How to set different wallpapers on Windows 11 virtual desktops

Do you want to further customize your Windows 11 experience by managing different wallpapers for each virtual desktop? You may be tired of always seeing the same background when switching between workspaces and would like to identify at a glance what context you're in. The good news is that Windows 11 has made this task much easier, improving the system compared to previous versions and allowing you to differentiate your virtual desktops however you prefer.

Personalization at this level helps not only to give a unique touch to each virtual environment, but also to improve productivity by facilitating the compartmentalization of tasks and reducing distractions between professional, study or personal areas.. Here we explain how to do it in Windows 11 and what alternatives you have if you still use Windows 10, along with all the Tricks, shortcuts and curiosities about virtual desktops, monitors and wallpapers.

Why manage virtual desktops and individual backgrounds?

Virtual desktops allow you to split your workflow in various contexts, creating independent spaces where you can open different groups of applications and documents. This way, you can dedicate one desk for work, another for leisure, and another for personal projects.. Having a different wallpaper on each of them provides visual clarity., making it easier to identify what environment you are in at any given time.

• Separate the professional from the personalCreate one desktop for your work tasks and another for your personal and leisure applications. Set a different background for each to quickly associate the context of your use.
• Differentiated projectsIf you manage multiple projects, dedicate a desktop to each one and customize it visually with a distinctive image to improve your mental organization.
• Facilitates meetings and presentations: Have a desk prepared exclusively with apps and documents needed for meetings, and a sober background for easy identification.

This feature also helps you keep your desktop cleaner and focused on the task at hand by minimizing visual clutter and distractions.Change your background and switch gears: your brain will associate colors and images with different tasks.

Getting Started: How to Create and Manage Virtual Desktops in Windows 11

Before we talk about individual backgrounds, you need to know how to create and move between virtual desktops in Windows 11. Here are the basic steps:

1. Open the task view. Click the 'Task View' icon next to the Start menu on the taskbar or press Windows + Tab on your keyboard.
2. Create a new desktop. At the bottom of the task view, tap New desktopYou can create as many as you want with no predefined limit.
3. Quickly switch desktops. Use shortcuts Windows + Ctrl + Right Arrow to go to the next desktop or Windows + Ctrl + Left Arrow to return to the previous one.
4. Rename and organize desktopsClick on each desktop's name to edit it and give it a title to help you stay organized. You can drag desktops around in Task View to reorder them as you like.
5. Move applications between desktopsFrom Task View, drag an app window from one desktop to another to better organize your sessions.

Change desktop wallpapers in Windows 11

It's time to personalize to the max. In Windows 11 you can assign a different image to each virtual desktop very simply. This process is completely native, and you don't need to install anything additional.

1. Open the virtual desktops view with the corresponding icon or with Windows + Tab.
2. Go to the desktop you want to customize.. Click on the desktop whose background you want to change.
3. Change the wallpaper. Right-click on the desktop background (in the free space on the desktop itself, not on an icon).
4. From the context menu, select Customize now. It will take you directly to the dashboard Configuration in section Personalization > Backgrounds.
5. Choose the image that you prefer for that desktop. Select one of the ones that appear or use the 'Browse' button to find others on your PC.

The change will only apply to the virtual desktop you are on.The other desktops will remain with the background they were previously assigned, so you can repeat the process on each one to achieve complete customization, differentiated by context.

Set up multiple monitors: different backgrounds on each screen

If you're working with multiple monitors connected to your computer, you can also set different background images for each monitor, regardless of whether you're using virtual desktops. The procedure in Windows 11 is as follows:

1. Access the fund settings from Settings > Personalization > Background.
2. Right click on the desired image in the gallery of funds.
3. Choose Set for monitor 1, Set for monitor 2…as appropriate. Each screen will display a different image.

This customization can be combined with virtual desktops., allowing a visual experience fully adapted to your needs and preferences.

Customize More: Extra Settings in Windows

Windows 11 offers several advanced options to define how your multitasking environment looks and behaves.:

• Controls how open windows are displayed on the taskbar, selecting whether you prefer to see only those on the active desktop or all of those on all desktops.
• Manage which windows appear when you press Alt+Tab, deciding whether to show only those from the current desktop or those from all open desktops.
• Personalize each desktop even further changing names, order, and even dragging and dropping open applications from one desktop to another, ideal for context switching on the fly.

And in Windows 10? Alternatives for different backgrounds on each desktop

In Windows 10 the situation is different: The system does not allow individual wallpapers on each virtual desktop by default.However, there are third-party applications that allow you to achieve this:

• SylphyHornAvailable in the Microsoft Store, this free and open-source app allows you to assign a different background to each virtual desktop. Simply create a folder with the images you want to use, number each file according to the desktop it corresponds to, and configure the path in the app.
• Windows 10 Virtual Desktop EnhancerAlthough a little less user-friendly and requiring more initial steps, it also achieves this effect for advanced users.

The process usually involves keeping the images in a specific folder and naming them consecutively (1, 2, 3…), assigning each one to the desired virtual desktop. From the app, you can choose the path and manage how and when the backgrounds are changed.

Step by step with SylphyHorn on Windows 10

1. Download and install SylphyHorn from the Microsoft Store.
2. Create a folder on your PC and save all the images you want to use as background. Name them '1', '2', '3'… according to the virtual desktop number.
3. Right click on the SylphyHorn icon in the system tray and enter Settings.
4. Access the section background and activate the option Change the background for each desktop.
5. Enter the path to the folder where your images are stored. The app will change the background based on the active virtual desktop.
6. You can turn off notifications desktop switching from the 'General' section of the app settings.

The application can be configured to start automatically with Windows, making this management completely automatic..

More advanced customization tips

If you're looking to go a step further, there are third-party apps like DisplayFusion o lively-wallpaper These allow for animations, interactive backgrounds, image collages, or desktop and monitor combinations. They're especially useful on computers with multiple monitors, as they offer additional options not covered by the basic Windows settings.

For the most demanding, there are also advanced options from the Windows 10 run menu. By pressing Windows + R and running the command control / name Microsoft.Personalization / page pageWallpaper, you access the classic wallpaper menu, allowing for more precise adjustment of the size, position, and rotation of each image, as well as assignment to individual monitors.

Related article:

Complete guide to setting a different wallpaper on each desktop and monitor in Windows 11

Isaac

Passionate writer about the world of bytes and technology in general. I love sharing my knowledge through writing, and that's what I'll do on this blog, show you all the most interesting things about gadgets, software, hardware, tech trends, and more. My goal is to help you navigate the digital world in a simple and entertaining way.