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Running Synergy With Extended Monitor

Published in Tutorials — by Todi Adiatmo

Synergy lets you share a single keyboard and mouse across multiple computers, each with its own display. When you add an extended monitor into the mix, the setup requires a bit of extra care — especially around screen edges and cursor transitions.

What You'll Need

Server Configuration

On the server machine, open Synergy's configuration and define your screen layout. Place each client screen relative to the server screen — left, right, above, or below — matching your physical desk arrangement. If you use an extended monitor on the server, treat the combined desktop area as a single logical screen in Synergy; the server's OS handles the internal boundary between the primary and extended displays.

Client Setup

Each client machine simply needs the Synergy client pointing to the server's IP address. No special extended-monitor configuration is required on the client side — Synergy treats each client as one screen regardless of how many physical monitors are attached to it.

Handling Edge Cases

When moving the cursor from the server's extended monitor toward a client screen, make sure the screen layout in Synergy reflects the real-world positions. If the extended monitor sits to the right of the primary and a client laptop sits to the right of that, configure Synergy so the server screen's right edge connects to the client. Misaligned edges cause the cursor to get stuck or jump unexpectedly.

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