Geek Posted April 13, 2012 Posted April 13, 2012 <div class="KonaBody"><p><img src="http://osxdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/share-keyboard-and-mouse-multiple-macs.jpg" alt="Share single keyboard and mouse multiple Macs" title="share-keyboard-and-mouse-multiple-macs" width="620" height="326" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-29369" /></p> <p>Want to share a single keyboard and mouse between multiple Macs? How about using a keyboard and mouse attached to your Mac to control an additional PC running Windows or Linux, and even being able to share copy and paste data between the different operating systems? You can do that with the help of a great free tool called Synergy, and setting it up is easier than you might think.</p> <p><strong>Requirements</strong></p> <ul> <li>Mac OS X: <a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/synergykm/">Download SynergyKM</a> (free) and install it on all Macs involved</li> <li>Windows & Linux (Optional): <a href="http://synergy-foss.org/download/">download Synergy client</a> (free) if you wish to share a keyboard and mouse with a PC</li> <li>Each computer must be on the same local network</li> </ul> <p>Confirm that SynergyKM and Synergy is installed on each computer you wish to share a keyboard and mouse between. Nearly every major 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, amongst others, but this walkthrough will cover the setup with SynergyKM from a Mac standpoint. The only difference when connecting a Windows or Linux machine is the respective interface used to setup the connection.</p> <p>For the purpose of this walkthrough, we’ll define the primary 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 setup process, starting with the host server and moving to each client from there.</p> <h2 style="font-size:1.2em;">Share a Single Mouse & Keyboard Between Multiple Macs with SynergyKM</h2> <p><strong>From the Host Server:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Open System Preferences and click the “SynergyKM” control panel</li> <li>Under “General” choose “Share my keyboard and mouse” and click the “Turn Synergy On” button</li> <p><img src="http://osxdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/share-keyboard-mouse-synergy.jpg" alt="Share Keyboard and Mouse in Synergy" title="share-keyboard-mouse-synergy" width="388" height="259" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-29367" /></p> <li>Now click the “Server Configuration” tab, this is where you will set up the arrangement and orientation of each computer</li> <li>Click the [+] button to add computers. First add the host server and name it after the machines network Sharing name (example: MacBookPro), then add more screens as appropriate, naming each after their respective network share names and place them according to their physical layout</li> <p><img src="http://osxdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/synergy-km-configuration.jpg" alt="SynergyKM Configuration" title="synergy-km-configuration" width="463" height="141" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-29368" /></p> <li>On the host server machine, confirm that Synergy is turned on from the General tab and then move to the client computers</li> </ul> <p>The host server status should now be waiting for client connections.</p> <p><strong>From the Client Computers:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Open System Preferences and click the “SynergyKM” control panel</li> <li>Click on “General” tab and select “Connect to a shared keyboard and mouse”</li> <p><img src="http://osxdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/client-synergy-km-config.jpg" alt="Client SynergyKM Configuration" title="client-synergy-km-config" width="378" height="219" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-29371" /></p> <li>Click the “Client Configuration” tab and enter the hostname of the Server (example: MacBookPro), alternatively you can enter the host machines IP address</li> <li>Go back to the “General” tab and click “Turn Synergy On”</li> </ul> <p>The “Status” shown at the bottom of SynergyKM host and client machines should now say “Connected”.</p> <p>That’s it! You are now free to drag the mouse cursor between each computer. Keyboard control follows the cursor as does the clipboard. Screen savers will typically sync, as does waking each Mac from a screen saver, though a password must be entered on each individual Mac if a <a href="http://osxdaily.com/2011/01/17/lock-screen-mac/">lock screen</a> is used.</p> <p>It’s very important to name each entry to match the machines network Sharing name. Find the names by clicking on the “Sharing” panel in System Preferences on each Mac, it will be next to “Computer Name”. If you encounter problems with setup or connections, it is almost certainly related to the naming of either the host server or the clients.</p> <p>If you have an iPad but no extra Mac or PC laying around, you can use the third party <a href="http://osxdaily.com/2012/04/02/ipad-hidpi-retina-mac-air-display/">app Air Display</a> in a similar manner, though it basically just <a href="http://osxdaily.com/2012/04/11/8-great-ways-to-use-air-display-ipad/">extends the desktop</a>.</p> <p><em><a href="http://osxdaily.com/2011/10/22/mac-setups-macbook-pro-apple-cinema-display-ipad-2-macbook-air/">Topmost Mac picture</a> borrowed from a past <a href="http://osxdaily.com/category/mac-setups/">Mac setups</a> post.</em></p> </div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/nBT7IwhxgkuHIJglOaulqScD5NM/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/nBT7IwhxgkuHIJglOaulqScD5NM/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/nBT7IwhxgkuHIJglOaulqScD5NM/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/nBT7IwhxgkuHIJglOaulqScD5NM/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?a=8DqK0yHjkWA:tqAwIcP4a9U:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?a=8DqK0yHjkWA:tqAwIcP4a9U:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?i=8DqK0yHjkWA:tqAwIcP4a9U:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?a=8DqK0yHjkWA:tqAwIcP4a9U:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?i=8DqK0yHjkWA:tqAwIcP4a9U:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?a=8DqK0yHjkWA:tqAwIcP4a9U:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?a=8DqK0yHjkWA:tqAwIcP4a9U:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/osxdaily/~4/8DqK0yHjkWA" height="1" width="1"/> View the full article
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