Settings

General

Auto-move Public Desktop items

Automatically move items from the Public Desktop to the active desktop each time you switch. Files on the Public Desktop are shared by every Windows user and show up on all desktops; turn this on to pull them onto whichever WorkTop desktop is active instead. Off by default.

Virtual desktop linking

Link WorkTop desktops to Windows virtual desktops. When you switch virtual desktops, WorkTop automatically switches to the linked desktop. There may be a brief delay as the switch is detected. Off by default. See the Virtual Desktop Linking docs for details.

WorkTop manages wallpapers

Shown while virtual desktop linking is on. On, WorkTop paints each desktop's wallpaper on every switch. Off, Windows keeps one background per virtual desktop, set from Task View. See Wallpaper with virtual desktop linking.

System

Start on boot

Launch WorkTop automatically when you sign into Windows. WorkTop runs quietly in the background and uses minimal resources when idle.

Context menu integration

Adds a WorkTop submenu to the right-click context menu on your Desktop. This lets you send files to other desktops without opening the Manager. See the Context Menu docs for details.

Notifications

Show Windows toast notifications for background events like file transfer errors or OneDrive recovery actions.

Show tray icon

Show the WorkTop icon in the system tray. On by default. When turned off, WorkTop keeps running in the background with no tray icon: open the Manager again by launching WorkTop from the Start menu, and quit it from the WorkTop menu in the Manager's top-left corner.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Quick Switcher

Enable or disable the Quick Switcher entirely. When disabled, the global hotkey is unregistered and the Quick Switcher window is destroyed. The hotkey input fields below are dimmed when the Quick Switcher is off.

Quick Switcher forward

The hotkey to open the Quick Switcher and cycle forward through desktops. Default: Alt+W.

Quick Switcher backward

Automatically derived from the forward hotkey by adding Shift. For example, if forward is Alt+W, backward is Alt+Shift+W. This cannot be changed independently.

To change the hotkey, click the forward hotkey input field and press your preferred key combination. The hotkey requires at least one modifier key (Alt, Ctrl, or Win) plus a non-modifier key. The hotkey is registered globally, so it works from any application.

Desktop hotkeys

The Hotkeys page in the Manager assigns desktops to nine slots. Pressing the modifier together with a slot number switches to that desktop: Alt+1 through Alt+9 by default.

The modifier is shared by all slots and can be Alt, Ctrl+Alt, Alt+Shift or Ctrl+Shift. The number is read from the number row, not the numeric keypad. A slot with no desktop does nothing, a slot pointing at a locked desktop does nothing, and deleting a desktop clears its slot. The toggle on the page disables all desktop hotkeys at once.

License

Enter your license key here to unlock Pro features (unlimited desktops, custom wallpapers, scheduled switching). After entering the key, click Activate. The license is tied to your machine.

You can manage your active devices from your LemonSqueezy orders page.

Advanced

Reduce idle memory

When enabled, the Quick Switcher window is destroyed after each use instead of being kept hidden in the background. This frees any memory used by the window renderer, at the cost of a brief delay the next time you press Alt+W.

Most users do not need this. It is useful if you are running on a memory-constrained system or prefer to minimize background resource usage.

Debug logging

Enables detailed log output for troubleshooting. When enabled, WorkTop writes verbose logs to a file in the data folder. You may be asked to enable this when reporting a bug.

Hide data folder

Sets the hidden attribute on WorkTop's data folder (.worktop in your user profile) so it does not clutter File Explorer. Off by default. This hides the folder only while Windows is set not to show hidden files; your desktop files stay fully accessible either way.

Data location

Shows the path where WorkTop stores its configuration, desktop data, and thumbnail caches. Click Open Folder to view it in Explorer.

Clear caches

Removes all thumbnail and preview caches. Previews will regenerate automatically the next time you view them. Use this if previews look stale or incorrect.

Reset to defaults

Resets all settings to their default values. This does not delete your desktops or files.