Synergy+: Control Multiple Computers With A Single Mouse And Keyboard [Windows, Linux, Mac OSX]

With Synergy+, you can share a single mouse and keyboard between multiple computers (and operating systems, as Synergy+ works on Linux, Windows and Mac OSX) using only a LAN connection. The applications should be really useful for users with multiple computers.

WebUpd8 reader Stuart Zurcher writes:

I use it with my desktop (Manhattan OS) and laptop (Windows 7 due to edu requirements) to provide more screen space or to be able to use my desktop keyboard and mouse on the laptop. It takes a little configuration to make work but is really handy. Also works great for copying from one system to the other.

Why "Synergy+"? Because this is a maintenance fork of the original Synergy for which the development stopped in 2006. Synergy+ adds lots of important bug fixes, support for Windows services on Vista and Windows 7 and a new GUI.

Synergy+ main features include:

• Move your mouse easily between computers
• Requires nothing other than existing ethernet
• Copy and paste between your computers
• No need to press any buttons (unlike KVM)
• You can still use multiple monitors on the same computer
• Lock the mouse to one screen temporarily (useful for games)

Using Synergy+

Synergy+ comes with a client and server. To see all the available options, open a terminal and type:

-for the client:

synergyc --help

-for the server:

synergys --help

Note that on Linux and Mac OSX, you'll have to create a config file.

For more info and how to use, see the Synergy Plus wiki page.

Install Synergy+ In Ubuntu

There is a PPA available for Ubuntu users (Jaunty, Karmic and Maverick) so to install Synergy+, simply paste the following commands in a terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:northern-lights/synergy-plus
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install synergy-plus

Important: as you can see, there's no package in the above PPA for Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx users. You will find 32bit and 64bit .deb files which will work in Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx @ Synergy+ download page (link below)!


Download Synergy+ (includes Windows .exe, Mac OSX .dmg, Linux .deb and .rpm and source files)

Image credits: deskography.org; Thanks to Stuart Zurcher for the tip!