Head to Start > Settings > System > Storage to enable Storage Sense, then fine-tune the settings by clicking the Change how we free up space automatically link. Once you’re set up, use the same Task View interface to swap among open virtual desktops in the bar that appears at the top of the screen. To start rolling your own, click the Task View icon in Windows 10’s taskbar to summon your Timeline and select the tiny +New desktop text at the top-left of the screen.
Virtual desktops finally became native in Windows 10 after years of popularity on Linux operating systems…but Microsoft’s hidden away the once-prominent feature as the years have passed. You could run one virtual desktop for work tasks and another for your entertainment apps, for instance, or keep a primary working desktop stocked with Office apps for spreadsheet-slinging, and another devoted to multimedia editing. They’re wildly useful, letting you set up separate “virtual” versions of your desktop, each running its own instances of software. Virtual desktops are catnip for organization-obsessed power users. Open Timeline by clicking the Task View icon in Windows 10’s taskbar or by pressing Windows Key + Tab, and be sure to read our Windows 10 Timeline guide for more granular details. But it’s incredibly handy regardless, especially if you spend a lot of time working in Office. That gives the tool a Microsoft-centric feel.
Developers need to allow their software to hook into the feature, and many popular programs-including Google Chrome-don’t bother (though Microsoft offers a “Web Activities” extension that adds Chrome support). Windows 10 Timeline feature is part of the operating system’s Task View interface. It’s a great feature while it lasts though. Microsoft sadly plans to kill Timeline’s cross-device sync. If you store your files in the cloud, you can pick up where you left off no matter which device you happen to use-though not for much longer. Paired with the “Pick up where you left off” in modern Microsoft Office apps, you can be knee-deep in that project from two weeks ago in no time.īetter yet, Timeline’s tied to your Microsoft account rather than an individual PC. It’s basically like a browser history for your desktop programs, showing files you’ve opened previously in chronological order. Microsoft rolled out Windows 10’s Timeline feature as part of the April 2018 Update, and it’s awesome.