Virtual Desktop Manager is a nice free little application from Microsoft that allows you to use multiple workspaces (up to four) at the same time. This tool is very useful if you normally work with a lot of applications and windows open. I’ve always wondered why Microsoft never included this as part of their OS, Solaris and Linux have had something similar to this built in since I’ve started working on them over five years ago.

To use it, simply download and install the application, then right-click on your taskbar, go to Toolbars, then select Desktop Manager. The toolbar will then appear on your taskbar and you can select which virtual desktop to use or see a preview of all four virtual desktops.

You can also use shortcut keys to quickly switch desktops. By default they’re set as Windows Key + 1 (virtual desktop 1), Windows Key + 2 (virtual desktop 2), Windows Key + 3 (virtual desktp 3), Windows Key + 4 (virtual desktop 4), and Windows Key + V (preview).

Download it now (550 KB)!