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Opening the same application on a different desktop opens it on the desktop it was first used on. Microsoft, *please* let us use the same applications on different desktops.

Anonymous
2024-01-16T06:59:30+00:00

So here is the thing: the entire point about using multiple desktops is that we get to separate our windows into different "activities". One Ubuntu, for example, I use a desktop for work and another for personal things so that I don't have to deal with all of them when I'm working.

On windows this is a hassle.

Here are the steps to reproduce the issue I'm facing:

  • Open Google Chrome on a desktop.
  • Make a new desktop (Win + Ctrl + D, or go to task view and click "New Desktop")
  • Open Google Chrome again in the new desktop.

Now, you would want Windows to open a new Google Chrome window on the new desktop -- because of course, we could use Chrome for several things and we'd want to separate the stuff related to work from other things such as watching a random music video. This should be simple, right? Not with Windows.

Instead of creating a new application window in the new desktop, Windows takes me back to the original desktop where the application was first opened.

It's just very annoying to see how Windows missed a very simple thing. No one-- and I repeat, no-oneuses multiple desktops to separate applications. We use multiple desktops to separate use-cases! This problem has been here for years and several others have pointed it out -- but it's 2024 and there's stillno fix yet.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Accessibility

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-11-20T13:12:19+00:00

    Ok this works now for Bing and Chrome so that we can open completely independent windows on different desktops.

    But it doesn't work for Excel, PDF editor, Word, and other apps.

    I want to be able to have:

    • Desktop 1 with Excel files, PDF files, Google Chorme windows and Word documents related to a project 1
    • Desktop 2 with different Excel files, PDF files, Google Chorme windows and Word documents related to a project 2

    I don't want to see the files from Desktop 1 on Desktop 2. The files on Desktop 1 are related to my project 1 and Desktop 2 files are for my project 2 and I don't want those files to be mixed between the two desktops.

    Can Microsoft make this happen?

    Stephany Pandrea

    Microsoft did not respond but i figured it out myself. The method I described below allows you to have:

    • Desktop 1 with Excel files, PDF files, Google Chrome windows and Word documents related to a project 1
    • Desktop 2 with different Excel files, PDF files, Google Chrome windows and Word documents related to a project 2

    Create a "new desktop" by opening the multi-desktop view and clicking the "+" button. You will see the original desktop with the new one next to it at the bottom of the screen with no apps open on the new one. All the apps that are open on the original desktop show up across the top of the screen, you may pull (drag and drop) any of those individual apps into "desktop 2" or "desktop 3", etc. and only the window you drag and drop will open in the new desktop. So, if you have 4 different excel spreadsheets for different projects open in "desktop 1" you can go to that view and pull 1 or more of them into a different desktop so they are open in the desktop you have dropped them into only, and the other windows you have not dragged and dropped will remain open in the original desktop.

    5 people found this answer helpful.
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  2. Anonymous
    2024-11-20T03:57:33+00:00

    Ok this works now for Bing and Chrome so that we can open completely independent windows on different desktops.

    But it doesn't work for Excel, PDF editor, Word, and other apps.

    I want to be able to have:

    • Desktop 1 with Excel files, PDF files, Google Chorme windows and Word documents related to a project 1
    • Desktop 2 with different Excel files, PDF files, Google Chorme windows and Word documents related to a project 2

    I don't want to see the files from Desktop 1 on Desktop 2. The files on Desktop 1 are related to my project 1 and Desktop 2 files are for my project 2 and I don't want those files to be mixed between the two desktops.

    Can Microsoft make this happen?

    5 people found this answer helpful.
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  3. Anonymous
    2024-11-19T18:20:42+00:00

    in settings, go to:

    system> multitask> desktops, and select "use only on the desktop im currently using" or something like that.

    im using spanish version so idk the exact text in english

    5 people found this answer helpful.
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  4. Anonymous
    2025-06-19T15:47:10+00:00

    I can't understand how one of the largest software companies in the world can't figure out how to solve this problem for all of its users. Don't blame it on application developers; solve the problem.

    Microsoft, do what Apple or Amazon would do - solve the problem for your users.

    4 people found this answer helpful.
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  5. Anonymous
    2024-01-17T07:21:25+00:00

    Hello Tamojeet Kuila,

    Welcome to Microsoft Community.

    After reading everything you posted here in its entirety, I immediately tested this issue using two systems, one Windows 11 23H2 Professional and the other Windows 11 21H2 Enterprise.

    1. Open Google Chrome on your desktop, and I open https://www.bing.com ****
    2. Then create a new desktop (go to Task view and click "New Desktop")
    3. In the new desktop again open the Google Chrome, and then I turned on the https://support.microsoft.com/ ****

    In fact, the result was that I was able to open Chrome on both desktops, and they were completely independent, did not interfere with each other, and did not make any jumps.

    Then I tested the Edge browser again, and in fact I got exactly the same results, two desktops, same browser but separate Windows.

    It's important to know that some apps don't support this feature, but at least from our tests, both Chrome and Edge do.

    Can you share what version of Windows 11 you are using here? What is the specific version number? If you are not using the latest version of the system, then perhaps I should recommend updating your system to the latest version first.

    Best regards,

    Mitchell - | Microsoft community support expert from MSFT

    3 people found this answer helpful.
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