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Magic Switch: Share Apple Magic keyboard/track-pad/mouse between two Macs

79 points · 45 comments · chanux

  1. Aaargh20318 · · focus · HN ↗
    Very useful tool. I’m using this in combination with BetterDisplay to switch between my personal and work laptop.

    I have both hooked up to 2 monitors. A shortcut triggers MagicSwitch to switch my keyboard and mouse to the other machine, while it uses BetterDisplay to send a DDC command to the monitors that makes it switch inputs.

    Bound the whole thing to a key combo, and now I can easily switch between two machines.

    1. gmac · · focus · HN ↗
      I have something similar set up with a Logitech MX keyboard and mouse. I have the added constraint that one laptop is locked to a VPN and thus inaccessible on the local network.

      * Using the keyboard's switch-device button moves the keyboard to the other laptop.

      * Logitech's Options+ app automatically switches the mouse to the same device in response.

      * Claude vibe-coded me a native app that runs on both laptops and sends a DDC command to the monitor to switch inputs any time it detects keyboard and mouse both going away in quick succession: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;github.com&#x2F;jawj&#x2F;mxswitch" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;github.com&#x2F;jawj&#x2F;mxswitch

      1. evek · · focus · HN ↗
        Made something very similar recently, minus the monitor input switching:

        <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=49823733">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=49823733

        In this case the key thing was to make this work with an old MX Master, which isn’t properly supported for one-button multi-device easy switching.

      2. idiomltd · · focus · HN ↗
        I guess we really are all vibecoding the same things. I called mine Switchblade.
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