IndepenDesk harungecit

desktop multi-monitor productivity virtual-desktop workspace

Use this command to install IndepenDesk:

winget install --id=harungecit.IndepenDesk -e

IndepenDesk gives every monitor its own set of virtual desktops, like macOS "Displays have separate Spaces". Switching desktops only affects the monitor under the mouse cursor; other monitors are untouched. Includes per-monitor dynamic desktop counts, global desktop numbering, macOS-style slide animations, a Mission Control-like drag & drop overview, 8 UI languages and touchpad gesture integration.

IndepenDesk

Independent virtual desktops per monitor for Windows — the Windows counterpart of macOS "Displays have separate Spaces".

The problem

Windows virtual desktops are global: pressing Win+Ctrl+←/→ switches all monitors at once. On macOS every display has its own Spaces and only the display under the cursor switches. IndepenDesk brings that behavior to Windows.

Features

🖥 Per-monitor desktops — switching only affects the monitor under the mouse cursor; other monitors are untouched.
➕ Dynamic, independent desktop counts — every monitor starts with 1 desktop; swiping right at the end creates a new one (up to 9 per monitor). Empty trailing desktops are removed automatically. One monitor can have 5 desktops while another has 2.
🔢 Global numbering — desktop numbers continue across monitors (Monitor 1: 1-2-3, Monitor 2: 4-5-6). Ctrl+Alt+digit jumps to that desktop wherever it lives.
🎞 macOS-style slide animation, clipped inside the monitor.
🗂 Overview screen (Ctrl+Alt+↑) — Mission Control-like grid with drag & drop: move windows between desktops and monitors, move whole desktops to another monitor, right-click move menu.
🌍 8 languages — English, Türkçe, Deutsch, Français, Italiano, Русский, 中文, 日本語 (auto-detected, changeable from the tray menu).
🔄 Update check from the tray menu via GitHub Releases.
🚀 Starts with Windows by default — can be turned off anytime from the tray menu.
🛟 Crash-safe — hidden windows are journaled to disk and restored on the next start; everything is restored on exit and when a monitor is unplugged.

Installation

Works on Windows 10 (1607+) and Windows 11 on x64, x86 and ARM64. All packages are self-contained — no .NET runtime required.

winget:

winget install harungecit.IndepenDesk

Installer (recommended): download IndepenDesk-Setup--.exe from Releases and run it — with optional desktop icon, in 7 setup languages.

MSI (corporate / GPO deployment): IndepenDesk--.msi.

Portable: IndepenDesk-v-win-.zip — extract and run, nothing to install.

MSIX: signed with a self-signed certificate — first install IndepenDesk.cer into Local Machine → Trusted People, then double-click the .msix.

The app lives in the system tray (two blue screens icon).

Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+Alt+←` / `Ctrl+Alt+→`	Previous / next desktop on the monitor under the mouse (at the end, `→` creates a new one)
`Ctrl+Alt+↑`	Toggle the Overview
`Ctrl+Alt+1..9`	Jump to the desktop with that global number
`Ctrl+Alt+Shift+←/→`	Move the active window to the adjacent desktop and follow it

An on-screen indicator ("Desktop 4 — Monitor 2 • 2/3") appears on every switch. The tray menu has How to use… with an animated gesture guide.

Touchpad (macOS-like swipes)

By default the 4-finger swipe triggers Windows' global desktop switch. Override it:

Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Touchpad → Advanced gestures.
For the four-finger swipes pick Custom shortcut and record:
- swipe left → Ctrl+Alt+←, swipe right → Ctrl+Alt+→, swipe up → Ctrl+Alt+↑
Recording a custom shortcut automatically replaces the Windows default — only the monitor under the cursor will switch.

How it works

IndepenDesk does not use (and cannot fix) Windows' global virtual desktop system. Instead it keeps per-monitor window sets and, on a switch, hides/shows only the windows of that monitor (ShowWindow). Hidden windows also disappear from the taskbar and Alt-Tab, so it feels like a real desktop switch. New windows are adopted onto the active desktop of the monitor they appear on; windows dragged to another monitor follow it automatically.

Known limitations

Windows of elevated (admin) apps cannot be hidden unless IndepenDesk itself runs as admin.
The native Win+Ctrl+←/→ still triggers Windows' global switch — simply don't use it.
Ctrl+Alt+←/→ may clash with Intel graphics "rotate screen" hotkeys; disable those in the Intel graphics settings if needed (a tray notification tells you when registration fails).
Windows 11's taskbar context menu cannot be extended by third-party apps; use the Overview's right-click menu instead.

License

MIT