Glide
Free · No account · Stays on your network

One mouse.
Every screen.

Push the mouse off the edge of your screen and keep working on the computer or phone beside it. Your keyboard, copied text and files follow — across Windows, Mac, Linux and Android.

Download Glide All platforms

Version 0.2.0 · Windows 10+, macOS 12+, Linux, Android 11+

Works like one big desk

Install Glide on each device, type the same passphrase, and say which side each one sits on. That is the whole setup.

Cursor and keyboard

Move off the shared edge and the pointer appears on the other screen. Typing follows it. Come back the same way, or press Ctrl+Alt+Esc.

Copy here, paste there

Text you copy rides along when the cursor crosses, so you paste it on the other device without thinking about it.

Files, any size

Drop files and folders on Glide, or drag them across the edge on Windows. They land in Downloads/Glide on the other side.

Download

Every download is free and talks to every other. Pick the one for each device you own.

Windows

Windows 10 and 11 · 64-bit · one file, no installer
Download .zip

macOS

Beta
macOS 12 or newer · needs Accessibility and Input Monitoring
Apple Silicon (M1–M4) Intel Mac

Linux

Beta
X11, or Wayland on GNOME 45+ and KDE Plasma 6.1+
x64 .tar.gz ARM64

Android

Android 11 or newer · the computer's cursor works on the phone
Download .apk

Private by design

Devices find each other on your network and talk directly. The passphrase is never sent; every message is encrypted with AES-GCM. No servers, no account, no tracking.

Release notes

0.2.0 adds Mac and Linux, and a Quit button on Android. Older downloads stay on the releases page.

Mix any systems

The same protocol runs everywhere, so any two devices pair. The left column is the device whose mouse you use.

Your mouse is on→ Windows→ Mac→ Linux→ Android
Windows✓✓✓✓
Mac✓✓✓✓
Linux✓✓✓✓
Androidfiles and text onlyfiles and text onlyfiles and text only—

Shortcuts carry over: on a Mac, Command acts as Ctrl on Windows and Linux, and Ctrl from them acts as Command. A phone has no mouse to share, so it receives the cursor but cannot send one.

Set up in two minutes

Do this on each device. Use the same passphrase everywhere — anyone who knows it can control your devices, so make it hard to guess.

  1. Unzip the download and run Glide.exe. If Windows SmartScreen warns about an unknown publisher, choose More info then Run anyway.
  2. When Windows Firewall asks, allow Glide on private networks. Your Wi-Fi must be set to Private in Windows settings.
  3. Type the passphrase and press Save.
  4. Pick the other device in the list and press Connect, then choose where it sits.

Closing the window keeps Glide running in the tray. Right-click the tray icon to exit.

  1. Unzip the download and drag Glide into Applications.
  2. Glide is not signed with an Apple developer certificate, so the first launch is blocked. Open it once, then go to System Settings › Privacy & Security and press Open Anyway. Or run this once in Terminal: 
    xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Glide.app
  3. Allow Glide under Accessibility and Input Monitoring in Privacy & Security. Glide picks the permission up within a few seconds.
  4. Type the passphrase, press Save, connect, and choose where the other device sits.

Glide lives in the menu bar. Each update needs the Accessibility switch turned off and on again, because macOS ties the permission to the exact build.

  1. Unpack and install for your user: 
    tar xzf Glide-linux-x64.tar.gz
./Glide/install.sh
  2. Open Glide from your app menu. On X11 it works straight away. On Wayland, allow remote control in the dialog that appears; it is asked once.
  3. Type the passphrase, press Save, connect, and choose where the other device sits.

Wayland needs GNOME 45+ or KDE Plasma 6.1+ for this computer to send its cursor across. Older Wayland desktops can still be controlled, or pick an X11 session at login. On Wayland, take the cursor back with Ctrl+Alt+Esc on the other device or by moving back across the edge.

  1. Open the APK on the phone and allow installing from your browser or file manager when asked.
  2. Open Glide, allow notifications, type the passphrase and tap Save.
  3. Tap Turn on in Accessibility settings and switch Glide on. That is how the computer's cursor taps and types on the phone.
  4. Tap your computer in the list, then choose where the phone sits.

Glide stays connected in the background. To stop it completely, tap Quit Glide in the app or Quit on its notification. It stays off, even after a restart, until you open it again.

Questions

Does it need the internet or an account?

No. Devices find each other on your local network and connect directly. Nothing goes through a server.

The other device does not show up in the list.

Both must be on the same Wi-Fi or wired network, and on Windows the network must be set to Private. Type the other device's IP address under "Not listed?" instead; it is shown in its network settings.

How do I get my cursor back?

Move back across the same edge, press Ctrl+Alt+Esc, or touch the other device's own mouse, keyboard or screen. If the network drops, the cursor comes home at once.

Can I connect more than two devices?

Not yet. Glide links two devices at a time; pick which pair in the list.

Why do Mac and Linux say beta?

They are new in 0.2.0 and have had less real-world use than Windows and Android. Report anything odd with the log from the Activity box.