Workspace Launch a workspace
What happens when you launch, every way to do it, what happens to windows already open, curtains, desktops and how to fix an app that does not open.
Launch opens everything a task needs and places each window on its monitor, its virtual desktop and its zone. Whatever is already open gets reused; whatever is missing gets opened. It is the action you will use most.
Launch in five steps
Select the workspace in the sidebar. Selecting it only shows its items: it does not open or close anything.
Check the screen profile if you are using different monitors today. It is usually picked automatically; see screen profiles.
Press Launch Workspace or use any of the other ways to launch.
Review any notices: apps already open, another workspace on the same desktops, or items that do not exist on this computer. Each notice comes with a proposal; usually you just continue.
Check the result: “Workspace ready” or the list of apps that did not open, with the reason.
Launch is also your “tidy up” button
If you have moved windows around during the day, launch the workspace again: the windows still open go back to their zone and only what is missing opens. Nothing is duplicated.
Ways to launch
They all open the same workspace in the same way. Use whichever is closest at hand.
| Way | Where to set it up | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Launch button | The app’s workspace list | Always available. |
| Macro | Settings → Macros | Your two or three daily workspaces, one combination each. |
| Mouse gesture | Settings → Gestures | Open or relaunch without the keyboard. |
| Omnibar | Its shortcut | Type part of the name; your usual workspaces appear as “Launch” suggestions. |
| Voice | Voice assistant | “Open my class workspace”. Requires a plan with the assistant. |
| Claps | Settings → Acoustic | Assign, for example, two claps to a workspace. |
| System tray | Icon next to the clock | Launch the last one used or pick another. |
| AI agent | Settings → External agents | Ask Claude, Cursor or Copilot. Depends on your plan. |
A toggle macro uses presses: one opens the workspace if it is closed and closes it if it is open; two quick presses relaunch it and put its windows back in place. You can reverse that order. See macros and gestures.
What happens when you press Launch
- Pre-checks
- Prepare desktops
- Set others aside
- Open apps
- Place windows
- Finish
- Pre-checks. The screen profile is chosen, each item is adapted to this computer (a folder or program that does not exist here is fixed or skipped) and workspace apps that are already open are detected.
- Prepare desktops. The plan’s virtual desktops are created or reused, and they get their names while the workspace is running.
- Set others aside. Windows that are not part of the workspace are minimized, if that option is on (it is by default). Nothing is closed.
- Open apps. In parallel mode three start at a time. The launcher waits for each app’s real window: it does not rely on a fixed delay.
- Place windows. Each window goes to its monitor, desktop and zone. If an item has a special action, such as opening a project or a playlist, it runs afterwards.
- Finish. A workspace window is activated, “Workspace ready” plays if that sound is on, and the desktop you chose is shown.
While it launches, the progress card says what each app is doing: waiting for its turn, its configured delay, starting, waiting for its window, waiting for it to settle, placing the window or running its action. If something gets stuck, that text tells you where. Esc cancels the launch. For a few seconds you cannot switch desktops: that is how each window reaches its place.
Starts several apps at once in a controlled way. The fastest mode on most computers.
Starts one app at a time per desktop. Slower, but more predictable on modest computers or with very heavy apps.
Where to change itSettingsSystemLaunch EngineLaunch Mode
What was already open
Workspace windows. If a workspace app is already open, it is reused: no second copy opens. When you launch again, its windows return to their saved position. If you prefer them to stay where you left them, set Workspace options → Windows that are already open to Leave them where they are. New windows always go to their zone.
Other windows. With Minimize windows outside the workspace on, anything that is not part of the task is minimized to the taskbar to leave a clean screen. You can turn it off globally or just for one workspace.
Apps open on another desktop
Many apps only allow one window: Obsidian or most code editors, for example. If one is open on the wrong desktop and the launcher tried to open it again, Windows would jump to that desktop and disrupt the rest of the launch. That is why they are detected before launching.
| Detection mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Detect and Confirm (default) | Shows which apps it found and what it will do with each one: reuse it where it is or move it to its desktop. You decide whether to continue. |
| Detect and Reuse (Auto) | The same, without asking: it moves them silently, without stealing focus, and places them in their zone. |
| Detect and Skip | Leaves the open apps alone and out of the launch. Their zone stays empty. |
In the report you can Ignore a specific app so it is not touched.
Where to change itSettingsSystemLaunch EnginePre-launch conflict detection
Virtual desktops on launch
Workspace options → Desktops on launch decides where the desktop plan is built:
| Option | Result |
|---|---|
| New dedicated desktops (default) | Created after the ones you already have and, if automatic cleanup is on, removed when you clean the workspace. Your desktops are not touched. |
| Use assigned desktop numbers | Reuses desktops by number: desktop 2 in the plan is your desktop 2. |
| Keep the previous policy | Keeps the behaviour of earlier versions. |
Desktop when finished picks where you end up when the launch is over: a specific workspace desktop or the one you are looking at. The workspace’s desktop names are applied to Windows while it is open. In Settings → Desktops you decide whether they get their previous name back when you clean it and whether surplus desktops are removed (flexible or strict). More in virtual desktops.
When two workspaces overlap
If you launch a workspace whose desktops are already used by another, you choose how they coexist: Share contextually, Keep a fixed layout or Independent desktops. You can remember the decision for that workspace. For launches without the window in front of you (shortcut, gesture, voice, claps or tray) the rule in Settings → Gestures → Launch behaviour applies, and by default it asks you. Details in several workspaces at once.
Curtain: see the workspace fully assembled
The curtain covers your monitors while windows open and get placed, and lifts when everything is ready. It is off by default.
Where to turn it onSettingsScreenScreen curtains
- Style: dozens of themes by category (nature, development, music, sports…). Each thumbnail is the real design and you can try it on your desktop.
- Cover the taskbar too: when off, the curtain stops at the work area and the taskbar stays usable.
- When closing and capturing: there are separate curtains for cleaning a workspace and for reading the desktop during a capture.
- Per workspace: in Workspace options → Curtain for this workspace choose Default (general settings), a theme of its own or No curtain. The same theme is used to launch it, close it and update it from a capture.
- Recommend a theme: with a plan that includes the AI assistant, it suggests the theme that best fits its items.
Some styles are translucent: they let you see the desktop and work as a progress indicator, not as a curtain.
Options for each workspace
Each workspace follows the general settings and only changes what you tell it to. Open them with the workspace’s gear button.
| Option | What it decides |
|---|---|
| Desktops on launch | New dedicated desktops, by number or the previous policy. |
| Desktop when finished | Where you end up when it is done. |
| Windows that are already open | Back to their saved position or left where they are. |
| When launching and cleaning | Each behaviour (minimize other windows, focus when finished, minimize the launcher, close animations…) set to Same as settings, Always or Never. |
| Curtain for this workspace | The general one, its own or none. |
General launch settings
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Launch Mode | Parallel | Parallel (fast) or sequential (stable). |
| Pre-launch conflict detection | Detect and Confirm | What to do with workspace apps already open. |
| Minimize windows outside the workspace | On | Leaves only the task on screen. |
| Focus workspace when finished | On | Activates one of its windows at the end. |
| Minimize during launch / Keep on top during launch | Minimize | What the launcher window does while deploying. They are exclusive. |
| No blinking from windows on other desktops | On | Stops the orange button of an app finishing on another desktop from dragging you there. A variant extends it to every window, at the cost of hiding alerts from apps that need you. |
| Close the previous session a browser reopens | On | If the browser was closed and reopens last time’s windows, those extras are closed. They stay in its history (Ctrl+Shift+T). |
| Taskbar Explorer opens a window on this desktop | On | Its icon opens a new window here instead of taking you to another desktop. |
| “Workspace ready” sound | On | A cue when a launch completes. |
The sound is in Settings → Sounds; everything else is in Settings → System.
If an app does not open or is not placed
A failing app does not block the rest. At the end you get a summary with each problem and a Report issue button.
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The program exited without opening any window | It started and ended without a window. | Check its path and arguments; open it by hand to confirm. |
| It did not open its window in time | The computer was busy or the app is slow. | Launch again. If it keeps happening, add a delay to that item. |
| It ran out of time because another app was blocking the launch | It was waiting behind a stuck app. | Fix the stuck app first. |
| Launch cancelled: an app was not responding | An app stayed in one stage for too long. | The message says which app and at which stage. |
| Requires administrator rights | The app runs elevated. | Run it with the same rights as the launcher or remove it from the workspace. |
| Items that cannot be launched on this computer | A path or an app does not exist here. | Open Sync: it applies the safe fixes and only asks about doubtful ones. |
If the saved monitor is disconnected, the window opens on the primary one until you reconnect it or pick another. An item’s Launch delay (ms) is only needed for apps with a splash screen or intermediate scripts: the launcher already waits for the real window. More fixes in troubleshooting.
Recommendations
- A macro or a gesture for your daily workspaces. Launching without searching the list is the biggest time saver.
- Start with “Detect and Confirm”. Once its proposals are always what you want, switch to “Detect and Reuse” and it will stop asking.
- One desktop per context. With dedicated desktops, switching task means switching desktop, and your personal desktops never mix with the workspace.
- Turn on the curtain if watching windows jump distracts you or if you record your screen.
- Try sequential mode only if your computer is tight or a heavy app sometimes fails in parallel.
Continue with closing and keeping windows or read the tips to get the most out of it.
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