How do I have different backgrounds on different desktops Windows 10?

Windows 10’s Virtual Desktops Are Getting Custom Wallpaper Backgrounds

• Chris Hoffman

  @chrisbhoffman

Windows 10’s Virtual Desktops are an underappreciated power-user feature, giving you a way to group windows into their own spaces for more powerful multitasking. Now, Microsoft is adding custom desktop backgrounds, letting you give each desktop a unique wallpaper.

This change is part of Windows 10 Insider build 21337, which was released on March 17, 2021. It will likely appear in a stable form in Windows 10’s 21H2 Update, which is planned for release in the latter half of 2021—likely in October 2021.

Once you have the update installed, you’ll be able to head to Settings > Personalization > Background to set this up. Simply left-clicking a background here will set it as the background for only your current virtual desktop. You can right-click a background image on this Settings page and assign it to a specific virtual desktop, too. Or, even easier, you can right-click a virtual desktop thumbnail in Task View and select “Choose Background.”

Advertisement

Your chosen background will appear both on that virtual desktop and in the thumbnails on the Task View screen.

Microsoft

There’s one more improvement to virtual desktops in this Insider build, too: You can now drag and drop virtual desktop thumbnails in the Task View interface to rearrange them.

Windows 10’sMay 2020 Update already added the ability to set custom names for each desktop, so Microsoft is slowly makingWindows 10’s virtual desktops even more powerful.

RELATED: What's New in Windows 10's November 2021 Update [21H2]

If you haven’t tried virtual desktops yet, they’re accessible in the Task View interface. Press Windows+Tab or click the “Task View” icon to the right of Cortana on your taskbar to open it. You’ll see the virtual desktops at the top of the Task View screen. You can drag an open window from this screen to another virtual desktop, and click the thumbnails to switch between them.

Advertisement

Windows 10 also has some convenient keyboard and touchpad shortcuts for quickly switching between virtual desktops.

The Best Tech Newsletter Anywhere

Join 425,000 subscribers and get a daily digest of features, articles, news, and trivia.

Sign Me Up!

We've got your info - thanks for signing up!

We were unable to subscribe you! Please check your e-mail address or contact us for assistance.

Signing you up...

By submitting your email, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

RELATED: How to Quickly Switch Between Virtual Desktops on Windows 10

Chris Hoffman
Chris Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. He's written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Chris has written for The New York Times, been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miami's NBC 6, and had his work covered by news outlets like the BBC. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read nearly one billion times---and that's just here at How-To Geek. Read Full Bio »

Change Virtual Desktop Background in Task View

1 Open Task View [Win+Tab].

2 Right click or press and hold on a Virtual Desktop [ex: "Desktop 3"] you want to change the background for, and click/tap on Choose background. [see screenshot below]

3 Continue on at step 2 in Option Two below.

Change Virtual Desktop Background in Settings

1 Open Settings, and click/tap on the Personalization icon.

2 Select Picture in the Background drop menu on the right side. [see screenshot below]

3 Under Choose your picture, click/tap on one of the five recent or default images you want as your background.

If you like, you can click/tap on Browse, navigate to and select an image you want, and click/tap on Choose picture.

4 Select to have the picture fill, fit, stretch, tile, center, or span on your displays in the Choose a fit drop menu.

5 Under Choose your picture, right click or press and hold on an image you want to change the background to, and either click/tap on Set for all desktops OR Set for desktop and click/tap on the Virtual Desktop [ex: "Desktop 1"] you want to change the background for.

If you do not click/tap on Set for all desktops OR Set for desktop and click/tap on the Virtual Desktop [ex: "Desktop 1"] you want to change the background for, then the selected picture will be applied to the current desktop.

6 When finished, you can close Settings if you like.

That's it,
Shawn Brink

Can Windows 10 desktops have different backgrounds?

No, there is currently no built-in support for a different background for each virtual desktop.

Can you have two different desktop backgrounds?

You can set different wallpapers when using dual monitors on Windows 10 so that each display has its own distinct background. To set these different wallpapers, you’ll need to go to Windows 10’s “Personalize” menu, which you can open with just a click.

Can you have a different wallpaper for each page?

First, you’ll need to download Go Multiple Wallpaper app from the Play Store. … From here, choose the icon for Go Multiple Wallpaper. On the next screen, choose one image for your each home screen. You can choose from built-in images, or add ones from your gallery.

Can you get moving desktop backgrounds?

Enter Desktop Live Wallpapers in the search bar and press ↵ Enter . This searches for an app called Dynamic Wallpaper in the Microsoft Store. There are other animated wallpaper apps you can download for Windows, though most are paid software. A couple of programs include Deskscapes, and Wallpaper Engine.

How to set different wallpapers on dual monitors in Windows 10

1. Right-click your desktop background and select "Personalize" from the menu.

"Personalize" should be the icon at the bottom of the drop-down menu.Ross James/Business Insider

2. In the new menu, browse for the images you want. Find both of the images you want so they're pre-loaded in the "Choose your picture" bar.

3. Right-click the images you want from this bar. This will allow you to assign each image to its own monitor. They will all be "fit" in the same way [you can select this using the "Choose a fit" drop-down menu], so it's a good idea to choose images that are similar dimensions.

Right-click the images in the preview panel, as well as the "fit" style from this screen.Ross James/Business Insider

Do this for both pictures, and they will appear on your monitors.

One way to get the most out of this tool is to use two pictures that compliment each other.Ross James/Business Insider

While you have multiple displays set up, you'll also be offered a new fit option — "Span." Span will allow long images, like panoramic shots, to be stretched across the multiple displays.

To do this:

1. Set the long image as the background on your first monitor.

2. Under "Choose a fit," select "Span."

3. The image will fill both monitors.

Microsoft Windows 10 Home

$139.99 from Best Buy

Microsoft Surface Pro 7

$999.99 from Best Buy

Originally $1,329.00Save 25%