Page 304 - Windows 10 May 2019 Update The Missing Manual: The Book That Should Have Been in the Box

image of the desktop background you want; from the shortcut

menu, choose “Set for all monitors,” “Set for monitor 1,” or “Set
for monitor 2.”

Virtual Screens

Here’s one of Windows 10’s best features: a nearly infinite number of full-
size virtual monitors. (Microsoft says it’s heard of people creating as many

as 150 screens before this feature conks out. Don’t worry—they’re in
therapy.)

Hard-core productivity mavens can tell you how useful it is to set up

multiple screens. It’s just fast and useful to have a wider view. You might
dedicate each one to a different program or kind of program. Screen 1 might
contain your email and chat windows, arranged just the way you like them.

Screen 2 can hold Twitter and Facebook, their windows carefully arrayed.
On Screen 3: your web browser in Full Screen mode.

Ordinarily, of course, attaching more than a screen or two would be a

massively expensive proposition, not to mention detrimental to your living
space and personal relationships. But these are virtual screens. They exist
only in the PC’s little head. You see only one at a time; you switch with a

keystroke or a mouse click. You gain most of the advantages of owning a
bunch of PC monitors—without spending a penny.

Now, virtual screens aren’t a new idea—this sort of software has been

available for years. But it’s never been a standard feature of Windows, or so
easy to use.

Creating a Desktop

To create a second desktop, enter the Timeline (click on the taskbar, or
press +Tab; see Figure 6-3 for more on the Timeline, which is a new part

of Task View). Click “New desktop” (the big + icon at top left) to create a
new mini-desktop at the top of the screen (see Figure 4-11).