How to Use Virtual Desktop on Chrome OS | Chromebook ?

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Virtual desktop, more popularly called as Virtual Desks are the multiple screens within the same device that can be dedicated to different activities. It is like running multiple desktops within a single device, where you can play, browse, watch movies altogether in the different screens. All you need to do is swipe between them and enjoy multitasking. This feature was rolled out in Chrome OS in 2019 and thus now the Chromebooks users can also enjoy it. In our today’s blog we would be covering up on the basics of the virtual desktop and how can you set them up seamlessly.

Enabling the Virtual Desktop Feature on Chromebook

In the Chromebooks, the Virtual Desktop is not enabled by default and thus in the beginning you would not see any option for adding or deleting any desk. Thus, the first step begins with enabling the feature on Chrome. Follow the steps given below for it:

1. Go to Google Chrome on your device and enter chrome://flags in the search bar.
2. In the new window, search for ‘Virtual desks’ in the search bar and click on enter.
3. The option would get displayed and on the right-side, a drop-down menu comes to show the current status of it.
4. Select the ‘Enabled’ option from it.
5. Click on ‘Restart Now’ at the bottom of the page and post this, you would find that the Chrome OS has been reset with this new feature.

Alternatively, you can enter chrome://flags/#enable-virtual-desks in the search bar of Chrome and get redirected directly to the option for Virtual desktop enabling, thus skipping the first two steps mentioned above.

Creating the first desk on Chromebook | Chrome OS Device

With the feature enabled, now you can create the first virtual desk on your device. Go for the following procedure to get it done:

1. Press the Show Windows Key on the keyboard of the Chromebook.
2. In the top right corner, you would be able to see the option of ‘+ New Desk’. Click on it.
3. Drag the desk to create a new window.

You can create up to 4 new desks at a time and even you can rename them as per your choice. Just click on each desk’s name and replace it with your customized name.

Toggling between the desks

You can create up to 4 desks at a time that run different applications in them. Without having to close the application permanently, now you can keep them running on each task and rather choose for changing or switching between the tasks. This can be done by either of the ways:

1. Click on the Show Windows Key on the Chromebook Keyboard and then select the task that you want to go for.
2. Alternatively, each running application would have an icon on the shelf and all you need to do is click on it to directly enter it, without having to choose the task within which it is running.

Moving an application to another desk | Chromebook

You can also move the application between other desks. Follow these steps for it:

1. Again click on the Show Windows Key and get the display of the running tasks on the screen.
2. Go to the task with the application that you want to shift.
3. Drag and drop it into the desired task and you would find the application getting shifted into it.

Removing a task

Now you can also remove a particular task after getting done with it. Just go the tasks view like the previous sections and keep your cursor on the selected task. You would find a cross icon on the top-right that needs to be clicked to remove it.

The keyboard shortcuts to Manage Tasks

Refer to the following basic shortcuts to create and manage tasks very soon, without having to follow the process for each:

1. Search+ Shift+ = to create a new task
2. Search+ Shift+ [/] to move one task right or left
3. Alt+ Tab to go to a preferred task window directly and release as soon as the highlight reaches it

Hence, you learned the entire virtual desktop management on your Chromebook. Do not forget to like, share, and subscribe to our channel for further content.