Install on Linux

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Quick answer

Install with the one-line script, give your user access to /dev/uinput with a udev rule and the input group, then log out and back in. Wayland control needs GNOME 45+ or Plasma 6.1+; otherwise use an Xorg session.

EasySwitch on Linux is a native x64 app. It can always be controlled by another machine, and it can control others on Wayland (through the input-capture portal) or on X11.

Install

curl -fsSL https://easyswitch.realbrain.cc/install.sh | sh

It installs to ~/.local/bin and adds a launcher entry. A tarball is also on the download page.

Give it access to uinput

To move the mouse and type, EasySwitch writes to /dev/uinput. The Setup checklist prints the exact commands for your system; they amount to a udev rule plus adding yourself to the input group:

echo 'KERNEL=="uinput", GROUP="input", MODE="0660", OPTIONS+="static_node=uinput"' | sudo tee /etc/udev/rules.d/99-easyswitch-uinput.rules
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules && sudo udevadm trigger
sudo usermod -aG input "$USER"

Log out and back in for the group change to take effect.

Wayland or X11?

SessionBeing controlledControlling others
Wayland (GNOME 45+, Plasma 6.1+)WorksWorks via the InputCapture portal
Wayland (older desktops)WorksNot supported — use an Xorg session
Xorg / X11WorksWorks via input grabs

A couple of Wayland limits to know: this machine can’t be a keyboard-only source (the follow-focus keyboard feature), it can’t originate a drag-and-drop, and the switch chords only work while it’s the machine in control. All of these work on an Xorg session.

Clipboard files need FUSE

Copying and pasting files between machines uses virtual files backed by FUSE (fusermount3 and /dev/fuse), which ships on most desktop distributions. If it’s missing, file transfer falls back to a more limited path; text and images are unaffected.

Fix a laggy remote cursor over Wi-Fi

If the cursor feels sluggish when this laptop is being controlled over Wi-Fi, the cause is almost always Wi-Fi power saving on the receiving machine. The Setup card offers a NetworkManager fix that disables power-save for your connection.

The tray icon on GNOME

GNOME hides legacy tray icons by default. EasySwitch still runs and works; to see its icon, install a AppIndicator extension. On most other desktops the icon shows without extra steps.

See also