Using EdgeFlow

Edge switching

The default: move the pointer across the edge of your screen towards a neighbouring Mac (the way you arranged it in the settings window) — the pointer appears on the neighbour, and from that moment mouse and keyboard control that Mac.

Several displays on one Mac. If a Mac has a second display, you reach it as usual, on a remotely controlled Mac as well. The switch to the neighbour happens only at the outer edge: where two displays of the same Mac share an edge, the pointer simply moves across. On a switch it lands on the display that is outermost in that direction, at the same height.

Keyboard switching

Alternatively, without moving the mouse: ⌃⌥← switches one Mac to the left, ⌃⌥→ one Mac to the right, along the same arrangement you set in the settings window. One key press is one step. This setting is set by the host for the whole chain; if it is switched off, the shortcut cannot be used on any Mac.

Machine picker (shake gesture)

If you shake the mouse quickly back and forth, a miniature map of all connected Macs opens in the middle of the screen, in the same spatial arrangement as in the settings window. You choose with a mouse click, with the arrow keys plus Return, or with a digit — the pointer then lands in the centre of the chosen screen. Pressing Esc, a normal mouse movement or a click on the screen that is already active closes the map again without switching Macs.

Shared clipboard

Text you copy on one Mac is ready to paste on the other Mac — up to 256 KB per operation. Only text is transferred, no images and no files. Content that your password manager marks as “concealed” (for example a password you just copied) is explicitly not transferred by EdgeFlow.

Sleep

When a Mac goes to sleep or wakes up again, EdgeFlow automatically tries to restore the connection by itself as soon as the Mac is responsive again — a manual restart of the app is normally not necessary.

Emergency exit

Should controlling a neighbouring Mac ever get stuck, or should you want control of your own Mac back immediately, there is an emergency exit that always works, regardless of the state of the network:

• hold the Esc key for two seconds, or
• press Esc eight times in a row within three seconds.

Both cut the connection immediately and hand control back completely to the local mouse and keyboard. EdgeFlow never suppresses the Esc key itself, precisely so that this way is always open.