls two. These two monitors, one being a built-in display and the other external monitor should act independently of each other. If you are a Mac user or have used Mac you know exactly what I am talking about. This feature existed in Macs for years. Why Windows doesn't, and have not supported this feature yet? Even in Windows 11? What is the point of scrolling other monitors while I want to switch only one of them? is this feature coming soon?

Jonathan Brauer 341 Reputation points

2022-04-12T20:19:02.467+00:00

This very much needed. When I change virtual desktops on one monitor it removes whatever I am looking at on my other monitor! I need them to be seperate. I for instance want Microsoft Teams to ALWAYS be on my alternate monitor no matter what desktop "work area" I am using on my primary monitor. Again this is how the Mac works. They used to function like windows does now but then switched to independent switching which was GREAT.
Amin Abbasi 96 Reputation points

2022-04-18T12:51:14.72+00:00

exactly. I would like to see this future. virtual desktops on multiple monitors should be separated.
xuguang song 91 Reputation points

2022-04-20T07:43:03.527+00:00

This feature is very much needed. The desktop switch with multiple monitors should be independent. Solution on mac looks more intuitive.
Alejandro Garcia 71 Reputation points

2022-05-04T04:39:56.677+00:00

@Prrudram-MSFT you did not understand the question or downplayed it.

This makes the Windows Virtual desktop to look very poor and clumsy. So you change Virt. Desk. and it changes in all monitors !

Among other things this prevents me from buying a Windows computer. Will always virtualize windows in a Mac
Jonathan Brauer 341 Reputation points

2022-05-04T11:38:25.593+00:00

I agree to the importance...
Richard Hruza 21 Reputation points

2022-05-07T07:01:28.223+00:00

Please implement this feature, ideal solution would be to have an option to scroll all screens, or just one like Ubuntu does.
Abtin Mirshekar 86 Reputation points

2022-05-16T13:14:13.84+00:00

This may (almost) help: click on "task view" or press "win + tab", then right click on the app you want to stay on any virtual desktop, and use the options in the popup menu.
Independent virtual desktops is a must, tho.
Jonathan Brauer 1 Reputation point

2022-05-17T13:47:21.713+00:00

Ahaa!! That might be the solution we need!!
Jim 16 Reputation points

2022-08-01T00:58:35.783+00:00

Adding my two cents into this thread as well in hopes the right people at MS see it. The virtual desktop feature is great BUT when switching desktops it needs to happen on either screen independently. It's super annoying that both of my monitors switch the desktop when I only need to switch one of them. It messes up my workflow when I keep switching a desktop that I don't need to switch. Mac has had this ability for a really really long time and it's a critical functionality of a multiple-desktop feature.
Ben 86 Reputation points

2022-08-06T11:18:14.533+00:00

I appreciate the effort to point out a workaround, but it is a far cry from what the virtual desktop switch on multiple monitors behavior should be. We do not want a window, or a set of windows, to be shown on all virtual desktops. We want them to remain on the desktop they were originally open. The point is, if I switch to a different virtual desktop in one monitor, we DO NOT want other monitors to also switch... it's actually quite simple. The current behavior is super counter intuitive and breaks your (already divided) focus. As many have pointed out, many Linux distros, and OSX, have had this working properly for almost a decade.
Ben 86 Reputation points

2022-08-06T11:23:36.66+00:00

After many years on OSX, I am really and honestly trying to get back to windows... this is an absolute MUST for productivity. It is inconceivable that someone would be able to use multiple monitors + multiple virtual desktops as it is today.
Manjur Ahmed 26 Reputation points

2022-10-03T05:29:08.7+00:00

This is very much needed. Literally the only thing that keeps me even considering a Mac
Alessio Franceschelli 51 Reputation points

2022-10-03T18:18:32.373+00:00

please vote for this feature request here: https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/issues/58#issuecomment-1264958620
Samir Rayes 6 Reputation points

2022-11-15T22:07:22.643+00:00

It's soo weird that in 2022 this issue still hasn't been resolved yet. Another thing that Mac has is split tiling windows in full screen which is not the same as snapping. One of the main reasons why I would never switch from Mac.

Does anyone know if using MS Remote Desktop from a mac would solve this issue by having a Windows desktop on each display and using Mac workspace mission control to switch desktops.
Sameep 10 Reputation points

2023-06-09T07:10:01.6933333+00:00

I also need the feature to independent , can work in different monitor as & when required according to virtual desktop.
Cetin Basoz 66 Reputation points

2023-07-03T11:49:52.6933333+00:00

Duh, I created desktops thinking this would work as it does in a Mac since many years. In its current form multiple desktops in windows is useless and designed for a single monitor only (how many developers use a single monitor nowadays?).
Alex Waugh 10 Reputation points

2023-07-16T17:02:16.94+00:00

Baffling missing feature. I was considering a Windows for my next main machine until I found this 🙄
Gregory Bulnes Cuetara 10 Reputation points

2023-08-02T13:31:33.8466667+00:00

OMG, just bought a windows laptop to test some stuff with a new client...and noticed this....selling computer and moving back to my macbook right after this mission...
Ranne, Juuso 46 Reputation points

2023-08-03T10:10:22.7233333+00:00

It's insane that this has not been implemented, I hate every moment I need to work with Windows, Linux has had this functionality for years and even Mac can do it, so why can't you?
Anthony Cregan 15 Reputation points

2023-08-07T02:30:07.5466667+00:00

Upvoting this as it renders the desktop switching feature completely useless for anyone using more than one monitor.

EXAMPLE: As a user if I switch desktops on monitor 1, what is being displayed on monitor 2 and 3 should remain the same. I use this feature all the time as a developer - I might have 2 or 3 IDEs open at any one time and would like to switch between them without affecting the other tools I have open on my other monitors.
Logan Wenzel 1 Reputation point

2023-10-31T15:07:20.2166667+00:00

This would be an amazing feature! I refuse to use a monitor on my windows laptop and have considered buying a Macbook over this frustrating feature alone! PLEASE @Microsoft add this feature soon.
Taylor Zahora 0 Reputation points

2023-11-14T18:08:10.7833333+00:00

The current functionality is like someone gave you a car but the brake is connected to the gas pedal.

Apple figured this out a decade ago. Don't let Apple show you up. Be a man, approve the feature.
Hans Yulian 1 Reputation point

2023-11-15T01:00:03.98+00:00

Be smart, I can buy the other car that has autobrake system on top of original brake so that I won't accidentally hit anything when on reverse / speeding. Thus I decide to buy this more featured car instead.
Rakesh P 25 Reputation points

2023-11-16T05:00:46.9166667+00:00

Sorry to burst your bubble, the work-spaces & independent work-spaces per screen were first figured out in the LINUX world which then the apple embraced.
Robert Lee 0 Reputation points

2023-12-03T08:47:37.2566667+00:00

MacOS can do this, but Windows can't.
This is the reason that why I think MacOS is still better to use
Dave Hedges 0 Reputation points

2024-01-09T14:06:32.6+00:00

This is a big part of why I prefer RDP from a Mac and why I bought a Mac over a PC. On the Mac, I can roll between RDP sessions or other things, while working on a monitor independently, leaving the others in the sessions I'm in on the other monitors. I've wished for years that Microsoft would allow the same functionality in Windows. I do a lot of work where I'm in RDP sessions, and the way the Mac handles this is much more functional, and it is easier to work with multiple sessions on multiple monitors.

15 answers

杰张 0 Reputation points

2023-11-18T11:14:28.0933333+00:00

Yeah, windows 11 taskview should works separately on different monitors.

And when opening new applications, it should put the window on the monitor where triggering the open action.

And when pressing win key, it should pop up the window on the same monitor, too.
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Michel Lima 0 Reputation points

2023-10-24T18:35:10.28+00:00

I would really like the desktop feature to work independently on each monitor, both for leisure and professional reasons.
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Bo Andersen 10 Reputation points

2023-09-22T10:43:27.4866667+00:00

Quote from Microsoft answer on the Feedback Hub:

Thanks for taking the time to share this feedback - while monitor independent desktop switching isn't currently supported, for what it's worth, it's possible to set a window to span all of your desktops, so they don't change when you switch desktops. To do this, open Task View (by clicking the button in the taskbar or by pressing WIN + Tab), right click on the desired window thumbnail, and then select the option to show it on all desktops. It can be handy for things like music players, where you may want to always have access. -- https://aka.ms/AAjw6cm
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Chr 10 Reputation points

2023-09-18T12:29:41.5+00:00

mac has been my primary machine for 10 years. Decided to give windows a shot thinking, should be great with just needing to get used to the environment. But without this independent virtual desktop feature, I think I'm going back to mac. MASSIVE FAIL by Microsoft.

Bloatware is unacceptable as well, but this independent virtual desktop feature is a deal breaker. It's impossible to work in Windows11.
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bentolivepetal 55 Reputation points

2023-09-18T12:50:16.47+00:00

I suspect though, it is probably a patent somewhere. Otherwise, I can't believe this isn't a higher priority than nearly anything Windows is doing from an end-user perspective given the huge UX and productivity boost this type of multi-monitor-desktop affords on a daily basis. Most remote workers that I have come across have purchased second monitors even at home during the pandemic.

Ranne, Juuso 46 Reputation points

2023-09-18T13:00:56.9966667+00:00

It's not patent, Linux has had this feature for ages. I would say it's something with Windows backend, I mean some of the code has been there since Windows 95 and probably even longer. They are going rewrite core libraries with Rust for W12. I wish they would just be honest about it, so we would not have to guess.

bentolivepetal 55 Reputation points

2023-09-18T13:06:36.7966667+00:00

Thanks for all that additional context.

It's amazing that companies have not yet figured out that honesty begets loyalty. Windows 11 has been largely perfect for me barring his one feature and I have had to switch to Mac just because of the lack of it - given my 3 monitor scenario.

andpro 0 Reputation points

2023-09-18T13:16:28.11+00:00

It is highly likely that such functionality will not appear in the near future. Virtual desktops are now useless. And I don't see any work in this direction.

bentolivepetal 55 Reputation points

2023-09-18T15:24:40.03+00:00

Well, then I will continue to advocate for Macbooks for people in general and just use Virtual PC on Demand on my MacBook at work. How sad!
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Sam 15 Reputation points

2023-09-02T11:51:52.2+00:00

How is this still not a thing? This seems like a basic requirement. Please add / fix this.
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