EasySwitchMac + Windows
A Mac and a Windows PC, one keyboard and one clipboard.
The mixed desk is the one the built-in tools do not cover. Apple's Universal Control links Macs to Macs. Microsoft's Mouse Without Borders links PCs to PCs. If you have one of each, you have already discovered that each free tool solves exactly half of your desk.
The short version
EasySwitch spans both. One keyboard and mouse drive the Mac and the PC, the clipboard carries text, images and files in either direction, you can drag a file from one screen into Finder or Explorer on the other, and either machine can become a real second display for the other. It runs on your own network, end-to-end encrypted, with no account — free for two computers, which is exactly this desk.
Neither free tool crosses the gap
| Capability | EasySwitch | Universal Control | Mouse Without Borders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows, macOS & Linux | Yes all three | No Apple devices only | No Windows only |
| Use another computer as a second monitor | Yes Pro | Partial Sidecar, to an iPad | No |
| Same-OS pairs (two PCs, two Macs) | Yes | Yes Mac to Mac | Partial two Windows PCs only |
| Works with any keyboard & mouse | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| End-to-end encrypted — free tier too | Yes Noise, every tier | Yes Apple's, built in | No not E2E |
| Clipboard: text, images & files | Yes | Yes between Apple devices | Yes text & files |
| File transfer & drag-and-drop | Yes up to 10 MB free, unlimited on Pro | Yes between Apple devices | Yes |
| Control from a phone or browser | Yes web bridge | No | No |
| Free tier | Yes 2 computers | Yes built into macOS | Yes |
| One-time price (no subscription) | Yes | Yes free | Yes free |
✓ yes · ~ partial or paid · — no. Competitor details as of 2026 — check each product's site for current terms.
This is not a knock on either one. Universal Control is excellent and free, and if your desk is all Apple you should use it — we say so on the comparison page. Mouse Without Borders is the same story for an all-Windows desk. The problem is only that a Mac and a PC together fall between them.
The Cmd and Ctrl problem
The muscle-memory tax on a mixed desk is real: copy is Cmd+C on one machine and Ctrl+C on the other, and your hand does not switch as fast as the cursor does.
EasySwitch can swap them for you. Turn on Swap Cmd ⇄ Ctrl shortcuts for a machine, and Cmd+C typed on the Mac keyboard arrives on Windows as Ctrl+C, while Ctrl+C from the PC keyboard arrives on the Mac as Cmd+C.
It ships off, on purpose. Silently remapping someone's modifier keys is the kind of help that becomes a bug report, so it is a per-machine switch you turn on deliberately. It engages only when exactly one of the two computers is a Mac, and it never touches Alt or Shift.
What crosses between them
- The cursor and keyboard. Slide off the edge of one screen onto the other machine; the keyboard follows the cursor.
- The clipboard. Text, images and files, in both directions.
- Files by drag-and-drop. Drag off one screen, drop into Finder or Explorer on the other.
- A whole display. Either machine can become a genuine second monitor for the other — a new display, not a mirror of the one you are looking at.
- Nothing else. No screen recording, no telemetry, no cloud account. Only what is listed above ever leaves a machine.
Common questions
How do I use one keyboard and mouse with a Mac and a Windows PC?
Install EasySwitch on both machines and put them on the same network. They find each other, you arrange the two screens to match how they sit on your desk, and the cursor crosses from one to the other at the shared edge. The keyboard follows the cursor. Nothing is plugged between the machines and no KVM switch is involved — it runs over your own network.
Does Cmd on the Mac become Ctrl on the PC?
It can, and it is a setting rather than a silent rewrite. Turn on "Swap Cmd ⇄ Ctrl shortcuts" for a machine and Cmd+C typed on a Mac keyboard lands on Windows as Ctrl+C, while Ctrl+C typed on a PC keyboard lands on a Mac as Cmd+C. It is off until you switch it on, it only applies when exactly one of the two computers is a Mac, and Alt and Shift are never touched.
Can I use Universal Control between a Mac and a Windows PC?
No. Universal Control works only between Apple devices — Macs and iPads signed in to the same Apple Account. It cannot see a Windows PC. Microsoft's Mouse Without Borders has the mirror-image limit: it links Windows PCs and cannot see a Mac. A mixed desk needs a tool that spans both, which is the gap EasySwitch fills.
Can I copy and paste between a Mac and a Windows PC?
Yes — text, images and files. Copy on either machine and paste on the other, or drag a file off one screen and drop it into Finder or Explorer on the other. Copying a large file puts a promise on the clipboard rather than pushing bytes immediately; the transfer starts when you paste.
Can my Windows PC be a second monitor for my Mac, or the other way round?
Both directions work. Pick the other machine, choose Extend, and your computer gains a real additional display that lives on the other one's screen — it is a new display, not a mirror of the desktop you are already using. Creating a display works from macOS 13 and later and from Windows 11, which asks once for a consented display driver the first time.
Does it need the internet, or an account?
Neither. Both computers talk directly over your local network, end-to-end encrypted, and the app has no account to create. A paid license is activated online once; after that it works with the internet unplugged.
Put it on both machines
Free forever for two computers — a Mac and a PC is two computers.