# Desktop already exists

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/desktop-already-exists/12528>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Created:** [January 8, 2017, 11:12pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/desktop-already-exists/12528 "2017-01-08T23:12:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![weertske](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/weertske/32/3353_2.png) [@weertske](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/weertske)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 11:12pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/desktop-already-exists/12528/1 "2017-01-08T23:12:41Z")

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I am loving the new system.gui.openDesktop feature. However, my customers like to open more than one client on a monitor. When I try to do that using system.gui.openDesktop, I get “Secondary desktop “1” already exists”. Is there a way around this or is it a known limitation?

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**Author:** ![nick.schuetz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/nick.schuetz/32/6160_2.png) [@nick.schuetz](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/nick.schuetz)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/desktop-already-exists/12528/2 "2017-01-10T16:02:43Z")

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You’ll have to check to see how many desktops are already opened and open additional ones with handles and/or titles that haven’t already been used.  
Something like this.

```auto
handles = system.gui.getDesktopHandles()
idx = len(handles)
system.gui.openDesktop(screen = 1, windows = ['window to open'], handle = idx+1)
```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![weertske](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/weertske/32/3353_2.png) [@weertske](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/weertske)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 7:31pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/desktop-already-exists/12528/3 "2017-01-10T19:31:13Z")

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Thanks for the tip. I’ll give it a try when I get back to my office.