deskflow – deskflow

Deskflow is a free and open source keyboard and mouse sharing app.
Use the keyboard, mouse, or trackpad of one computer to control nearby computers,
and work seamlessly between them.
It's like a software KVM (but without the video).
TLS encryption is enabled by default. Wayland is supported. Clipboard sharing is supported.

> [!TIP]
>
> Chat with us
>
> - Main discussion on Matrix: <code class="ra0-md-code">#deskflow:matrix.org</code> (Matrix clients)
> - Discussion also happens on IRC: #deskflow or #deskflow-dev on Libera Chat
> - Start a new discussion on our GitHub project.

Download

            

> [!NOTE]
> On Windows, you will need to install the
> Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable.
> Download latest: <code class="ra0-md-code">vc_redist.x64.exe</code> <code class="ra0-md-code">vc_redist.arm64.exe</code>

> [!TIP]
> For macOS users, the easiest way to install and stay up to date is to use Homebrew with our homebrew-tap.
> macOS reports unsigned apps as damaged. This occurs because we do not use an Apple certificate for notarization. Clear the quarantine attribute to run the app: xattr -c Deskflow.app

To use Deskflow, download one of our packages, install deskflow (from your package repository), or build it from source.

Stats




Contribute


There are many ways to contribute to the Deskflow project.

We're a friendly, active, and welcoming community focused on building a great app.

Read our Contributing page to get started.

For instructions on building Deskflow, use the wiki page: Building

Operating Systems

We support all major operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and Unix-like BSD-derived.

Windows 10 v1809 or higher is required.

macOS 13 or higher is required to use our CI builds for Apple Silicon machines. macOS 12 or higher is required for Intel macs or local builds.

Linux requires libei 1.3+ and libportal 0.8+ for the server/client. Additionally, Qt 6.7+ is required for the GUI.
Linux users with systems not meeting these requirements should use flatpak in place of a native package.

We officially support FreeBSD, and would also like to support: OpenBSD, NetBSD, DragonFly, Solaris.

Repology

Repology monitors a huge number of package repositories and other sources comparing package
versions across them and gathering other information.


Installing on macOS

When you install Deskflow on macOS, you need to allow accessibility access (Privacy & Security) to both the Deskflow app and the deskflow process.

If using Sequoia, you may also need to allow Deskflow under Local Network‍ settings (Privacy & Security).
When prompted by the OS, go to the settings and enable the access.

If you are upgrading and you already have Deskflow or deskflow
on the allowed list you will need to manually remove them before accessibility access can be granted to the new version.

macOS users who download directly from releases may need to run xattr -c /Applications/Deskflow.app after copying the app to the Applications dir.

It is recommended to install Deskflow using Homebrew from our homebrew-tap

To add our tap, run:

brew tap deskflow/tap

Then install either:

• Stable: brew install deskflow
• Continuous: brew install deskflow-dev

Similar Projects

In the open source developer community, similar projects collaborate for the improvement of all
mouse and keyboard sharing tools. We aim for idea sharing and interoperability.

• Lan Mouse -

Rust implementation with the goal of having native front-ends and interoperability with
Deskflow/Synergy.

• Synergy -

Downstream commercial fork. Synergy sponsors Deskflow with financial support and contributes code (learn more).

• Input Leap -

Inactive Deskflow/Synergy-derivative with the goal continuing Barrier development (now a dead fork).

FAQ

Is Deskflow compatible with Synergy, Input Leap, or Barrier?

Yes, Deskflow has network compatibility with all forks:

• Requires Deskflow >= v1.17.0.96
• Deskflow will _just work_ with Input Leap and Barrier (server or client).
• Connecting a Deskflow client to a Synergy 1 server will also _just work_.
• To connect a Synergy 1 client, you need to select the Synergy protocol in the Deskflow server settings.

_Note:_ Only Synergy 1 is compatible with Deskflow (Synergy 3 is not yet compatible).

Is Deskflow compatible with Lan Mouse?

We would love to see compatibility with Lan Mouse. This may be quite an effort as currently the way they handle the generated input is very different.

If I want to solve issues in Deskflow do I need to contribute to a fork?

We welcome PRs (pull requests) from the community. If you'd like to make a change, please feel
free to start a discussion or
open a PR.

Is clipboard sharing supported?

Absolutely. The clipboard-sharing feature is a cornerstone feature of the product and we are
committed to maintaining and improving that feature.

Is Wayland for Linux supported?

Yes! Wayland (the Linux display server protocol aimed to become the successor of the X Window
System) is an important platform for us.
The <code class="ra0-md-code">libei</code> and
<code class="ra0-md-code">libportal</code> libraries enable
Wayland support for Deskflow. We would like to give special thanks to Peter Hutterer,
who is the author of libei, a major contributor to libportal, and the author of the Wayland
implementation in Deskflow. Others such as Olivier Fourdan and Povilas Kanapickas helped with the
Wayland implementation.

Some features _may_ be unavailable or broken on Wayland. Please see the known Wayland issues.

Where did it all start?

Deskflow was first created as Synergy in 2001 by Chris Schoeneman.
Read about the history of the project on our
wiki.

Meow'Dib (our mascot)

!Meow'Dib

Deskflow Contributors


Synergy sponsors the Deskflow project by contributing code and providing financial support (learn more).

Deskflow is made by possible by these contributors.

License

This project is licensed under GPL-2.0 with an OpenSSL exception.