CommandDeskGuide
Deskflow on Mac: setup, fixes and an easier option
Deskflow is a free, open-source app that lets one keyboard and mouse control several computers over your network. Here's how to get it running on a Mac, what usually goes wrong, and when a simpler Mac-first app fits better. We make one of those, CommandDesk, so we've stuck to facts from Deskflow's own instructions.
1.Install Deskflow on your Mac
Deskflow recommends Homebrew. In Terminal, add their tap and install the stable version:
brew tap deskflow/tap brew install deskflow
You can also download it from Deskflow's GitHub releases. Deskflow isn't notarized by Apple, so macOS will say the app is damaged. It isn't; after copying it to Applications, clear the quarantine flag with xattr -c /Applications/Deskflow.app.
2.Give it the permissions it needs
In System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility, allow both the Deskflow app and the deskflow process. Without this the pointer won't move and keys won't type on the other computer.
On macOS Sequoia, also allow Deskflow under Local Network in the same place, or the computers can't find each other.
3.Connect your Mac and your PC
Install Deskflow on the PC as well. The computer whose keyboard and mouse you use is the server; the other one is a client that connects to it. Lay out the screens in the server's settings so Deskflow knows which edge leads to which computer, then start both. Connections are encrypted with TLS by default.
Deskflow works with Input Leap, Barrier and Synergy 1, so a computer that already runs one of those can join. It doesn't work with Synergy 3.
4.If it isn't working
- “Deskflow is damaged and can't be opened”: run
xattr -c /Applications/Deskflow.app, or install with Homebrew. - The pointer reaches the other screen but nothing happens: check Accessibility for both the app and the process.
- It stopped working after an update: remove Deskflow and deskflow from the Accessibility list, then allow them again. Deskflow's instructions say an old entry blocks the new version.
- The computers can't connect: both must be on the same network; on Sequoia allow Local Network; and let Deskflow through the PC's firewall.
Rather skip the setup?
CommandDesk: a notarized Mac app, your PC shows up in a list, pair with a 6-digit code. Plus the PC's sound on your Mac and a second screen. $19 once.
Deskflow or CommandDesk?
| Deskflow | CommandDesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, open source | $19 once |
| Install on a Mac | Homebrew, or download and clear the “damaged” warning in Terminal | Notarized Mac download |
| Connecting | Server and client settings | Pick your PC from a list, check a 6-digit code |
| Encryption | TLS, on by default | Always on |
| PC sound on your Mac | No | Yes |
| PC as a second screen for your Mac | No (“without the video”) | Yes |
| Computers | Several at once, any direction | Your Mac + one PC at a time (any number paired) |
| Systems | macOS, Windows, Linux, BSD | Mac controls Windows 10/11 or Ubuntu |
From Deskflow's own README, October 2026.
- Pick Deskflow if you want free and open source, control several computers at once, or use it between Windows and Linux machines too.
- Pick CommandDesk if your Mac is your main computer and you want it working in two minutes, with your PC's sound on the Mac and the option to use the PC as a second screen.
Questions
Is Deskflow free?
Yes. Deskflow is free and open source. Synergy, the paid app it came from, is a separate commercial product that sponsors Deskflow.
Why does macOS say Deskflow is damaged?
Deskflow isn’t notarized by Apple, and macOS reports unsigned apps downloaded from the internet as damaged. Deskflow’s own instructions are to clear the quarantine flag in Terminal with xattr -c /Applications/Deskflow.app, or to install it with Homebrew.
Does Deskflow work on macOS Sequoia?
Yes, with permissions: Accessibility for both the Deskflow app and the deskflow process, and on Sequoia also Local Network, both under System Settings › Privacy & Security.
Can Deskflow use my PC as a second screen for my Mac?
No. Deskflow shares the keyboard and mouse only, “like a software KVM (but without the video)”. To extend your Mac’s display onto a Windows or Ubuntu PC you need a screen-sharing tool; CommandDesk does both.
Does Deskflow work with Synergy?
With Synergy 1, yes, and with Input Leap and Barrier. Not with Synergy 3.
Comparing more options? See all the Synergy alternatives for Mac.
CommandDesk: one keyboard and mouse for your Mac and PC
Plus a second screen and your PC's sound on your Mac. $19 once, with a refund if it can't connect to your PC.