IndepenDesk

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

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.

• 🖥 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.

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-<version>-<arch>.exe from Releases and run it — with optional desktop icon, in 7 setup languages.

MSI (corporate / GPO deployment): IndepenDesk-<version>-<arch>.msi.

Portable: IndepenDesk-v<version>-win-<arch>.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).

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.

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

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

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.

• 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.

MIT