Share One Mouse/Keyboard Between Windows & Mac with Barrier

How to use a free program called Barrier to share your mouse and keyboard between multiple computers that are next to each other. In this situation, I'm sharing a mouse/keyboard between my Windows desktop and my Mac Mini.
Barrier's Page on GitHub: github.com/deb...
Written Guide: kevinsguides.c...
Tip Jar: kevinsguides.c...
TROUBLESHOOTING:
See bottom of this page: kevinsguides.c...

[@macaronniesaus7839]

Bro! This works PERFECT! Always struggled between switching between my WINDOWS PC and MACBOOK! Now it's just a sweep to the left and it works perfectly!

[@bcarajesh]

keyboard is connecting even mouse is also but moouse does not seem to client

[@macaronniesaus7839]

@@flyhigh5066 to be honest I really don’t know. Not using it on Ventura. Perhaps it’s a rights thing? Something with running something as an administrator.

[@andrewniedziela]

This was incredibly useful and informative Kevin, thank you!

[@Tashatheshowstopper]

Excellent tutorial. I had to switch the configuration to make my Macbook the Server and my PC the client, but it's working now! Thanks!

[@MajorUpgrade]

Fantastic tutorial! I got my main rig hooked up with my 2ndary PC that controls my big TV next to my desk. They are both windows machines, but it worked exactly the same. I did have to manually configure the "server" IP on the 2ndary machine's agent. So now I don't have to keep getting up to put a movie on or something, nor do I have to even touch the keyboard/mouse for the laptop. I have used this product before, but it was years ago... I am so glad I found your guide. One thing I would add to this guide would be to remind people that if they want barrier to be persistent after reboot, that they should go back to the settings as before and tick the box next to "Start Barrier on startup". Otherwise, this was a flawless tutorial. Thank you so much! 🤘

[@rafaelmeirasilva9451]

I tried 2 times: first, Windows (server) and 2. Mac (client), but it did not work for me. Then, I changed to 1. Mac (server - with 1 monitor) and 2. Windows (client - with 2 monitors) and it worked perfectly. Thanks for the great tutorial!

[@OhmVibe]

Same. This is the only config that ultimately ended up working for me. Works great though, clipboard and everything. Also able to use the Mac keyboard to trigger Windows keyboard shortcuts as if I was directly connected to my Windows machine, which is really helpful.

[@nikatskhvediani6298]

It worked OMG. Thanks a lot for straight and detailed explanation. Respect

[@kennyschiff]

Thank you. I was trying to connect two windows machines and it wasn't working. Some of the config steps you spelled out where not obvious to me, but your video helped clear things up for me.

[@shubhamyadav007]

bro this is sick i was just wandering if i can hover between my pc and mac just googled ur video came i did as u said and it worked in first go wow and trust me now its so convinient working between the two thanks a lot and I realized whatever you think of is already invented somewhere also do i have to do this every time I startup

[@hsbrasil8565]

Amazing, just saved some money because of barrier and your tutorial, thank you!

[@lettherebelightfixtures]

You are the man. I almost spent hours trying to compile synergy from source and I was already getting errors from step 2 lol. Thanks

[@Krishanjohnson]

Im running maOS Ventura Version as the client and server is windows 11 except the cursor failed to appear on the Mac the rest works. I installed v2.3.4 for the windows 11 pc and followed the exact steps on the video and installed the v2.4.0 for Mac and it worked seamlessly thank you so much

[@albertoguadalupe3988]

This is basically synergy but free, I love it

[@KevinsGuides]

It's an open-source fork of synergy :)

[@-Livingstone]

@@KevinsGuides does it works on ipad

[@yashmalik3037]

Best explanation and to the point, thanks a lot

[@Sadaqatvlogs603]

Hi I was trying Macbook with window I followed step by step at the end but not working mouse in both device can you tell me please what should i do

[@shaikbasha3882]

it worked only when i have made my mac as the server and windows as client , although its perfect thanks

[@holtrixstudios]

Much appreciated, there is a slight delay sometimes but works well, thanks for the video!

[@Starwarsgames66]

I’m pretty sure that’s dependent on your network. I have my computers hooked up to the same switch and I never have any delays. If I put one on Wi-Fi, there’s definitely a slight delay.

[@holtrixstudios]

Yeah, thanks@@Starwarsgames66

[@Harsh-gq3ro]

Nice package. It works seamlessly between the devices.

[@traida111]

thanks, my issue was server not starting, realized i changed my server name in settings but didnt change name in layout view. Need have same server name in both areas.

[@bryanmaldonado576]

Thanks! Finally got mine to work. You're awesome ☺

[@BenjaminBiswas]

Really great tutorial, it's help me a lot. Thank you so much.

[@briankgarland]

Mouse without Borders works better for me. But I will be trying Barrier's successor, Leap-Input I believe it's called, once it comes out. If it ever does.

[@jadhasan9942]

Incredible explanation, thank you very much

[@MrMoonwalkingBear]

Thank you sir!

[@AkSeapilot]

Hey thanks.. your guide (and troubleshooting) was helpful.. Moreso than the other guide i watched. You may want to put a sticky top comment to let people know where the troubleshooting tips are - or add to the description or beginning/end of video.. Subbed.. Thanks again!

[@DevHub-ft4qc]

Thank you, it worked

[@nikel1720]

thanks you, best explication in yt, you save mi patience

[@DrGodwinDHL7S]

Thanks. Worked perfectly for me.

[@nathangdl]

Thanks for share, basic and works!

[@agusmedianto4139]

Thank you. It worked perfectly

[@nthlikeyou]

I have followed every step but for some reason I still can't control my mac with my main keyboard and mouse and I have followed everything that you have showed in the video

[@StephenMcGregor1986]

Hypothetically lets say this is my setup - Linux PC with 3x monitors, Mac with 3x monitors and Windows with 3x monitors Would barrier be able to work it so you could have it go from one "side" of the 9 monitors all the way to the other side?

[@Kxchtrn]

Thanks a lot man. It works well. God bles u!! :)

[@ajsreviews1]

I tried warless keyboard and mouse but not supported anyway thanks for your help. I think yours is wire.

[@remi_vasquez]

Simple and grate explanation! thanks.

[@hibernian87]

Is there cli support for switching computers? I'd like to put a command in a script that will also change my monitor input.

[@Mister29720]

nice ! a very good free alternative to sharemouse !

[@KoZeroSM]

Thank you!!!

[@TheLetsPlayCommunity]

Thanks for the video, pal.

[@MarkAppleTV]

Is there any chance of this extending to Android, specifically Samsung Dex?

[@guickz]

Thanks, it helped me a lot.

[@nimrodlevy]

great video, nontheless - alt+shift not working in virtual keyboard as well as print-screen and win+l - locks only the server

[@Kaeden88]

One question that I can't figure out. Is there a way to have it start up so that when my Mac boots (client), the program starts before I'm required to put in my login password? Using Sharemouse in the past I had to have a physical KVM to temporarily enable the switch because it wouldn't start before the OS booted fully. Do you run into this as well?

[@Eclipsiss]

Thank you very much this helped alot. Do you know any ways to make it slightly less laggy. I followed all the steps but moving my mouse around on the mac is very slow and laggy. Any fixes or just better wifi connection?

[@d3dic]

For me on my macbook Barrier just gets stuck on Barrier is starting and the app freezes

[@lucosweb]

THANK FRIEND

[@thecgr]

OMg! it's working now ! thanks

[@elmehdi8593]

THANK YOU SO MUCH MAN.

[@DJFrizzie]

Hi can you help pls, my mac refuses to connect to my windows. Mac refuses to act as a client

[@udotrades123]

I connected 2 windows pc’s. I dont see the mouse but i can click and it seems to work. Any ideas how do i do it so i see the mouse?

[@sanketnegi1]

Great explanation.. But the setup still does not seem to work.. My server is Mac and client Windows

[@solaflare.]

same

[@_dinesh]

Wow this is great! ❤

[@doofy3564]

wooooo thank you kevin!

[@vertigoz]

on mac one uses command + c and on windows ctrl + c would it be possible to use the same key as shortcut instead of having to shitch back and forth between ctrl and command?

[@incognito3223]

thank you

[@MayureshSadhale]

tried everything but still not helping ... i am using on Macbook and Windows laptop ... tried switching it server and client but still no luck ! what to do more here ?

[@LongNguyen-zi4pm]

I followed your instructions and was able to use the mouse on both machines but the keyboard is not. can you help me? windows is server and my imac is client

[@josegermanx]

Thanks a lot bro!!

[@ent1tyyyyyy]

Can I configure the server in the middle and client + 2nd monitor on left and right?

[@exorsuschreudenschadenfreude]

it's magic! thank you so much

[@yayadev]

Thanks

[@the_dem.]

Haven't been able to get this to work for two years Mac is the server and windows is the client, on the Mac it logs this: FATAL: failed to start server: cannot bind address: Can't assign requested address I need help

[@Rootblack04]

Thank you So much ❤❤

[@gAmErGRiLLLL]

This is actually crazy good lol

[@jasonbourne757]

Do the pc's need to be connected via some sorts cable or router or something?

[@fatihmahir7321]

what should i own to do this?wireless keyb and mouse or not?

[@romeewandel]

My Windows laptop and Macbook cant find each other. They are on the same network (WiFi) and when I fill in the IP adresses it wont work either + the other way around

[@deepansharya1111]

Thank you so much!

[@hollynguyen3433]

I did all of this, but it still isn't working. Any suggestions as to what I could do next to try and troubleshoot?

[@Zenantsy]

it worked but it's slow and not consistent between my MacBook pro and surface go 2

[@evankuntz6412]

Is it possible to do this with a Windows laptop as the server, and Ipad as the client? My intuition says no, as OS for Mac and Ipad are likely different and I won't be able to run barrier on my iPad, is this correct, or is there a way? Thanks!

[@andrewklotz350]

Thanks Kevin I'm running a Windows 10 server with a Mac client (Monterey), a Logi keyboard that has CTRL, Opt/Start, Cmd/Alt keys. Strangely, when I use barrier I have to Opt + C to copy on the Mac...and can't figure out why it's not taking the cmd + c...have you had experience with this?

[@KevinsGuides]

Yes, on the server, go to configure server, open the screen for the mac, and then try swapping the super and ctrl modifier keys. Then reload and see if that fixes.

[@andrewklotz350]

@@KevinsGuides Thanks Kevin! Doing that mapped Super (Cmd) to ctrl on my physical keyboard, which is consistent with the Windows keybinding. Would you know what Barrier means with the term "Meta"?

[@mc4mana]

Awesome vid dude. Just wondering will this work on one wide monitor that supports PBP?

[@mc4mana]

Tried on MAC and Windows using one monitor that supports PBP and it didnt work :(

[@KevinsGuides]

@@mc4mana I see no reason why it shouldn't work as that's basically the same thing as two monitors next to each other, all I'd say is double check both computers are on same network (wired or wireless), ip address typed correctly, screen name correct in proper position, ssl turned off on both, and finally reload both.

[@Ramigarvini]

Muchas Gracias!! :)

[@igork3522]

Thx much. Works great! I am just wondering if I make MBP my server, will I be able to use mac gestures on windows :)will see

[@astropgn]

Any updates? I guess you can't use the same gestures, but did it work for you?

[@heing1989]

I love you man. You're the best.

[@heing1989]

The program stopped working :( IT never starts

[@1QueenHana]

Hi, I hope anyone can help...so after moving barrier into apps folder on mac, and I try to launch it, I get a pop up that says: 'Barrier quit unexpectedly'....I have tried everything to fix it, but can't. Any help would be appreciated.

[@williamrosario2577]

thank you bro

[@remyheilmann692]

Hi Kevin, thanks for sharing. I have a server Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 and a client MacBook Air M2, they somehow connect but I can not see the mouse on the mac screen, however, the control is somehow there. I did not get the Bonjour installation request like in your video for the Windows machine. Any idea how to fix this?

[@iiDaxter]

Same issue here. It is stuck too it doesn't move and I can't move back to windows pc

[@1upAlan]

@@iiDaxter same issue, I'm using Ubuntu and Windows (as server)

[@iiDaxter]

@@1upAlan I just used the sharemouse free trial

[@taklaadel5117]

it work with my pc and mac but when they shut down the barrier no longer work .. can you please how can i fix it or how to remove the settings that i did to reinstall it ( because i tried to reinstall it many times but it does not work ) thanks in advance

[@Toralero]

worked great!

[@Digithaiz]

Thanks you bro

[@ThisIsAbstract]

You're amazing thank you so much! (Tips in my comments, if anyone is having trouble)

[@ThisIsAbstract]

I made iMac the server and PC the client. -Make sure you're downloading the right file (exe for the PC, and dmg for Mac) - mine showed "SSL: disabled" on the main screen but I still had to go to Barrier>change settings>disable ssl for both client and server to make it to work -the "change settings" menu will also show the port on both so you can check if it's still not working -watch the video again! Works great, good luck everyone!

[@TheHyprBeastX]

@@ThisIsAbstract it works when i use my mac as the server, but when i try using the winows laptop as the server the mac just says :timed out in the log do you know how to fix this as it would be a lot more convenient for me if the windows laptop was the pc and i'd rather just use the mac trackad separately if it's unfixable

[@TheHyprBeastX]

never mind it was just my firewall acting up on the windows laptop... i fixed it now thanks anyways

[@muncar5054]

barrier doesnt work in Ventura 13.1 --- it wont open. Accessibility has been granted. It fails to recognize the granted permission. keep asking for it.

[@deborabandeira.]

I could not connect either until I restarted both laptops. Then it worked, as Mac being the server

[@rmjaln]

Ventura - go to privacy&security>security allow anyway

[@kasuncj]

yes not work for me windows and M2 Pro

[@Fl0m963]

thank you ...

[@levydz477]

thank u kevin :D great video it's very nice i 'm subcribe bro :)

[@flyhigh5066]

can i share 2 windows laptops with a macbook?

[@bjdude18]

Champion, you got a like and a sub!

[@leonardohernandez9804]

Barrier stopped working after mac automatic updates. Anyone experience this?

[@JimmusTheGreat]

Does this interfere at all when you are playing games? Or is this just something you turn off before you start playing anything to be safe? I saw your games up there and I was curious if you ran into any issues while using this.

[@KevinsGuides]

Yes I would normally stop it before playing games and start again when done. It can mess up or the cursor can get stuck if you leave it running with some fullscreen apps.

[@Kaeden88]

@@KevinsGuides Great guide first of all. But I found within the settings that you can quickly assign a keybind combo for when doing something like playing games and the cursor isn't locked to the screen. Press the key combo to toggle the lock, and then again to turn it off. I use Ctrl+W for example but you can make it whatever you want. If that's the issue you were referring to at least. This toggle basically locks the cursor to whichever computer you're actively on at the moment.

[@freakish1732]

Thanks bro

[@legionsman7476]

will this work with my PC and iPad Pro?

[@paulatapiakasic]

THANK UUUUU

[@Dahamck]

Amazing!

[@roantt9434]

what about linux + windows??

[@mohamedabusamra2551]

Thank you

[@laalaa99stl]

It works. Kinda. My mouse pointer disappears. 😕 W10x64 server, W10x64 client, Barrier 2.4.0.

[@laalaa99stl]

My solution was to use "mouse without borders." Much more reliable if you're Windows only.

[@chancechandler9992]

thanks

[@kasuncj]

not work for me windows and M2 Pro

[@-Livingstone]

Does it works with ipad

[@iiDaxter]

Does this work on M2?