Free application "Barrier" that can share one keyboard / mouse with multiple PCs / Macs

Introducing "Barrier", a free application that can be shared with other PCs / Macs using a keyboard / mouse connected to one PC / Mac.

The genealogy of that "Synergy". Completely free "Barrier"

Speaking of keyboard and mouse sharing tools for both Windows and Mac, there are "Synergy" and "Share Mouse". However, "Synergy" is charged, and "Share Mouse" is also a function of the paid version only for business use, multi-display environment, and file transfer.

"Barrier" introduced this time is an open source project forked from that keyboard / mouse sharing tool "Synergy", which is famous for old PC heavy users. The feature is that it can be used for free.

"Barrier" is not as easy to set up as "Share Mouse", and it seems that the file transfer function cannot be used between Mac and Windows (in the environment at hand), but once set, the operation is quite stable. In addition, it is an application that can be used for free even in a multi-display environment.

download

Click here to download the keyboard / mouse sharing tool "Barrier".

Download "~ .exe" (for Windows) and "~ .dmg" (for mac OS) in "Asset".

The latest version at the time of writing (2022/2/24) is ver 2.4.0.

I was able to connect with ver 2.4.0 with either Windows or a combination of Windows (server) + Mac (client), but if I can not connect with the latter combination, once connect both with ver 2.3.4, then ver 2.4 There is a case where you could connect by re-inserting .0. (In the environment at hand, if it is ver 2.4.0, it may not be possible to connect due to an SSL authentication error at the beginning.)

This time, I will explain on the assumption that "Japanese" is selected at the time of installation.

How to use "Barrier"

I think that those who use this app are intermediate PC users and above, so I will explain only the points.

(Here, it is assumed that the keyboard and mouse are shared between Windows.)

1. Install "Barrier" on both server and client
2. Launch "Barrier" on both server and client
3. Check the "IP address" of the server
4. Set the server "IP address" on the client
5. Check the "monitor name" on the client side
6. Place the screen on the server side and set the "monitor name" on the client side

Basically, you can use it if you follow this flow, but I will explain specifically only the part that seems to get caught.

After starting "Barrier" on both the server and client with "2", check "Server" on the server side (PC to which the keyboard and mouse are connected).

You can also check the server-side IP address set in "4" on this screen.

You can also set the screen layout of "6" from the "Server Configuration Settings" button on this screen.

Double-click the installed screen to open the "Monitor Settings" window.

In the "Monitor name" field here, set the "Monitor name" on the client side confirmed in "5".

That's all for the server-side settings.

On the client side (the PC you want to operate with the keyboard and mouse of the server), open the Barrier app and check "Client".

For "Monitor name" of "5", check the "Monitor name" column on the above screen.

If the "monitor name" is long and you want to copy and paste it, you can copy it from the "Barrier" application menu on the client side → "Barrier" → "Change settings" "Monitor name".

Also, if you select "View Log" described later on the server side, the "Monitor Name" may be displayed in the connection error log. If you can get it from there, you can copy it.

Also, for both the server and client, it is a good idea to check "Start Barrier at startup" and "Use SSL" from the menu-> "Barrier"-> "Change settings".

After changing the settings, click the "Apply" button of the Barrier app to reflect it.

Check the log if you cannot connect

If you cannot operate another PC with Barrier, or if you cannot connect, checking the logs on both the server side and the client side may be useful for investigating the cause.

However, I feel that in many cases you can only search by error message.

You can check the log from the menu on the server side or client side → "Barrier" → "View log".

It takes some time to make it work, but once you set it, you can use it with reasonable reliability. Unlike "Share Mouse", it can be used for commercial use or in a multi-screen environment for free, so it is a highly recommended app for those who want to casually share keyboards and mice between multiple PCs.

Please use it as a productivity tool that can use your desk widely.