You can use two Windows machines at once with a single keyboard and mouse without any special hardware. I had an extra laptop lying around that now connects with the same keyboard and mouse as my PC. It gives me the extra screen real estate of a double-monitor setup and the extra processing power of the laptop. Here’s how you can quickly and easily set it up yourself too.
Why Mouse Without Borders Is Different
To use a mouse or keyboard on two computers at the same time, you’d typically need something called a KVM switch. It’s a piece of hardware that the peripherals plug into, which then connects with the computer. You then press a button on the KVM switch or a hotkey combination on the keyboard to switch between the computers.
Happily, we don’t need that extra hardware because we can emulate it with a tiny utility from Microsoft. The tool is Mouse Without Borders, and it works surprisingly well. You don’t even need to manually switch between devices because it’s completely seamless. You can simply drag the cursor between the computers or type wherever the focus is. Keyboard shortcuts follow the cursor too.
Mouse Without Borders also has some nice extras, like a shared clipboard. You can even drag-and-drop files between the two machines, which comes in handy when working with multiple systems.
Getting Mouse Without Borders
Grab the free Mouse Without Borders installer from the Microsoft website, and install the tool on every computer you want to link. You can link up to four computers at the same time and create a horizontal or a double-row layout for the monitors.
It’s a lightweight tool that supports legacy systems all the way back to Windows Server 2003, so you shouldn’t have any trouble running it on any Windows machine.
Run the setup wizard like you would for any other app and launch Mouse Without Borders. Repeat the same for the second computer.
You might see antivirus popups when installing it, and the app might ask for admin access. You can safely ignore the first and grant the second because it’s an official app from Microsoft devs.
Linking Two Devices
I’ll be demonstrating Mouse Without Borders by linking two computers together, but the process is just the same for three or four.
Both devices need to be on the same network for Mouse Without Borders to link. Make sure to connect them to the same Wi-Fi or the same router with Ethernet connections.
On the first launch, Mouse Without Borders will prompt you to get started by asking if you have already installed the software on the other computer. On one computer, select “Yes.” On the second computer, select “No.”
The computer you clicked “No” on will now show the computer’s name and security code to link the two devices. Head back to the first computer and type in the security code as well as the computer name displayed on the second device.
We’ve installed Mouse Without Borders on both computers, but if you press “Yes” on both, you’ll have to dig into settings to find the security key and computer name. Instead, we click “No” on one computer, and it instantly shows the codes we need to link the two computers.
Then click “Link.” It’ll take a few seconds to connect and show a success message. Click “Next” twice to complete the setup.
If you get an error at this point instead, double check that you’re on the same Wi-Fi network or the Ethernet cables are connected to the same router.
This is a one-time setup, so you don’t need to punch in these codes every time you connect the two machines. The Mouse Without Borders service launches automatically on boot, and you can always find it in the system tray. Once two devices are paired, you can turn them off and on again, and they’ll remain linked.
You will need to go through the setup process again if you’re changing the network. In that case, just click the blue link labeled “Go through the setup experience” to pair the devices on a new network.
Works Seamlessly Everywhere
Mouse Without Borders launches at startup, and it stays linked as long as both machines are awake and on the same network. If you’ve ever used a multi-monitor setup, this Mouse Without Borders setup will feel pretty much identical.
You don’t need to manually switch between the two devices because the cursor can seamlessly jump between two machines just like a dual-monitor system. You can change the direction of the monitor layout using the computer matrix in Mouse Without Borders settings. Simply drag and rearrange the computer icons until the matrix matches their physical layout in space.
The keyboard also works just like it would in a multi-monitor setup. You can place the cursor on either device and the typing will follow the mouse focus without any manual switching. Keyboard shortcuts work the same.
You can copy text on one PC, paste it onto the other. You can also drag files from one computer to another. It’ll be copied to its desktop.
I have used this tool on old low-powered devices too (a couple of ancient Dell boxes and laptops), but the cursor lags and stutters on those. Any computer from the last 10 years should do just fine though. The performance is surprisingly smooth on modern hardware.
When reviewing tech, we tend to throw around the word “seamless” often. However, Mouse Without Borders actually earns it. You don’t need to buy extra hardware, the setup is easy, and once that’s done, you’ll forget it’s even here.