Q: Is there a simple way to manage a single Windows computer that everyone in the family uses?
A: The standard way to keep things separate is to create separate user accounts, each with its own password: Press the Windows logo key and the I key to open the settings menu, then go to “Accounts,” “Family,” then “Add Someone.”
This allows for the complete separation of apps and files and lets parents employ parental controls for younger user’s accounts.
If this level of complexity is too much, Windows also has a feature called “Multiple Desktops,” which allows multiple users on the same user account keep things separated while running.
It’s a lot less complicated and resource-intensive than setting up separate accounts, but it lacks the controls and privacy you may want.
Getting Started
The multiple desktop approach is very simple to set up — just tap the Windows logo key and tab key to create or switch to another desktop.
Once you’ve created them, you can rename them (right-click on each one) for easy identification.
For example, you may want to create one desktop labeled “Work,” another labeled “Kids,” and maybe a third labeled “Streaming.”
Each session can open its own apps and sign in to specific online accounts, but will share the same wallpaper, pinned taskbar items and installed apps.
Even if you don’t have multiple users on your computer, separating your personal apps from your work apps on separate desktop sessions may provide better organization.
Easy Switching
To show everyone in the family how to switch between the available desktops, just press the Windows and tab keys. Once task view is open, click on a desktop session or float the mouse cursor over each of the desktops to get a preview of the open windows.
If you end up with many desktops, another quick way to toggle through them is by pressing “Ctrl” and the Windows key with the left or right arrow keys.
Potential Downsides
Since this approach does not keep things truly separate, there are several scenarios that could lead to some confusion.
When certain apps are running on one desktop (Spotify for example), should you try to open it from a second desktop, it will switch back to the first desktop because Spotify doesn’t allow for multiple instances to run on one user account.
Other apps, such as Word or Chrome with separate profiles, will allow for multiple sessions to run on separate desktops.
Remember, there’s no true separation of the apps and data, so everyone will have access to everything in every desktop session.
Closed Sessions
If you turn off or restart your computer, the various desktop sessions will remain available. If, however, you close a desktop session, everything that’s still running will automatically move to the next available desktop — usually to the left.
This means that you will have to recreate the second desktop, close the apps on the first desktop, and reopen them on the second if you want to maintain the separation.
While it’s a simple tool, it may not be the best approach for a large number of nontechnical users.
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