Share one mouse and keyboard between multiple PCs. Move your cursor across the screen edge and it continues on your other computer – with copy & paste of text and files and drag-and-drop file transfer between the PCs.
Think Mouse Without Borders, Synergy or Barrier – but as a single small .exe with no security key to type, no account and no cloud. Pair once by approving a request, like a payment confirmation on your phone.
Setting up Mouse Without Borders (PowerToys) means generating a security key, copying it across and typing it in on the other PC. MultiMouse removes that:
- Start
multimouse.exeon both PCs. - Click Connect on the second PC.
- Click Approve on the first PC (after checking that both show the same 6-digit code).
That's it – the PCs find each other automatically on your network and stay paired.
- 🖱️ Software KVM for Windows – one mouse and keyboard controlling two PCs; switch by moving the mouse over the screen edge or with
Ctrl+Alt+F12. - ✅ Approve-to-pair – no keys to copy, no codes to type. Unknown PCs can only send a request.
- 🔎 Automatic discovery of the other PC on the local network.
- 📋 Shared clipboard – copy text or files on one PC, paste on the other (
Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V). - 📁 File transfer between PCs – drag & drop files or folders into the window, or right-click → Send to → MultiMouse (other PC).
- 🔒 Encrypted & private – X25519 key exchange, per-device secrets, AES-256-GCM with a fresh key for every connection. Everything stays on your LAN.
- 🪶 Tiny & portable – a single static Go binary for Windows x64 and ARM64, no installer, no runtime, no background service.
- 🎛️ Compact UI – live status, approved PCs, transfers and settings in a small window; runs quietly in the system tray.
- Download
multimouse.exefrom the Releases page (or build it yourself – see below) and copy it to both PCs. - Run it. On the PC that owns the mouse and keyboard choose Primary PC, on the other choose Secondary PC.
- On the secondary PC click Connect next to the primary PC. On the primary PC check that the same code is shown, then click Approve.
- Move the mouse past the screen edge (right by default; changeable in the app) or press
Ctrl+Alt+F12.
The first start asks for administrator permission once to add a Windows Firewall rule so that your two PCs can reach each other. You can also trigger it from the warning banner in the app.
| MultiMouse | Mouse Without Borders (PowerToys) | Synergy / Barrier / Input Leap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | approve a request | generate & type a security key | configure server/client, screen layout |
Single portable .exe |
✅ | part of PowerToys | installer |
| Clipboard sharing | ✅ text & files | ✅ | ✅ (varies) |
| Drag & drop file transfer | ✅ | limited | varies |
| Windows | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Open source | ✅ MIT | ✅ MIT | ✅ / commercial |
This is a high-level comparison for orientation; those projects are great too and have features MultiMouse doesn't (for example macOS/Linux support).
Is this an alternative to Mouse Without Borders / PowerToys? Yes. It does the same core job – share a mouse and keyboard across PCs – with a simpler pairing flow.
Can I use one keyboard and mouse for two computers? Yes. That's the whole point. Both PCs need to be on the same network.
Does it work with more than two PCs? Not yet – currently one primary and one secondary PC. Multi-PC layouts are on the roadmap.
Does it work on macOS or Linux? No, Windows 10/11 only for now.
Do I need an internet connection or an account? No. Everything is local; there is no cloud, telemetry or account.
Why does Windows ask for administrator permission?
Only once, to add an inbound Windows Firewall rule for multimouse.exe. MultiMouse itself runs as a normal user.
Can it control admin windows, UAC prompts or the lock screen?
Not unless MultiMouse runs as administrator. Ctrl+Alt+Del can't be forwarded.
Requires Go (see go.mod) on Windows.
./build.ps1
# or
go build -trimpath -ldflags "-H=windowsgui -s -w" -o dist/multimouse.exe .Run the tests with go test ./....
Icon & version info are embedded through rsrc_windows_*.syso. To regenerate them:
go run ./tools/genicon # renders assets/icon.ico and assets/icon.png
go generate ./... # rebuilds the .syso files from versioninfo.json| Part | Details |
|---|---|
| Capture | Low-level mouse/keyboard hooks on the primary PC. While the cursor is "on" the other PC, events are swallowed locally and forwarded. |
| Injection | SendInput on the secondary PC (absolute coordinates over the virtual desktop). |
| Transport | One TCP connection (port 24800), framed and encrypted. Input has priority over bulk data (files, clipboard). |
| Discovery | UDP broadcast on port 24801 advertising a host ID, name and port. |
| Pairing | Ephemeral X25519 exchange → both PCs derive and show a 6-digit short authentication string → the primary PC approves → a unique per-device secret is issued. |
| UI | Local web UI served on 127.0.0.1 (random port, per-run token) and shown in a Chromium/Edge --app window. |
Configuration is stored in %APPDATA%\MultiMouse\config.json and contains secrets – don't share it.
- An unpaired PC can only send a pairing request. It cannot control the primary PC or read anything.
- Always compare the 6-digit code before approving. If it differs, deny the request.
- Removing a device on the primary PC revokes it immediately.
- The local UI only listens on loopback and requires a token plus a matching
Host/Origin. - Clipboard sharing sends everything you copy – including passwords – to the other PC. Turn it off in Settings if you don't want that.
Please report vulnerabilities privately – see SECURITY.md.
- More than two PCs / flexible screen layouts
- Signed releases and an installer / winget package
- macOS and Linux support
Issues and pull requests are welcome. Please run gofmt and go test ./... before submitting.
Keywords: Mouse Without Borders alternative, share mouse and keyboard between two computers, software KVM switch for Windows, multi-PC mouse and keyboard sharing, PowerToys Mouse Without Borders replacement, Synergy / Barrier / Input Leap alternative, cross-PC copy paste, transfer files between PCs, multi-computer control.