DesktopKinsClick, pick up, put down.
A quick left-click gets a reaction. Hold and drag to carry an avatar, then release to place or drop it. With Gravity enabled, it settles onto a supported surface.
01 · Welcome aboard
Getting started
Open DesktopKins and give your avatars a moment to arrive. Most actions start with a right-click on an avatar.
Right-click for more.
The menu opens activities, Settings, Set Alarm and Move to Next Screen. It also lets you hide or quit the app. Click elsewhere to dismiss the menu.
Keep it nearby: Hide DesktopKins leaves the app running in the Windows tray. Click its tray icon, or right-click the icon and choose Show, to bring it back. Use Quit DesktopKins when you want to exit completely.
Tip: the tray’s Settings command is useful if you have hidden all your avatars.
02 · Your little cast
Choose a look. Give it personality.
Right-click the avatar you want to change and choose Settings. Check the slot marked Editing before making a change. Full supports up to four visible avatars, each with its own appearance, size and behavior.
- Show or hide
- Click a character slot in Settings to toggle its visibility. Hiding a slot keeps its saved setup.
- Change appearance
- Choose Replace selected character skin, then select an avatar from the installed library. Only the selected slot changes.
- Use your own model FULL
- Choose Select VRM from file in the library. It accepts a .vrm or compatible Mixamo .fbx model. If the model uses external textures, select those files with it. Keep your original files; custom rig compatibility varies.
- Restore the original
- After a replacement, Revert selected character to original restores that slot’s original avatar.
- Character behavior
- Choose Masculine, Feminine, Kawaii or Not human. Behavior affects animation and reactions independently of the avatar’s appearance.
- Avatar size
- Adjust the selected avatar from 75% to 125%.
- Motion energy
- Use a lower value for a calmer companion or a higher value for livelier activity. Even at 0%, an avatar can still animate.
Changes are saved locally. Creator credits and source links are under Installed avatar library in Settings.
03 · Settle in
Let them enjoy your desktop
Avatars have their own idle movements and reactions. Leave them to relax, click to interact, or move them to a new spot. Multiple avatars can share the desktop without needing a game to be active.
Gravity & surfaces
With Gravity on, avatars fall toward the taskbar, screen floor or visible window tops. They can settle and sit on supported surfaces. Turn Gravity off when you want free placement.
Edges & screens
Screen edges enables edge snapping and top-edge hanging. With multiple monitors, choose Move to Next Screen to move the shared avatar stage to another display.
You can drag the Settings panel by its header to move it out of your way. Desktop activities use the available space, so moving or closing a supporting window can change where an avatar lands.
04 · You’re in charge
Play Parkour
Right-click an avatar → Play Parkour to explore your actual desktop with the keyboard. There is no score or enemy round, and your other avatars stay around.
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| A / D or ← / → | Walk left or right. |
| Shift + movement | Run. |
| Space | Jump, or jump away from a hold. |
| W / ↑ | Reach for a nearby eligible edge, climb up, or pull onto a supported top. Jump first for higher ledges. |
| S / ↓ | Climb down where supported, or release an icon hold. |
| A / D while hanging | Shimmy along the top screen edge. |
| Esc or Stop | End Play Parkour. |
Approach an exposed window side or reachable desktop icon to climb or hang from it. Not every surface is reachable; try moving closer or combining a jump with W.
Optional: push real desktop icons. Enable Allow avatar to push desktop icons in Settings. In Windows, turn off both Auto Arrange and Align icons to grid. Walking into an exposed icon can then move its actual position. Undo icon push can reverse the last push while it is still available in that control session. Files themselves are unchanged.
If movement keys stop responding after you use another app, click the controlled avatar to resume.
Play Parkour needs Gravity, Screen edges and Desktop Icons Awareness. If prompted, Enable & Continue turns these on; they remain enabled until you change them in Settings. Icon pushing is a separate choice.
05 · A little challenge
Play Dodge
Right-click your chosen avatar → Play Dodge. That avatar becomes the player, while the others step away until you stop playing. Start with three hearts; every grocery you collect adds one to your item score. Your best item count is saved locally.
Grocery dodge
Avoid falling furniture and rolling hazards while collecting 50 groceries to clear the level.
Desktop Climb FULL
Climb ladders, jump between platforms, and avoid spikes and falling props. Reach the summit within five minutes. Falling below the camera costs a heart; with hearts remaining, you return to a safe platform.
Clown Showdown FULL
Pick up a pie, face the clown, and press F or X to throw. Land five pie hits to win. Avoid the clown and its pies; pie pickup spots refill after 15 seconds.
Your keys: A/D or ←/→ move, Shift runs, Space jumps, and W/S or ↑/↓ climb ladders. Esc exits the game.
After clearing a level, choose Start Level 2 or Start final level to advance. Clicking outside the game or switching away pauses Dodge; choose Resume to continue. After a loss, Try again restarts your current level. Choose Stop or press Esc to leave and bring the other avatars back.
Gravity is required; accept Enable & Continue if prompted.
06 · Room to show off
Play Soccer
FULL & DEMOA relaxed kickabout on your desktop. Watch your avatars trade tricks and passes, or reach in and join them.
Right-click an avatar → Play Soccer. Visible avatars on the active desktop join in. One avatar uses six solo routines that mix moving dribbles, foot balances, knee touches, headers, and kick-and-chase play. It can also scoop the ball, place it for a hard kick against the screen edge, and try to receive the rebound with its head, knee, or foot when the return is reachable. Turning off the other avatars in Full or Studio automatically switches to solo play after the current move can safely finish. Demo includes these solo routines with its one available avatar. This activity has no scoreboard or win condition.
ReceiveIntercept & control
Show offDribble & try tricks
PassKick or throw
Avatars move with the ball, balance it on their feet, try knee touches and headers, and pass with kicks or goalkeeper-style throws. Others can watch, wave for a turn, move into space or cheer. Different combinations keep each possession varied.
Your mouse is part of the game
- Grab: hold the left mouse button on the ball and move it around the active screen.
- Drop: release with little mouse movement and let gravity take over.
- Throw: move the held ball and release. Your recent movement gives it direction and speed.
- Invite a header: toss the ball above an avatar with room to get underneath it. A reachable trajectory can prompt it to adjust position and try several head bounces.
The ball can bounce off avatar heads and chests, screen borders, exposed windows and desktop icons. Its size follows the largest participant when Play Soccer starts and stays steady during that session. Tricks depend on the incoming path, timing and available space: a missed touch becomes a bounce, recovery or chase rather than a guaranteed combo.
A “carry” in an animation plan means moving dribble: the avatar travels across the desktop while nudging the ball with its feet. Picking up the ball is a separate goalkeeper move. After a successful run of headers, the avatar can direct the ball forward into a knee touch or raised-foot balance when space and timing allow.
Avatars look toward the ball as you hold and throw it, and react at their own pace. Kicks and bounces make soft impact sounds that grow stronger with the hit. Adjust or mute them with Settings → Footsteps & game effects.
Expect a little mischief. Nearby avatars can knock the ball out of your mouse grab. Grab it again to take it back. Simply moving the cursor into an unheld ball does not nudge it.
Move the controls: drag the Soccer label on the bar at the top center. Use Pause / Resume for a break. Press Esc, click the bar’s ×, or choose Stop Soccer from an avatar’s menu to finish.
Play Soccer needs Gravity and Desktop Icons Awareness. Its prompt can enable them. Icon awareness lets the ball use exposed icon geometry; it does not grant permission to move your icons.
07 · Find a rhythm
Dance & music
For an instant dance, right-click an avatar → Dance Moves. Use Stop Dancing to end it. You do not need music playing to start a manual dance.
For automatic dancing, open Settings → Windows music and enable both:
- Detect Windows music sessions — checks whether Windows reports a playing music session.
- Analyze Windows playback locally for rhythm — checks that the current playback has a suitable rhythm.
Start music in a player that Windows recognizes, then let the avatar respond. Both checks need to agree, so not every sound or video triggers dancing. A game or another active interaction can also take priority.
These controls use Windows directly; no browser extension is needed. Session detection uses play/pause and media type. Rhythm analysis runs on your device and does not save, send or transcribe audio.
08 · Remember your break
Alarm clock
- Right-click an avatar → Set Alarm….
- Choose an Alarm time and one of the five Windows alarm sound options.
- Choose Set alarm. DesktopKins keeps one alarm at a time; setting another replaces it.
If the chosen time has already passed today, the alarm is set for tomorrow. When it rings, choose Snooze 5 min or Stop alarm. Before it rings, Cancel alarm removes it. Closing the alarm panel does not cancel an armed alarm.
Keep DesktopKins running. It can stay hidden in the tray. Quitting the app prevents it from sounding at the scheduled time. Avatar audio sliders do not mute the alarm.
09 · Comfortable by choice
Settings & privacy
Open Settings from an avatar’s menu or the Windows tray. Your preferences stay on this device.
- Avatar voice volume
- Changes reaction sounds, including click responses and exertions, for all avatars. Set it to 0% to mute them.
- Footsteps & game effects
- Changes footsteps, landing sounds and game effects. Set it to 0% to mute this group. Alarms remain separate.
- Gravity
- Enables falling and supported landings. Switch it off for free avatar placement; activities that need it will ask to re-enable it.
- Screen edges
- Controls top-edge hanging and near-edge snapping. It is separate from Gravity’s taskbar and screen floor.
- Desktop Icons Awareness
- Makes exposed icon geometry available as surfaces in desktop control and Play Soccer. It does not read file contents or open files.
- Allow avatar to push desktop icons
- Separately permits real horizontal icon movement in Play Parkour. Leave it off if you want icon positions to stay fixed.
- Activity & media awareness
- Allows local reactions to the foreground app/window title, overall keyboard and mouse activity, typing pace and playing-media state. It does not read keystrokes or document/page contents.
- Windows music
- The two music switches independently control session detection and local rhythm analysis. Turn either off whenever you prefer.
Geometry and activity are separate.
Gravity uses local window geometry to find surfaces. Turning off Activity & media awareness does not disable Gravity. Neither feature needs to upload your desktop to work.
You choose the amount of company.
Hide individual slots, lower Motion energy, mute avatar sounds, or hide the whole app in the tray. Your selected avatar setup and preferences are retained locally.
10 · Know your edition
Full & Demo at a glance
| Feature | Full | Demo |
|---|---|---|
| Visible avatars | Up to 4 | 1 |
| Installed avatar choices | Full library | 4 selected models |
| Custom avatar imports | Yes | — |
| Size, behavior & energy | Yes | Yes |
| Play Parkour | Yes | Yes |
| Play Dodge | All 3 levels | Level 1 |
| Play Soccer | Yes | Yes · solo |
| Dance, music & alarm | Yes | Yes |
Demo’s selectable models are Nanami, Alien Teen, Leaf Boy and Pitcher Dude. Some library previews may show models that need Full. This guide covers the player app; Studio’s authoring tools are separate.
11 · Back to having fun
A little help
Where did my avatars go?
Use the Windows tray icon → Show. If none appear, open Settings from the tray and check the character slots’ visibility. If you use more than one display, check the other screen too. During Dodge, only the chosen player is shown; the others return when you choose Stop or press Esc.
How do I stop a game or take a break?
Esc ends Play Soccer, Play Dodge or Play Parkour. For Ball, use Pause if you want to continue later. Dodge pauses when you click outside or switch away; choose Resume to return. Ending an activity returns the avatars to ordinary desktop behavior.
Why is my avatar floating or not using a surface?
Check Gravity. Desktop control also needs the awareness settings offered by its startup prompt. Window and icon surfaces must be exposed and reachable. For a misplaced avatar, drag it to a clear area and release with Gravity on.
Why won’t the music start a dance?
Turn on both Windows music switches, make sure music is actively playing in a recognized player, and check the status messages in Settings. Rhythm must be suitable; speech, silence or an unrecognized session may not qualify. Stop an active game, or choose Dance Moves manually.
Why did a ball trick miss?
The ball follows gravity and needs to meet the right body part at the right time. Give the avatar space, try a gentler throw, or loft the ball above its head rather than straight into its torso. Avatars can recover and choose another move; every trick is an attempt.
Why can’t I grab the ball by moving the mouse into it?
Press and hold the left mouse button on the ball. Cursor contact alone does not kick it. If an avatar knocks it free while you are holding it, press on the ball again to grab it.
My imported avatar looks wrong. What should I try?
Use a compatible humanoid VRM or Mixamo FBX, include any external texture files in the import, and try an installed avatar for comparison. Rigging and model quality affect results. Revert selected character to original restores the slot without changing your original model file.
Why is a feature unavailable?
Check the Full/Demo table above and any prompt in the app. Extra avatar slots, custom model imports and Dodge’s later levels require Full. Play Soccer is included in both editions; use the latest Play Soccer update if an older build does not offer it.
How do I make DesktopKins quieter?
Lower Motion energy for each avatar and reduce Avatar voice volume and Footsteps & game effects. You can hide extra avatars or use Hide DesktopKins for a clear desktop. Cancel an armed alarm separately if you do not want it to ring.
Still having trouble? When reporting an issue, include your edition and version, what you were doing, whether it affects an installed or custom avatar, and a screenshot or short recording if useful.