diff --git a/src/html5/css/client.css b/src/html5/css/client.css
index bafaeec83f..edc9190a58 100644
--- a/src/html5/css/client.css
+++ b/src/html5/css/client.css
@@ -5,6 +5,11 @@ html, body {
 	margin: 0;
 	overflow: hidden;
 }
+
+body.desktop {
+	background-color: #555;
+}
+
 div#connect_form {
 	display: none;
 }
@@ -57,6 +62,11 @@ canvas {
 	padding: 0;
 	overflow: hidden; /* required for radius clip */
 }
+.window.desktop {
+	border-radius: 0;
+	box-shadow: none;
+}
+
 .window-NORMAL {
 	border-radius: 6px;
 }
diff --git a/src/html5/js/Client.js b/src/html5/js/Client.js
index 7dc7c668ff..8e2864d57f 100644
--- a/src/html5/js/Client.js
+++ b/src/html5/js/Client.js
@@ -1624,6 +1624,9 @@ XpraClient.prototype._process_hello = function(packet, ctx) {
 		}
 	}
     ctx.server_is_desktop = Boolean(hello["desktop"]) || Boolean(hello["shadow"]);
+    if (ctx.server_is_desktop) {
+    	jQuery("body").addClass("desktop");
+    }
 
 	ctx.remote_open_files = Boolean(hello["open-files"]);
 	ctx.remote_file_transfer = Boolean(hello["file-transfer"]);
diff --git a/src/html5/js/Window.js b/src/html5/js/Window.js
index dbfee0325a..9d5fced566 100644
--- a/src/html5/js/Window.js
+++ b/src/html5/js/Window.js
@@ -113,6 +113,7 @@ function XpraWindow(client, canvas_state, wid, x, y, w, h, metadata, override_re
 	}
 
 	if (this.client.server_is_desktop) {
+		jQuery(this.div).addClass("desktop");
 		this.resizable = false;
 	}
 	else if(this.override_redirect) {
@@ -273,6 +274,10 @@ XpraWindow.prototype.updateCanvasGeometry = function() {
 XpraWindow.prototype.updateCSSGeometry = function() {
 	// set size of canvas
 	this.updateCanvasGeometry();
+	if (this.client.server_is_desktop) {
+		jQuery(this.div).position({of : jQuery("#screen")});
+		return;
+	}
 	// work out outer size
 	this.outerH = this.h + this.topoffset + this.bottomoffset;
 	this.outerW = this.w + this.leftoffset + this.rightoffset;
@@ -325,6 +330,13 @@ XpraWindow.prototype.getMouse = function(e) {
 		mbutton = Math.max(0, e.button)+1;
 	//show("getmouse: button="+mbutton+", which="+e.which+", button="+e.button);
 
+	if (this.client.server_is_desktop) {
+		//substract window offset since the desktop's top-left corner should be at 0,0:
+		var pos = jQuery(this.div).position()
+		mx -= pos.left;
+		my -= pos.top;
+	}
+
 	// We return a simple javascript object (a hash) with x and y defined
 	return {x: mx, y: my, button: mbutton};
 };
@@ -425,7 +437,7 @@ XpraWindow.prototype.toString = function() {
 
 XpraWindow.prototype.update_zindex = function() {
 	var z = 5000 + this.stacking_layer;
-	if (this.override_redirect) {
+	if (this.override_redirect || this.client.server_is_desktop) {
 		z = 15000;
 	}
 	else if (this.windowtype=="DROPDOWN" || this.windowtype=="TOOLTIP" ||