VDesktop

Having to work with a single desktop is pretty much the default way to go, especially if you use a single monitor. Although Windows 10 brought about multiple desktops, third-party alternatives have been around for quite a while now. One suitable example here is VDesktop, which provides several categorized desktops for you to use.

First thing’s first, and that’s there’s no setup involved to make the application function. You do, however, need to make sure that .NET Framework is already on your computer. On the other hand, the program can be easily carried around on a thumb drive to use on other computers, without any worries, because registry entries remain intact.

You find the application quietly sitting in the tray area during use. It’s fitted with a default program icon, and there are no particular visual elements to make it stand out from the crowd. Interacting with the tray icon brings up a small menu from which you select one of the available desktops.

The application comes with some clever tags for desktops, namely work, Internet, media, and stuff. However, these have no actual effect on the activities you perform, but only help you organize tasks a little better. The corresponding tag also shows the number of active windows in each desktop.

Management across the available desktop is not possible, in the sense that each desktop holds its own windows, and you can’t send them through. Icon arrangement is not affected. Closing the program makes all windows appear in the default desktop so you don’t lose any unsaved work. It doesn’t start with Windows, and for this to be possible, you need to manually add a shortcut inside the Startup folder.

Taking everything into consideration, we can state that VDesktop is a lightweight tool you can use to extend your workspace. It feels a little rough around the edges, mostly because of the lack of options to move windows around, but given the clever tags for each, it might just make the cut.