Repeat this same process of adding a screen for each client computer you plan on using. If this is your first time using Synergy it is recommended to leave these settings at default. You are welcome to edit the other settings at this Add Screen window but you don’t have to. If you decide to not enter the Windows computer name as the Screen Name, enter the Windows computer name under Aliases. Now type in a name for your server computer in the Screen Name box it is recommended – but not required – to enter the Windows computer name (the one you would see if you go to Control Panel -> System, e.g. Since you are on the server computer (the computer that will be sharing the mouse and keyboard), you need to click on Share this computer’s keyboard and mouse (server) and then click Configure…:Īt the Screens & Links window click the + button under the Screens column: Once you download, install, and run Synergy, you are prompted with the following window: The directions below are for the Windows version of Synergy. However setting up Synergy on each OS may differ slightly.
Note: Synergy works on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. You need to download, install, and setup Synergy separately on the server and the clients. The computers whom the mouse and keyboard are being shared with are the clients. the computer with the physical mouse and keyboard) is the server. The computer sharing the keyboard and mouse (i.e. Synergy is based on client-server architecture, in a sense.
Synergy has a learning curve however, once you learn how to use it you should have no issues whatsoever.
Windows computers can share mouse/keyboard with Mac OS X and/or Linux computers.) All that is needed is an active network connection between the computers and since Synergy works over a local network connection, there is little to no lag when sharing mouse/keyboard. Synergy allows users to share a mouse/keyboard across all computers in a local network - Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux. This is sharing one mouse and one keyboard on multiple computers, each computer having their own screen.
Don’t confuse this with one mouse and keyboard for multiple screens on the same computer. Synergy is an open source, cross-platform program that allows users to share one mouse and one keyboard across multiple computers. However, TeamViewer is not ideal for sharing one mouse and one keyboard across multiple computers in a local network. To check the client name, open the Barrier app in the client and check the name there.There is TeamViewer for those that need remote access or remote control or screen sharing capabilities. The name is important because it has to match the name of the client you're going to configure next. In my case, I added it to the left of my main computer.ĭouble click the new added screen and give it a name. That will open a new window where you can modify the layout of screens by using drag and drop. Select the Configure interactively option and click in the button that says Configure Server. Open the Barrier app in the machine that you picked to be the server. The server is the machine that will "own" the keyboard and the mouse, while the clients will receive information about what is going on and then act accordingly. Installing Barrier was easy, they provide a snap package for Ubuntu and also pre-built binaries for OS X and Windows.īarrier uses a Client-Server architecture, and because of that, the first thing we're going to configure is the server. In general, there are two types, hardware and software KVM switches.Ĭlearly, the first thing I did was to look for a software solution, and I decided to try with Barrier. KVM Switches (KVM stands for keyboard, video and mouse), allow you to share these peripherals between multiple systems. Well, seems like I wasn't the only one to think about that.
I placed it in my desk and after using both computers for a few hours, I noticed that this could be better if both systems shared the same keyboard and mouse.
Last week, I finished setting up my main computer, which uses Ubuntu, and today I needed to work with my MacBook Pro to be able to work with the iOS simulator.