Share One Keyboard and Mouse Between Your Mac and Windows PC
If a MacBook and a Windows PC share your desk, two keyboards look silly and swapping one back and forth gets old fast. You can use one keyboard and mouse for both: push the cursor off the edge of one screen and it appears on the other computer. Here is what to know before you rely on it.
The small annoyances of living with two computers
Plenty of people write on a Mac and run work software on Windows. A separate keyboard and mouse for each clutters the desk, and moving one set's cable or wireless dongle between machines breaks your flow every time.
Passing input over in software leaves the desk as it is. Each computer keeps using its own monitor, and only the keyboard and mouse input moves between them. It feels a lot like having one very wide desk with two screens, except that each screen belongs to a different computer.
How it works
Keyboard and mouse sharing is part of the Link module. You install Any Display on both computers and connect them to a network where they can reach each other. On the computer that has the keyboard and mouse, you choose the other computer and send a request, and you accept it on the other one.
After that, pushing the cursor to the screen edge you chose controls the other computer. It does not stream video, so you do not see the other computer's screen on this one. Each computer stays on its own monitor and only input is shared. If you want the other screen on this computer as well, that is a separate feature, viewing a computer's screen.
Match it to how the desk is laid out
If the other computer sits to your left, set the direction to left. The way the cursor moves should match what you see, or it gets confusing fast. With several monitors, you can pick which monitor the cursor leaves from.
Changing the direction or the switching monitor takes effect after you reconnect. If you rearrange the desk and the cursor starts leaving in the wrong direction, check this setting first.
Mac and Windows keyboards are not the same
The two systems give keys different jobs. The Mac's Command and Windows' Ctrl do similar things but sit in different places, so shortcuts feel off at first when you share one keyboard. In the advanced options you can change modifiers and key mapping to match whichever you are used to.
If you switch input languages, check that key too. A quick line typed into a document on the other computer tells you right away. The first time a Mac receives input, it asks you to allow Accessibility access, and Any Display needs to be allowed.
What you can copy and paste
You can copy text on one computer and paste it on the other, which is handy for notes, addresses and code snippets. This feature does not drag files across or pass images through the clipboard, though.
For files and images, keep using what you already do: a messaging app, a shared folder or a USB drive.
When the cursor will not come back
Sometimes the cursor goes to the other computer and does not return, or the other machine falls asleep and input goes nowhere. Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Esc to force the cursor back to your computer. To end sharing, close the session in the session card in Any Display.
If the request times out, check whether the other computer is asleep, whether both are on the same network, and whether a firewall is blocking it. The setup is walked through in the keyboard and mouse sharing guide.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I share a keyboard and mouse between a Mac and a Windows PC?
- Yes. Install Any Display on both computers and connect them on the same network. Two Macs or two Windows PCs work the same way.
- Can I copy files and images between the computers?
- Only text can be copied and pasted. File drag-and-drop and image clipboard transfer are not part of this feature.
- Can an iPad or a Linux computer join in?
- This feature is for sharing between Mac and Windows computers. It does not move the cursor to an iPad or a Linux computer.
- The sharing request keeps timing out. What should I check?
- Open the app on the other computer and check sleep state, network connection and firewall. If you changed Wi-Fi, reopen the app on both.