A desktop display over a remote connection is updated by detecting, at their origin, changes in the desktop that reflect movement of an image, such as window scrolls, window moves and other movements of regions. For every frame of the desktop that is composed, moves can be detected. The offsets and regions of these moves are transformed into desktop space. A list of moves and other information about changed regions in the desktop display provide both an indication of moved image regions and move parameters, and image data that has otherwise changed. The moved image regions are moved at the destination by applying the move parameters, without transferring image data for the moved region to the remote device, while the remaining changed portion of the desktop is copied over the connection to the remote device.