Virtual Desktops is a feature finally in Windows 10 which allows people to more effectively organize their desktop.
The hotkey for this feature is WinKey + Tab.
It allows the user to i.e open up many applications and arrange them between different virtual desktops. This is useful because it is
faster to switch between virtual desktops than what switching between active applications is. Sometimes, it can be useful to open up
parts of heavier applications in different virtual desktops. This mainly concerns editors, where “tabs” can be generally detached from the
rest of the application - such as the functionality in Unreal Engine 4.
However, the support for the feature between different applications, varies.
- In Blender, undocking the tabs works perfectly and windows behave as expected in different virtual desktops.
- In some other applications, Windows (OS) gets confused and tries to autofocus to the desktop where the program was last active.
- In some other applications, some of the extra windows do not show up at all in the virtual desktop mode.
- In Unreal Engine 4’s case, virtual desktops aren’t supported within the same instance of the editor at all, because sending an undocked tab
to another virtual desktop will send everything along with it, effectively meaning that a single instance of Unreal Engine 4 can only be used
within one desktop.
The one significant difference between Blender and the rest is that once a tab is undocked in Blender, the taskbar will show it as if multiple
different instances of Blender are open. However, changes made in one instance of the application will be reflected in any other instance.
Supporting virtual desktops would mean more effectively laid out workflow in some cases, particularly when desktop real estate is scarce.