Two individual Macs, one mouse

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Level 1

43 points

Two individual Macs, one mouse

I have a Studio Mac with a 24" screen. Next to it, I am using my old iMac for news feeds. They both are operating as separate machines, but I am able to move the cursor from one to the other, which allows me to have many open tabs without degrading the performance of the Studio. However...

I can get the cursor to move smoothly from one to the other by constantly bumping the cursor at the edge of one screen. After about a dozen tries, it jumps to the second computer. From then on they communicate just fine. Is there some undisclosed way to do this without the hassle of poking at the edge of the screen indefinitely?

I run Sequoia on the Studio; Ventura on the iMac. The 2017 iMac cannot be upgraded to run Sequoia.

Mac Studio, macOS 15.3

Posted on Apr 18, 2025 12:00 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

etresoft

Level 9

56,326 points

Apr 19, 2025 11:41 AM in response to grimstad

grimstad wrote:

I think this is the right place to start, but it, like so many Mac instructions, is bizarrely unclear. For instance, it makes references to "Universal Control" as something to be switched on, but I could find nothing so labelled.

It is under Advanced in System Settings.

The new System Settings has a completely redesigned layout from the old. It can be very confusing. But one nice feature is a search field. You can search for "universal" and it will bring it right up:

A search brought me back to this reference. Secondly, and this is always a puzzle, the user (me, I guess) must be logged into Apple using what, where? Logged into iCloud? This makes no sense.

Yes. You must be logged in to iCloud on both. Otherwise, what would prevent anyone "nearby" from taking control of your computer?

The instruction to move the cursor to the edge of the screen requires several tries, but when it finally works, it keeps working for as long as both machines are active.

Maybe try turning off the "Push through the edge" option in the screenshot above.

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Answer 2

Apr 18, 2025 12:09 PM in response to grimstad

I don't know if there is anything in here that would help:

Universal Control: Use a single keyboard and mouse between Mac and iPad - Apple Support

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Answer 3

Apr 20, 2025 12:25 AM in response to grimstad

grimstad wrote:

Thanks Cat Person,

I think this is the right place to start, but it, like so many Mac instructions, is bizarrely unclear. For instance, it makes references to "Universal Control" as something to be switched on, but I could find nothing so labelled.

Look under the "Turn On Universal Control" section in the Support document, and you'll find references to the specific controls to be set on the Mac and on the iPad. (None of them have a "Universal Control" label.)

Universal Control: Use a single keyboard and mouse between Mac and iPad - Apple Support

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Answer 4

grimstad Author

Level 1

43 points

Apr 19, 2025 10:09 AM in response to Servant of Cats

Thanks Cat Person,

I think this is the right place to start, but it, like so many Mac instructions, is bizarrely unclear. For instance, it makes references to "Universal Control" as something to be switched on, but I could find nothing so labelled. A search brought me back to this reference. Secondly, and this is always a puzzle, the user (me, I guess) must be logged into Apple using what, where? Logged into iCloud? This makes no sense.

Because this works, sort of, I am unclear as to why I need to do something that would allow this to work immediately. The instruction to move the cursor to the edge of the screen requires several tries, but when it finally works, it keeps working for as long as both machines are active.

Much appreciate your help.

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