Windows 10 change virtual desktop background

Windows 11 lets you choose a different background image for each Desktop [formerly Virtual Desktops]. The ability to customize the desktop background has been available for a long time, but it was limited to the main desktop or monitor, meaning that no matter how many Desktops you had, changing the wallpaper in one desktop would change it for all.

Starting with this new version of Windows, Microsoft is now updating the feature to allow you to customize each desktop with a different background. While this is a subtle change, it can improve the ability to identify each desktop in Task View at a glance and know where you are more quickly.

In this guide, you will learn the steps to change the background for virtual desktops on Windows 11.

Change virtual desktop background on Windows 11

To set a different background image per desktop:

1. Open Task View on Windows 11.

   Quick tip: You can click the Task View button in the taskbar or use the Windows key + Tab keyboard shortcut.

2. Click the New desktop button to create a new virtual desktop [if applicable].

3. Right-click the desktop and select the Choose background option.

4. On the “Background” settings page, under the “Personalize your background” section, click the Browse photos button.

5. Select the image to set a new background for the desktop.

6. Click the Choose picture button.

7. Repeat steps No. 4 and 5 to change the wallpaper for the remaining desktops.

Once you complete the steps, each virtual desktop on Windows 11 will have a different background image.

Alternatively, you can also jump to the desktop, open the Settings app, and change the background from the Personalization settings.

Let’s review how to change the wallpaper on the virtual desktop in Windows 10 and change the background image of one of them, or all of them at once. Virtual desktops first appeared in Windows in the summer of 2015 when Windows 10 was released. With virtual desktops, users can create different workspaces and quickly switch between them. With the arrival of this feature, Windows 10 has caught up with macOS and Linux, where virtual desktops exist for long.

In the six years since the launch of Windows 10, virtual desktops haven’t seen any major changes. It wasn’t until 2021 that Microsoft finally fixed two major flaws in this feature – the lack of the ability to move desktops, and the inability to set individual background images for specific virtual desktops.

This guide will explain how  the latter can be done. We’ll learn how to change the background image for individual virtual desktops in Windows 10.

Before we get started, it’s worth noting that the ability to change the background of individual desktops is available in Windows 10 build 21337 and newer. You can check the version of your system using the Win + R key combination and the winver command.

Change wallpaper for a virtual desktop in Windows 10

1. Press Win + Tab or click the Task View button to the right of the Start button.
2. Create one or multiple virtual desktops if needed.
3. Right-click on the desktop thumbnail for which you want to change the background.
4. In the menu that appears, choose ‘Choose background’. Windows will open the Settings app to the ‘Personalization’ page.
5. Choose a new picture. Windows will only apply it to the current desktop.

Change the background image of individual desktops in Settings

You can set the background for each virtual worker separately directly in the Settings application. To change the wallpaper for each virtual desktop individually, follow these steps.

1. Open the Settings app using the Win + I buttons or in any other way.
2. Go to Personalization> Background.
3. Select an image and Windows will apply it to the current desktop only.
4. Then right-click on it and select ‘Set for Desktop’.
5. Select the desktop you want.

How to change wallpaper for all desktops

Since Windows 10 now sets the background only for the current desktop by default, users may have an obvious question: how to apply the same picture to the background of all desktops? To set the background image for all virtual desktops at the same time, do the following.

1. Open the Settings app and go to ‘Personalization> Background’.
2. Select the image you want.
3. Right-click the image and select Set for All Desktops.

That’s all about the topic!