2023-06-01 09:34:42
Microsoft’s famous PowerToys are enriched with a new handy module, Mouse Without Borders, which allows you to control up to four PCs simultaneously with a single keyboard and a single mouse. Manual.
Do you have several PCs that you sometimes use simultaneously? To save some space on your desktop by avoiding cluttering it with multiple keyboards and mice, it is in your best interest to install the new edition of PowerToys, published at the end of main 22023. Indeed, version 0.70 of this famous pack of Utilities designed by Microsoft teams contains a handy module called Mouse Without Border – which might be translated as “mouse without borders” in French. Its goal: to control up to four PCs simultaneously with a single keyboard and a single mouse.
In practice, it suffices to simply move the mouse pointer towards the edge of a screen so that it automatically switches to the next one – and therefore to another PC –, the keyboard following the movement, to switch to the computer target. Small bonus: Mouse Without Border also allows files to be copied from one PC to another using the same method – provided that the size of the file does not exceed 100 MB. Magic!
Best of all, Mouse Without Border doesn’t require any special technical knowledge or complex settings to work. For this sharing system to work, the PCs simply have to be connected to the same local network – because it is via the network that this sharing system works -, that they use all the PowerToys in a compatible version and, of course sure that the function is activated and configured. Here’s how.
How to control two PCs with a keyboard and a mouse?
To share a keyboard and a mouse on several PCs simultaneously, it is necessary that all are connected to the same local network, whether by Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Then, each must run the Microsoft PowerToys in a compatible version ( 0.70 or later). For the example, we will use two PCs powered by Windows 11. But the operation also works very well with Windows 10.
► Make sure that both PCs are connected to the same network. Then download the latest version of PowerToys to each of them. If you already have the PowerToys on your PCs, simply update the application from the menu General de PowerToys.
Download PowerToys for Windows
► Open the PowerToys application on the PC with keyboard and mouse – the “master” PC. In the window that appears, click Mouse Without Borders in the left column.
► To section Activationclick on the switch to implement the function.
► Immediately, the options resulting from this function become accessible. To section Encryption keyClick on the button New key to generate an encryption key that will be used to connect your other PCs together and prevent anyone from taking control for you. Note the key made up of letters, numbers and special characters that is displayed. This is the only painful manipulation.
► On the second PC that you want to control using the keyboard and mouse of the first, launch the PowerToys. Proceed in the same way to activate the Mouse Without Borders function. To section Encryption keyclick on the arrow pointing down at the end of the line. In the field Security key, enter the encryption key generated on the first PC. Then enter the name of the first PC in the field PC name, as it appears on the master PC. Validate with a click on the button Connect.
► After a few seconds, the two PCs are connected. It is then enough to move the mouse towards the edge of the screen of one of the two PCs so that it passes on the screen of the second. Note that if a mouse is connected to each PC, any mouse can be used to switch from one to the other.
► To copy a file from one PC to another (provided that its size does not exceed 100 MB), simply drag it from one screen to another.
► Finally, keep in mind that the keyboard is active on the screen where the mouse pointer is.
► Mouse Without Borders offers several options. Scroll down the contents of the window. The option Share clipboard allows you to share the contents of the clipboard between different PCs. The option Transfer file corresponds to the copying of files as seen previously. You can also prevent the screensaver from triggering on other PCs, set up hotkeys to switch between PCs, etc.
► When you are done using Mouse Without Borders, just turn off the option. Note that the encryption key remains the same (unless you wish to modify it) and that it will therefore not be necessary to renew the entry the next time you want to use the function.
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