Edge Desktop Switcher

A Windows 11 application that switches virtual desktops when your mouse hits the screen edges, similar to many X11 window managers.

Features

• Edge Detection: Move mouse to left/right screen edge to switch desktops
• Debouncing: Prevents accidental rapid switching (500ms cooldown)
• Logging: Debug output shows all operations for troubleshooting
• Graceful Shutdown: Handles Ctrl+C for clean exit

How It Works

The program continuously monitors your mouse position. When the mouse cursor reaches within 5 pixels of the left or right screen edge, it simulates the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Win+Left or Ctrl+Win+Right to switch virtual desktops.

Requirements

• Windows 11 (or Windows 10 with virtual desktop support)
• GCC compiler (MinGW or Cygwin)

Building

Using the build script:

build.bat

Manual compilation:

gcc edge_desktop_switcher.c -o edge_desktop_switcher.exe -lgdi32 -luser32

Usage

Simply run the executable:

edge_desktop_switcher.exe

The program will:

1. Start monitoring mouse position
2. Print status messages to console
3. Switch desktops when mouse hits edges
4. Run until you press Ctrl+C

Configuration

You can modify these constants in edge_desktop_switcher.c:

• EDGE_THRESHOLD (default: 5) - Pixels from edge to trigger switch
• DEBOUNCE_MS (default: 500) - Milliseconds before allowing another switch
• POLL_INTERVAL_MS (default: 50) - Mouse polling interval

Technical Details

The program uses:

• GetCursorPos() - Monitor mouse position
• SendInput() - Simulate keyboard shortcuts
• Win32 API - System metrics and input handling

Since Windows doesn't expose a public API for virtual desktop switching, the program simulates the native keyboard shortcuts that Windows 11 uses.

Troubleshooting

Desktop not switching?

• Verify you have multiple virtual desktops created in Windows 11
• Check that Ctrl+Win+Arrow works manually
• Look at console output for debug messages

Switches too often?

• Increase DEBOUNCE_MS value
• Increase EDGE_THRESHOLD for larger trigger zone

Not detecting edge?

• Reduce EDGE_THRESHOLD value
• Check console for mouse position logs

License

This is free and unencumbered software released into the public domain.