How can I quickly switch between a physical desktop and a virtual desktop?

Stream the virtual screen onto your physical display, then use a keyboard shortcut to hide and show the stream. Both desktops stay connected. Use streaming to view the virtual desktop. Set as Main Display only changes which desktop macOS treats as main.

  1. Create and connect a virtual screen, then move the windows you want to use onto it.
  2. In App Menu > [virtual screen] > Stream Virtual Screen, select your physical display as the target. Use the ordinary overlay presentation, leaving Full Screen Window Mode off.
  3. Open Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts…. Under Full Screen Stream, assign Hide all full screen streams.
  4. Press the shortcut to hide the image and reveal the physical display’s desktop. Press it again to restore the virtual desktop’s image.

Streaming and this shortcut require Pro. Grant Screen Recording permission when requested so BetterDisplay can show the virtual desktop. The shortcut toggles each active full-screen stream, so it also affects other streams you have running. For just one stream, use its Hide Stream / Unhide Stream menu item.

Showing a desktop and moving the pointer onto it are separate actions. Move between the displays through their arrangement, or Command-click the streamed image to move the pointer to that source position. See interacting with streamed content if the pointer shows a dotted halo or does not operate the visible windows. Hiding the stream does not itself move the pointer back.

If you are presenting the virtual desktop through another app, select the virtual screen as that app’s capture source and verify its preview. Hiding BetterDisplay’s local view does not stop the virtual desktop or its separate capture session. Keep private windows off the desktop you are sharing.

A Picture in Picture window is another way to view the virtual desktop when you prefer a movable window. The streaming reference explains presentation options and temporary main-display changes.

If an app opens a window on the physical target behind the streamed image, hide the stream temporarily, move that window to the desktop you want, then show the stream again. The target remains a separate desktop while streaming, so apps can still open windows there.