MagicInput

Why MagicInput

Your Mac's keyboard and trackpad are right there, and so is the PC's monitor. MagicInput lets one set of hands drive both, without a hardware switch or a cloud account.

Capability	What it gives you
Works both ways	Drive the PC from the Mac, or the Mac from the PC's keyboard and mouse. Whichever you're touching is in charge.
Just push past the edge	Auto mode needs no setup: push firmly past the left or right edge. Or arrange the screens exactly.
Arrange like System Settings	Drag the PC next to your displays, iPad (Sidecar) included, and move the iPad itself. The pointer crosses only where the screens touch, at the matching height.
Keyboard follows the click	No keyboard on the PC? Click into a text field with its own mouse and keep typing on the Mac keyboard (and the other way round).
Copy and paste across	Copied text follows the pointer to the other computer.
AirDrop to the PC	AirDrop from your iPhone to the Mac while you're working on the PC, and the file lands in the PC's Downloads folder.
Mac shortcuts on the PC	⌘C copies on Windows (Ctrl and ⌘ swap automatically; can be turned off).
Private and local	Finds the other computer on your network by itself. Encrypted end to end, paired with a short code, refuses anything outside your local network. No account, no cloud, no telemetry.
Smooth on Wi-Fi	Late pointer updates are replayed as a quick glide instead of a jump.
Out of the way	Starts at login and runs at about 0.1% CPU. The settings panel only exists while it's open; the menu bar icon is optional.
Free, with every feature	Free for personal use. The source is public: read every line, have it audited, or build it yourself.

Installation

MagicInput is free for personal use, with every feature. Using it for a business needs a business license.

• macOS: download MagicInput.dmg, open it and drag MagicInput to Applications. It is signed and notarized by Apple and runs on Apple silicon and Intel. Or with Homebrew:

  brew install --cask betoxf/tap/magicinput
  

• Windows: download MagicInput-Setup.exe, run it and click Install. It installs MagicInput for you, starts it at login, allows it through the firewall on private networks and adds it to the Start menu and to Settings → Apps. To update, run the new setup; your settings are kept.

[!NOTE] The Windows setup isn't code-signed yet, so SmartScreen may say "Windows protected your PC" the first time. Click More info → Run anyway. You can check every download against SHA256SUMS.txt in the release.

Requirements

• A Mac with macOS 13 Ventura or newer, and a PC with Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit)
• Both on the same local network (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)

Quick start

1. Install it on both computers and open it once on each.
2. On the Mac, allow access. macOS asks for Accessibility and Input Monitoring for MagicInput (System Settings → Privacy & Security). It starts working as soon as both are on.
3. Pair them. In the panel, click the link icon to see this computer's code, and type it into Other computer's code on the other computer. They find each other automatically.
4. Move across. Push the pointer firmly past the left or right edge of your screen. To make it exact, drag the other computer to where it really sits in Displays.

Switching to the other computer’s own mouse or keyboard? A deliberate mouse movement, click, or key press reclaims control there. You can then cross its screen edge normally. Small mouse twitches are ignored.

The keyboard follows your last click when the clicked computer has no keyboard of its own. Click with the PC's own mouse (say, into a text field) and your Mac keyboard types there; click on the Mac again and it types on the Mac. It works the same the other way round. Moving a computer's own mouse deliberately also brings its keyboard back. Once a computer's own keyboard has been used, clicking it keeps each keyboard on its own computer: they only move together with the pointer when it crosses the edge. Turn it off entirely with keyboard_follows_click = false in the config file (magicinput config shows where it is).

AirDrop to your PC. Windows can't receive AirDrop, so the Mac passes it on: AirDrop a photo or file from your iPhone to the Mac while you're working on the PC, and it moves to the PC's Downloads folder and shows in Explorer. If you were working on the Mac, it stays there. Set airdrop = "always" or "never" in the Mac's config file to change that.

An iPad participates as a display connected to your Mac through Sidecar; MagicInput does not require or provide a standalone iPad app.

Control+Option+Esc on the Mac (Ctrl+Alt+Esc on the PC) always brings the pointer home.

Set it up with an AI assistant

Using Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor or another assistant that can run commands? Paste this on each computer:

Set up MagicInput on this computer by following
https://github.com/betoxf/Magicinput/blob/main/docs/AI_SETUP.md
Tell me when you need me to do something.

It installs MagicInput, works out whether this is the first or second computer, pairs them and checks the connection. You only click the permission switches on the Mac and the administrator prompt on Windows. Assistants can also run magicinput status at any time to see where things stand and what to do next.

Using it

Control	What it does
Menu bar / tray icon	Opens the panel (click away or press Esc to close). Hide it from its menu; opening MagicInput from Spotlight or the Start menu brings it back.
Displays	Your screens with their wallpapers, and the other computer. Drag the other computer along any edge; drag an iPad or external display to move it. Auto goes back to "push past the left or right edge".
Clipboard	Share copied text between the computers.
⌘ as Ctrl	Swap Ctrl and ⌘ between Mac and Windows so shortcuts feel native.
Menu bar	Show or hide the icon.
Sliders	Pointer and scroll speed for input arriving from the other computer.
Power button	Start MagicInput at login (on) or stop it (off).
Link icon	Pairing: this computer's code, a new code, or the other computer's code.

How it works

Each computer runs the same small background service. When the pointer reaches the edge that leads to the other computer, the service hides and freezes the local pointer and forwards your keyboard, mouse and scroll input over the network; the other computer replays it as if it came from its own devices. Crossing back hands control home again.

• Discovery: computers advertise themselves on the local network (Bonjour/mDNS) and only talk to ones using the same pairing code.
• Encryption: every connection uses the Noise protocol (X25519, ChaCha20-Poly1305) with a key derived from the pairing code. A wrong code can't connect, and the code itself is never sent.
• Local only: connections from outside your own subnet (internet, VPNs, Tailscale) are refused.
• Keys: keystrokes travel as layout-independent USB key codes, so each computer applies its own keyboard layout.
• Smoothness: each pointer update is timestamped; updates that Wi-Fi delivers late are replayed as a short glide.

See Architecture for the details.

Tips

• Choppy pointer over Wi-Fi? macOS uses a side channel (AWDL, for AirDrop, Sidecar and Universal Control) that pauses Wi-Fi for ~85 ms twice a second when your router is on a different 5 GHz channel. Setting the router's 5 GHz channel to 149 removes those pauses.
• Can't click an admin window on the PC? Windows blocks input into elevated apps unless the sender is elevated too; the installer's admin prompt takes care of this.
• Discovery blocked on your network? Point one computer at the other: magicinput peer 192.168.1.20.

Compared with other tools

	Mac and Windows together	Price	Setup
MagicInput	Yes	Free for personal use	Install on both computers and type a pairing code
Apple Universal Control	No (Mac and iPad only)	Free	Built into macOS
Mouse Without Borders (PowerToys)	No (Windows only)	Free	Part of PowerToys
Synergy	Yes, plus Linux	Paid	Choose a server and clients, name the screens
Deskflow, Input Leap	Yes, plus Linux	Free, open source	Choose a server and clients, name the screens
ShareMouse	Yes	Free with limits, paid for more	Install on each computer

MagicInput is made for one Mac and one Windows PC. There's no server to configure and no screen names: it finds the other computer by itself, and you arrange the screens the way System Settings does, iPad included. It also brings Mac habits to the PC (⌘C copies there too) and passes AirDrops on to the PC. If you need Linux or more than two computers, Deskflow and Synergy are great choices.

FAQ

How do I use one keyboard and mouse with a Mac and a Windows PC?

Install MagicInput on both computers and pair them with the code shown in the panel (see Quick start). Then push the pointer past the edge of the Mac's screen: it continues on the PC, and the keyboard follows it.

Is MagicInput a free alternative to Synergy, ShareMouse or Mouse Without Borders?

Yes, for a Mac and a PC. It's free for personal use with every feature, and the source is public. Businesses buy one license for all their computers (pricing).

Does Universal Control work with Windows?

No. Apple's Universal Control only links Macs and iPads. MagicInput brings the same push-past-the-edge feel to a Windows PC.

Can I AirDrop from my iPhone to a Windows PC?

Windows can't receive AirDrop, but MagicInput passes it on: AirDrop a photo or file to your Mac while you're working on the PC, and it lands in the PC's Downloads folder.

Can I copy and paste between a Mac and a PC?

Yes. Copied text goes with the pointer to the other computer, and ⌘C / ⌘V work on the PC too (Ctrl and ⌘ swap automatically).

Is it secure? Does it need the internet or an account?

No internet, no account, no cloud. The two computers talk only on your local network, encrypted end to end with your pairing code. Connections from outside your network are refused. See Privacy and security.

Does it work on Linux, or with more than two computers?

Not yet. MagicInput is for one Mac and one Windows PC (Windows 10 or 11, macOS 13 or newer).

Privacy and security

• Input, clipboard text and settings travel only between your two computers, encrypted.
• MagicInput has no servers, no account and no telemetry. With a monthly or yearly license, it fetches a fresh key from bullfighterstudio.com about once a day; that's the only server it talks to.
• Nothing is accepted from outside your local network.
• The macOS permissions (Accessibility, Input Monitoring) are what any keyboard/mouse sharing tool needs to see and send input.
• The source code is public, so you or your security team can audit exactly what it does, and check the downloads against the published checksums (how).

Report suspected vulnerabilities privately as described in the security policy.

Command line

The apps are all you need, but everything is scriptable. On a Mac the command is /Applications/MagicInput.app/Contents/MacOS/magicinput; on Windows, magicinput.exe.

Command	What it does
magicinput	Open the settings panel
magicinput pair [CODE]	Make a new pairing code, or use the other computer's
magicinput side auto|left|right|top|bottom	Where the other computer is (auto by default)
magicinput peer <address>	Connect to a fixed address if discovery doesn't work (auto to undo)
magicinput install / uninstall	Start (or stop starting) at login
magicinput status [--json]	Installed? Running? Pairing code, connection, computers nearby, license, and the next step
magicinput license [KEY]	Show the license, or activate a business license key
magicinput config	Show settings and where they're stored
magicinput run	Run the background service in the foreground (for debugging)

Build from source

The same code as the downloads. You need Rust. For the Windows build from a Mac, also brew install mingw-w64.

git clone https://github.com/betoxf/Magicinput.git
cd magicinput
cargo test
./scripts/bundle-mac.sh          # dist/MagicInput.app (UNIVERSAL=1 for Intel + Apple silicon)
./scripts/package-windows.sh     # dist/windows/

Repository map

src/
  core.rs          switching state machine (edges, crossing, glide, layout sync)
  net.rs           encrypted connection, discovery, local-network check
  geom.rs          screen geometry and arrangement math
  keymap.rs        macOS / USB HID / Windows key translation
  platform/        input capture and injection (macOS event tap, Windows hooks)
  ui.rs, ui.html   settings panel and menu bar / tray icon
  service.rs       start at login (LaunchAgent / scheduled task)
assets/            icons and brand masters
images/            README images (sources in docs/media-src)
scripts/           bundle, package and release scripts
installer/         Mac disk image and Windows setup (NSIS) definitions
Casks/             Homebrew cask
docs/              architecture, releasing, release notes

Project documentation

Document	Purpose
Architecture	Processes, protocol, security model and files.
Contributing	Local setup, change standards and validation.
Releasing	Versioning, notarization and release checklist.
Pricing	Free for personal use, business licenses, verifying downloads.
Security	Supported versions and private reporting.
Code of Conduct	Community expectations.

Contributing

Issues and focused pull requests are welcome. Start with CONTRIBUTING.md and use the issue forms.

Acknowledgements

• Synergy, Barrier, Input Leap and Deskflow, which proved software KVMs work
• Apple's Universal Control, for showing how effortless it should feel
• snow, tao and wry, mdns-sd and the other crates this builds on

MagicInput is an independent project by bullfighterstudio and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Apple or Microsoft.

License

Copyright © 2026 bullfighterstudio. MagicInput is source-available under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0: free for personal and other noncommercial use; business use needs a business license from bullfighterstudio.com/magicinput. Versions 0.3.0 to 0.4.0 were released under the GPL-3.0 and versions up to 0.2.0 under the MIT License; they stay under those licenses.