dexpot.de

To distribute windows across virtual desktops on Windows, you need a virtual desktop manager that supports moving individual windows between workspaces. Dexpot is one such tool: it provides supplemental work spaces for windows and icons in Windows, lets you switch desktops at a keystroke or with your mouse, and is designed to help overcome desktop clutter. This guide covers the general workflow — setting up desktops, moving windows, assigning them by rules, and switching between spaces — using Dexpot as the reference tool.

What "distributing windows" means

Distributing windows means spreading your open programs across several virtual desktops instead of stacking them all on one screen. Each desktop holds its own set of windows, so you can divide activities — for example, one desktop for email and chat, another for documents, a third for a browser — and only see the windows relevant to the task at hand.

Dexpot describes this as dividing your work into activities and using additional work spaces to tidy up the desktop. The same idea applies to icons: Dexpot can distribute icons across desktops as well as windows.

Step 1: Install and start Dexpot

1. Download Dexpot from dexpot.de and run the installer.
2. Complete the installation and launch the program. Dexpot runs alongside Windows and adds its own desktop-switching controls.
3. On first run, you get a default set of virtual desktops. Beginners can use it as-is; the tool also exposes a high degree of customization for users who need it.

Note: older Dexpot installers bundled OpenCandy, which displayed an ad during installation. The developer has since removed OpenCandy from the Dexpot installer, so current installers do not include it.

Step 2: Move individual windows to a specific desktop

The core action for distributing windows is sending a single window to another desktop:

1. Open the window you want to move.
2. Use Dexpot's window menu or its title-bar button (added by Dexpot) to choose the target desktop.
3. The window disappears from the current desktop and now lives on the target desktop. Switch to that desktop to see it.

Expected result: each desktop shows only the windows assigned to it, so the current screen stays uncluttered.

Step 3: Assign windows to desktops automatically by rules

If you always want certain programs on certain desktops, Dexpot's rules feature handles the distribution for you:

1. Open the Dexpot settings and find the rules section.
2. Create a rule that matches a program — for example, by window title or executable.
3. Set the rule's action to move matching windows to a chosen desktop.
4. Apply the rule. From then on, when that program opens, it is placed on the assigned desktop automatically.

This is the practical way to "distribute windows" permanently rather than moving them by hand each session.

Step 4: Switch between desktops

Dexpot supports switching at a keystroke or with your mouse, so you can move between distributed windows quickly:

• Keyboard: use the configured hotkeys to jump to a desktop.
• Mouse: use the desktop switcher/pager to click a desktop.
• Preview: Dexpot includes a full-screen preview of all desktops. A documented option is "Doppeldrücks" — double-tap your Ctrl or Shift key to launch the full-screen preview or perform other actions.

Step 5: Keep icons organized too

Dexpot distributes icons as well as windows, so each virtual desktop can have its own icon layout. If you want a desktop dedicated to a single activity, you can keep only the relevant shortcuts there and let the other desktops stay clean.

Choosing this approach

If you only need a couple of extra desktops and occasional window moves, the built-in workflow above is enough. If you want windows to land on the right desktop automatically every time, invest the time in setting up rules.

Common sticking points

• Windows 10 compatibility: Dexpot's news page notes known compatibility issues with Windows 10 and states an update will follow. Check the changelog and download page for the current build before relying on it.
• Windows that resist moving: some system or elevated windows may not move cleanly between desktops. Test your key programs after setup.
• Rules not firing: verify the match condition (title or executable) is specific enough to catch the window but not so broad that it catches others.
• Pricing: the site includes Purchase, Pricing, and Resellers links, so a paid option exists. Check the current pricing page for exact terms rather than assuming the tool is free.

Virtual desktops are additional workspaces that each hold their own windows and icons, so you can divide your work into separate activities instead of piling everything onto one screen. On Windows, this capability is provided by third-party tools such as Dexpot, which lets you switch desktops with a keystroke or the mouse. It suits anyone whose single desktop has become cluttered with open windows, and it is designed to be easy for beginners while offering the degree of customization that Pro users need.

How virtual desktops reduce clutter

The core idea is separation by activity rather than by application. Instead of minimizing windows or stacking them behind each other, you move each task to its own desktop:

• Distribute windows — put your writing, browsing, and messaging windows on different desktops so only the relevant ones are visible at a time.
• Distribute icons — spread desktop icons across workspaces so the desktop itself stays tidy.
• Divide into activities — treat each desktop as a context (for example, one for focused work, one for communication, one for reference material).
• Overcome clutter — because each workspace shows only its own windows and icons, you stop hunting through a single crowded desktop.

The practical effect is that switching desktops replaces minimizing and restoring windows. You keep everything open, but you only see one activity at a time.

How you switch between desktops

Dexpot supports switching at a keystroke or with the mouse, so the mechanism stays out of the way once you have set it up. The site also describes optional behaviors that go beyond plain switching, including a full-screen preview that can be launched by double-tapping the Ctrl or Shift key, and a Taskbar Pager with balloon tips. These are configuration choices, not requirements — you can start with simple keyboard or mouse switching and add the rest later.

What to check before choosing a tool

Behavior and customization vary by tool, so compare candidates on the dimensions that affect daily use:

On the last point, Dexpot's own news notes compatibility issues with Windows 10 and states that an update would follow, so check the current status for your Windows version before relying on it. The site also lists a Quick Start Guide and FAQ, which are the fastest way to confirm specific behaviors rather than assuming them.

Getting started

1. Install the tool and confirm it runs on your Windows version.
2. Create the number of desktops that matches your activities — start small, since more desktops than you switch between adds overhead rather than reducing it.
3. Move windows (and icons, if supported) to the desktop where each belongs.
4. Learn one switching method first, such as a keyboard shortcut, and verify that the expected desktop appears.
5. Add preview, pager, or double-tap actions only after basic switching feels natural.

If switching does not behave as expected, the usual causes are a shortcut conflict with another application, a compatibility problem with your Windows release, or settings that were changed before the basic setup was verified.

Dividing activities across virtual desktops means assigning each separate kind of work to its own desktop instead of piling everything onto one screen. On Windows, Dexpot provides these supplemental work spaces and lets you switch between them at a keystroke or with your mouse, so a "writing" desktop never has to share space with a "chat" desktop. The result is less visual clutter and fewer context switches, because each desktop holds only the windows and icons relevant to one activity.

The core idea: one desktop, one activity

A virtual desktop is not a folder or a minimized state — it is a separate work space that can hold its own windows and icons. Dividing activities means deciding, in advance, which activity belongs where:

• Writing / deep work — document editor, reference PDFs, notes.
• Communication — email client, chat apps, calendar.
• Browsing / research — browser windows and tabs kept apart from the writing desktop.
• Admin / system — file manager, settings, utilities.

Once each activity has a home, the clutter problem changes shape. Instead of hunting through a stack of overlapping windows, you switch to the desktop where that activity already lives.

Why this reduces clutter

Clutter on a single desktop comes from two sources: too many open windows competing for the same screen area, and too many icons competing for the same desktop surface. Dividing activities addresses both.

Dexpot's stated purpose is to help overcome desktop clutter by giving Windows supplemental work spaces for windows and icons. Dividing activities is the organizing principle that makes those extra spaces useful rather than just more places to dump windows.

Dividing activities vs. distributing windows and icons

These three ideas are related but not the same, and keeping them straight makes setup easier:

• Dividing activities is the plan — deciding which categories of work get their own desktop.
• Distributing windows is the execution — moving each open window to the desktop that matches its activity.
• Distributing icons is the surface-level version — placing shortcuts on the desktop where that activity happens.

You can divide activities without touching icons at all, and you can distribute windows without a clear activity plan — but the clutter reduction is strongest when the plan comes first and the windows and icons follow it.

A concrete example

Suppose you spend a morning alternating between a report, an email thread, and background research. On one desktop, all three compete: the browser covers the document, the mail client pops up over both, and every glance at the taskbar reminds you of unfinished threads.

Divided across three desktops:

1. Desktop 1 — Report: word processor and reference PDF only.
2. Desktop 2 — Email: mail client and calendar only.
3. Desktop 3 — Research: browser windows only.

When you switch to Desktop 1, nothing on screen belongs to email or research. The clutter does not disappear — it is simply parked where it cannot interrupt the current activity.

How switching supports focus

The focus benefit comes from what you don't see. Dexpot lets you switch desktops at a keystroke or with your mouse, which means the cost of moving between activities is low, but the cost of being distracted by another activity is high — its windows aren't on the desktop you're looking at. That asymmetry is the point: easy to change context deliberately, hard to drift into it accidentally.

Getting started

1. Decide on three to five activity categories you actually switch between in a day.
2. Create or assign a virtual desktop to each category.
3. Move existing windows to the matching desktop, one activity at a time.
4. Optionally distribute desktop icons so each desktop's shortcuts match its activity.
5. Use keyboard or mouse switching until the mapping becomes habit.

If you only ever do one kind of work at a time, dividing activities adds little. It pays off when your day genuinely spans several distinct activities that currently share one crowded screen.

Distributing icons means assigning each desktop icon to a specific virtual desktop so it only appears on that workspace, instead of every icon showing on every screen. In Dexpot, this is a per-desktop icon setting rather than a default behavior, so you have to turn it on and then place icons deliberately. Use it when you want each virtual desktop to represent one activity — work, study, media — with only the shortcuts relevant to that activity visible.

What "distributing icons" changes

By default, Windows shows the same desktop icons on every virtual desktop, because the icon layer belongs to the single physical desktop. A virtual desktop manager that supports icon distribution breaks that link: each virtual desktop gets its own icon set, and switching desktops swaps the icons along with the windows.

The practical result:

• Icons for one activity stay on that activity's desktop.
• Icons you don't need right now are not just hidden behind windows — they're absent from that desktop entirely.
• The desktop background itself looks different per workspace, which makes it obvious which desktop you're on.

Dexpot's own description frames this as providing "supplemental work spaces for windows and icons," and lists "distribute icons" alongside "distribute windows" and "divide in activities" as the ways it reduces clutter.

Enabling per-desktop icons in Dexpot

Dexpot exposes icon handling through its desktop configuration rather than a single global switch. The general sequence:

1. Open the Dexpot settings (from the tray icon or the main configuration window).
2. Go to the desktop configuration section where individual desktops are defined.
3. Select the desktop you want to customize.
4. Enable the option that gives that desktop its own icon layout, rather than sharing the standard desktop icons.
5. Repeat for each desktop you want to separate.
6. Apply the settings and switch between desktops to confirm the icon sets differ.

The exact label and location of the icon option vary by Dexpot version, and the site's changelog shows icon- and desktop-related behavior changing across builds (for example, the 1.6.x line added options and fixed bugs release by release). If you don't see an icon option for a desktop, check your build number against the changelog before assuming the feature is missing.

Moving an existing icon to another desktop

Once per-desktop icons are active, moving an icon is a placement action, not a copy:

1. Switch to the desktop that currently shows the icon.
2. Move the icon off that desktop's icon area — in most implementations this means removing it from that desktop's set.
3. Switch to the target desktop and place the icon there.

If your version instead treats icons as shared and only filters visibility, the icon will reappear wherever the filter allows it. That distinction matters: "assign to one desktop" and "hide on some desktops" are different models, and only the first gives you a clean one-icon-one-desktop result.

Verifying the change stuck

After configuring, test in this order:

• Switch to each desktop and count the icons. Each should show only its own set.
• Restart Dexpot (or reboot) and check again — settings that don't survive a restart usually mean the configuration wasn't saved to the active profile.
• Create a new shortcut and see which desktop it lands on. New icons typically appear on the desktop that was active when they were created, which is a quick way to confirm the per-desktop model is working.

Common pitfalls

Icons reappear on all desktops. Usually means per-desktop icons were never enabled for that desktop, or the setting was applied to a different desktop profile than the one you're viewing.

Settings don't apply after restart. Dexpot stores configuration per profile; if you edited a profile you don't load at startup, the change won't appear. Confirm which profile is active.

New icons show up everywhere. Some builds place newly created icons on the current desktop only, others mirror them. If yours mirrors, move the icon manually after creating it.

Windows 10 compatibility. The site's February 2016 news item acknowledges known Windows 10 compatibility issues and states an update would follow. If icon distribution behaves inconsistently on Windows 10, that's a documented area of concern rather than a configuration mistake on your side.

When this is worth setting up

Distributing icons pays off when your clutter is icon-driven — a desktop covered in shortcuts for several unrelated activities. If your clutter is mostly open windows, distributing windows across virtual desktops solves more of the problem, and icon distribution is optional polish. If you only ever use one or two virtual desktops, the setup effort rarely justifies itself; the benefit scales with the number of distinct activities you separate.

Additional work spaces, also called virtual desktops, are extra desktop surfaces that Windows itself does not natively provide in older versions. Each work space holds its own set of open windows and, with some tools, its own desktop icons. You switch between them with a keystroke or the mouse, so instead of stacking every program on one screen you spread them across several. Dexpot is one example of a Windows tool built for this: its own description says it "provides supplemental work spaces for windows and icons in Windows" and helps "overcome desktop clutter."

How additional work spaces reduce clutter

The core idea is separation by context rather than by minimizing and restoring windows all day.

• Windows stop competing for one screen. A browser, editor, chat client, and file manager can each live on a different work space. Only the windows on the active space are visible.
• Switching replaces minimizing. Instead of hunting through the taskbar, you jump straight to the space where a task lives.
• Icons can be split too. Dexpot's description explicitly mentions distributing icons across work spaces, not just windows, so the desktop surface itself stays tidy.

Switching between work spaces

Dexpot states you can "switch virtual desktops at a keystroke or with your mouse." That gives you two habits to choose from:

The exact key combinations and mouse actions are configurable, so the practical step is to pick one shortcut per frequent space and practice it until it is automatic.

Distributing windows and icons across spaces

The organizing work happens once, then pays off daily:

1. Decide your spaces by activity, for example: communication, writing, reference, and media.
2. Move each open window to the space where it belongs.
3. Assign icons to matching spaces if you use that feature.
4. Switch only between spaces instead of rearranging windows.

Dexpot's keywords list this directly: "distribute windows," "distribute icons," and "divide in activities."

Grouping by activity

The activity grouping is what actually kills clutter. If one space is "writing," it should contain only the editor and the notes you need. Everything unrelated stays on another space and is invisible until you switch. This means the number of visible windows at any moment stays small, regardless of how many programs are actually running.

Where Dexpot fits

Dexpot is a Windows virtual desktop tool whose own description frames it as easy for beginners while offering "a high degree of customization Pro users need." Its site lists features, plugins, a quick start guide, and an FAQ, and its news notes Windows 10 compatibility issues with a promised update. If you want additional work spaces on Windows and are comparing tools, check current compatibility with your Windows version before committing, since the site's own update notes flag that as a moving target.

Quick decision guide

• You keep many windows open and lose track of them → additional work spaces will help.
• You want icons separated as well as windows → look for a tool that distributes icons, as Dexpot does.
• You prefer keyboard-only navigation → confirm the tool supports configurable shortcuts.
• You are on a recent Windows build → verify current compatibility, since Dexpot's own news mentions Windows 10 issues pending an update.