Ask Dave Taylor
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • YouTube Videos
  • Top Categories
  • Subscribe via Email
  • Ask A Question
  • Meet Dave
  • Home
  • ChromeOS Help
  • How Do I Use Virtual Desk Desktops on a Chromebook?

How Do I Use Virtual Desk Desktops on a Chromebook?

September 17, 2021 / Dave Taylor / ChromeOS Help / No Comments

I use Spaces on my Mac all the time and really love the ability to organize my work apps. Is there an equivalent feature for ChromeOS on my new Chromebook?

The original Chrome OS definitely did not include virtual workspaces or anything like it. The original vision, after all, was to have an operating system within a Web browser. Virtual browsers within a browser? Not yet something anyone’s attempted since that’s what tabs are for, right? Somewhere around ChromeOS 75, however, Google did add a virtual workspace feature similar to “Spaces” on the Mac. They call it virtual desk and as they keep adding new features, it’s clearly popular!

My first observation, then, is that you need to be up-to-date with your Chrome OS for this to work. If you’re running Chrome OS 91 or more recent, you should be good, but you might want to quickly check How To Update Chrome OS On Your Chromebook if you aren’t sure how to force an update to the latest and greatest. Why? To ensure you have the features automatically enabled for Virtual Desk on your Chromebook.

With that in mind, let’s check out how to use it!

HOW TO CREATE A NEW VIRTUAL DESK IN CHROME OS

Before we proceed, let’s define a few unique Chrome OS keys on your keyboard. Here’s my Lenovo Chromebook keyboard as a reference:

lenovo chromebook keyboard

The two keys I’ve highlighted are Search (on the left), and Show Windows, along the top. Both are important for getting to Virtual Desk. In fact, a press of the Show Windows key along the top. Your window will shrink a little bit and a new Virtual Desk bar will appear along the top:

chromebook chromeos virtual desk - displayed

In the above you can see it’s a slim bar with “Desk 1” and a “+” symbol. Move the cursor into that bar and it expands!

Press or click on the “+” (now shown as “New desk“) and a new space opens up with the cursor poised, ready to let you name it:

chromebook chromeos virtual desk - new desktop space added

You can create a bunch of spaces – errrr, virtual desks — and switch between them by simply clicking on the Virtual Desk you want to use.

Launch a program or window within a specific Virtual Desk and it’ll stick, showing up when you’re in that space, and hiding when you’re not. I like to set mine up by functionality, so “Desk 1” is my main desk, but then “YouTube” is running the YouTube app and “Netflix” is running, well, Netflix:

chromebook chromeos virtual desk - multiple desks defined

Pretty cool, right?

WORKING WITH VIRTUAL DESKS IN CHROMEOS

Here’s another cool thing you can do: Move apps between Virtual Desks! Press the Show Windows key, then simply drag the shrunken window into the desired Virtual Desk space on the top bar. Really. It’s that easy.

But what you’ll really love are the keyboard shortcuts. Here’s a summary:

chromebook chromeos virtual desk - keyboard shortcuts

What I really like is the fact that if you four-finger-swipe your trackpad, it’ll move between Virtual Desks. This turns out to be great because you can very quickly zip back and forth without ever using the Show Windows key. You’ll be 5x faster instantly.

EXPERIMENTAL VIRTUAL DESK SETTINGS

Google’s not done with its implementation of Virtual Desk in Chrome OS either, as you can see if you go to chrome://flags and search for “virtual desks”. In Chrome OS 91.x here’s what I see:

chromebook chromeos virtual desk - experimental settings flags

I enabled both, though I haven’t noticed too many changes in the behavior of my Virtual Desks.

To enable an experimental feature, click on the “Default” and a window of options appears:

chromebook chromeos virtual desk - change flag setting

Choose “Enabled”, then make sure to restart your Chromebook. There’ll probably be a handy “Restart” button on the lower right to remind you that you have to save to have them work.

And that’s it. Now you know how to create and work with Virtual Desk desktop virtual spaces on your Chromebook, along with some handy keyboard and gesture shortcuts and even how to move windows between Virtual Desks. Have at it!

Pro Tip: I’ve been writing about operating systems for many years, including Chrome OS. You can find a lot more useful tutorials in my Chrome OS Help area here on the site too. Why not check it out while you’re visiting?

About the Author: Dave Taylor has been involved with the online world since the early days of the Internet. Author of over 20 technical books, he runs the popular AskDaveTaylor.com tech help site. You can also find his gadget reviews on YouTube and chat with him on Twitter as @DaveTaylor.

Let’s Stay In Touch!

Never miss a single article, review or tutorial here on AskDaveTaylor, sign up for my fun weekly newsletter!
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please enter all required fields
Correct invalid entries
No spam, ever. Promise. Powered by FeedBlitz
Please choose a color:
Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!
chrome virtual desks, chromebook virtual spaces, chromeos, chromeos spaces, chromeos virtual desktop, chromeos virtual desktops

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Recent Posts

  • Guide to Pairing Bluetooth Headphones with a Chromebook
  • How to Use Twitter Reply-to-DM Features and New Reaction Emoji
  • Find and Play Minesweeper, Solitaire and more in Win11
  • How Do I Copy Audiobooks from my Mac to my iPhone?
  • Create a Google Image Search Box for Photos of the Coronation?

On Our YouTube Channel

BlendJet 2 Portable Blender & Orbiter Drinking Lid -- DEMO & REVIEW

EKSATelecom H16 Pro Wireless Bluetooth Headset -- DEMO & REVIEW

Categories

  • AdSense, AdWords, and PPC Help (106)
  • Amazon, eBay, and Online Shopping Help (166)
  • Android Help (234)
  • Apple iPad Help (150)
  • Apple Watch Help (53)
  • Articles, Tutorials, and Reviews (346)
  • Auto Tech Help (19)
  • Business Advice (200)
  • ChromeOS Help (38)
  • Computer & Internet Basics (788)
  • d) None of the Above (166)
  • Facebook Help (384)
  • Google, Chrome & Gmail Help (190)
  • HTML & Web Page Design (248)
  • Instagram Help (49)
  • iPhone & iOS Help (630)
  • iPod & MP3 Player Help (173)
  • Kindle & Nook Help (100)
  • LinkedIn Help (90)
  • Linux Help (178)
  • Linux Shell Script Programming (90)
  • Mac & MacOS Help (918)
  • Most Popular (16)
  • Outlook & Office 365 Help (35)
  • PayPal Help (68)
  • Pinterest Help (54)
  • Reddit Help (20)
  • SEO & Marketing (82)
  • Spam, Scams & Security (98)
  • Trade Show News & Updates (23)
  • Twitter Help (224)
  • Video Game Tips (66)
  • Web Site Traffic Tips (62)
  • Windows PC Help (962)
  • Wordpress Help (206)
  • Writing and Publishing (72)
  • YouTube Help (47)
  • YouTube Video Reviews (159)
  • Zoom, Skype & Video Chat Help (64)

Archives

Social Connections:

Ask Dave Taylor


Follow Me on Pinterest
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on LinkedIn
Follow me on Instagram


AskDaveTaylor on Facebook



microsoft insider mvp


This web site is for the purpose of disseminating information for educational purposes, free of charge, for the benefit of all visitors. We take great care to provide quality information. However, we do not guarantee, and accept no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained on this site or on any linked site. Further, please note that by submitting a question or comment you're agreeing to our terms of service, which are: you relinquish any subsequent rights of ownership to your material by submitting it on this site. Our lawyer says "Thanks for your cooperation."
© 2023 by Dave Taylor. "Ask Dave Taylor®" is a registered trademark of Intuitive Systems, LLC.
Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions - Accessibility Policy