Free guide · Oct 5, 2026

Dextop: turn your Android phone into a windowed desktop

A step-by-step setup guide with requirements, checks and common problems.

The short version

Dextop is a free, open source Android app that creates a virtual display on your phone and gives you a desktop on it: an app launcher, resizable windows side by side, saved layouts, a mouse cursor you drive with your finger, and a laptop mode on foldables. No monitor, no dock and no cable.

•What you need: an Android phone on Android 10 or later. In practice, Android 14 or later for a usable desktop, and a Samsung on One UI 8 or later for the full experience.

•What you get: apps in windows on your phone's own screen, saved workspaces that open several apps in position at once, and on a supported foldable a keyboard and trackpad on the lower part of the screen.

What's in the full guide

  1. 01Step 1: Check your phone first
  2. 02Step 2: Install it
  3. 03Step 3: First setup
  4. 04Step 4: Start your desktop
  5. 05Step 5: Learn the controls
  6. 06Step 6: Save a workspace
  7. 07Step 7: Mouse, keyboard and foldables
  8. 08Step 8: Stop cleanly
  9. 09Honest notes
  10. 10Where to go next