Share a single keyboard and mouse between multiple Macs

April 17, 2012 in Apps by Angelina Roberts

Have you ever thought about using a single keyboard and mouse between multiple Macs?How about using your keyboard and mouse,connected to your Mac,to control an additional PC,running Windows or Linux?Now it is possible,with the help of an awesome free tool called Synergy.It might sound like a science fiction,but,you can even copy and paste between the different operating systems!Setting it up is a no-brainer.Here’s how you do it:

Requirements:
1)Mac OS X: Download SynergyKM (free) and install it on all Macs involved.
2)Windows and Linux(optional): Download Synergy client (free) if you want to share a keyboard and mouse with a PC.
3)Make sure each computer is on the same local network.
Next step is to confirm that SynergyKM and Synergy is installed on each computer you wish to share a keyboard and mouse between.Almost every operating system is supported,including Mac OS X Snow Leopard,OS X Lion,OS X Mountain Lion,Windows XP through Windows 7,Ubuntu Linux,Fedora Linux etc.But these instructions will cover the setup with SynergyKM from a Mac standpoint.The only difference when connecting a Windows or Linux computer is the respective interface used to setup the connection.
In order to make this walkthrough simple and easy to understand we’ll define the main Mac with the attached keyboard and mouse as the “host server” and any connected Macs,sharing that keyboard and mouse – as a “client”.This is a multiple step process that starts with the host server and moves on to each client from there.

Share a single keyboard and mouse between multiple Macs.
From the Host Server:
1)Open System Preferences and click the “SynergyKM” control panel.
2)Under “General” choose “Share my keyboard and mouse” and click the “Turn Synergy On” button.

3)Click the “Server Configuration” tab,this is where you will set up the arrangement and orientation of each computer..
4)Click the “+” button to add computers.First add the host server and name it after the machines network Sharing name(MacBook Pro,for instance),then add more screens as appropriate,naming each after their respective network,share names and place them according to their physical layout.

5)On the host server computer,confirm that Synergy is turned on from the General tab and then move to the client computers.
Now,your host server status should be waiting for client connections.

From the Client Computers:

1)Open System Preferences and click the “SynergyKM” control panel.
2)Click on “General” tab and choose “Connect to a shared keyboard and mouse”

3)Click the “Client Configuration” tab and enter the hostname of the Server,or type in the host machine’s IP-address.
4)Go back to the “General” tab and click “Turn Synergy On”
The “Status” shown at the bottom of SynergyKM host and client machines should now say “Connected”.
Voila!As simple as that.Now you are able to drag the mouse cursor between each computer.
It is crucial to name each entry to match the machines network Sharing name.Find the names clicking on “Sharing” panel in the System Preferences on each Mac,it will be next to “Computer Name”.If you experienced problems with setup or connections,it is almost certainly related to the naming of either the host server or the clients.