Compare · UniClipboard vs Mouse Without Borders
Shared clipboard, without sharing the mouse, the keyboard, or the file drop.
Mouse Without Borders is Microsoft's free KVM tool — bundled with PowerToys — that links several Windows desktops so one mouse and keyboard drive them all, with clipboard sync and drag-and-drop file transfer thrown in. UniClipboard is the open-source, end-to-end encrypted alternative when clipboard sync is the only piece you actually wanted: native on macOS, Windows, and Linux, working across the public internet without a VPN, with searchable encrypted history on every paired device.
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TL;DR
Where Mouse Without Borders shines
Mouse Without Borders is one of the small joys of the Windows world. Microsoft made it free, then folded it into PowerToys. Two or four Windows PCs on the same desk, on the same LAN: install once on each, swap a security key, and one keyboard plus one mouse drive every screen. Drag a file from one machine, drop it on another. For the canonical case it was built for — a single user with several Windows desktops sharing one input set — it is hard to beat. If your whole world is Windows on a single LAN, this might be all you ever need.
Where UniClipboard adds the missing piece
UniClipboard solves a narrower problem on purpose: copy here, paste there — and nothing else moves. No mouse takeover, no keyboard re-route, no drag-and-drop hijack of the file system. It runs natively on macOS, Windows, and Linux as first-class peers, so a Mac and a Windows machine can share clipboard exactly the same way two Windows PCs can. Devices on different networks pair via NAT hole-punching, falling back to an encrypted relay that only sees ciphertext. Each paired device keeps its own searchable, end-to-end encrypted clipboard history.
Side-by-side
| Feature | UniClipboard | Mouse Without Borders |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Clipboard sync only | KVM — shares mouse, keyboard, clipboard, drag-and-drop files |
| Supported platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux (native); iOS (public beta) + Android | Windows only |
| Cross-network without VPN | P2P + NAT hole-punching + encrypted relay fallback | Same LAN by design |
| Mouse / keyboard sharing | Never — by design | Yes — that is the core feature |
| Conflict with remote desktop / screen sharing | None | Mouse loops across the remote display while streaming |
| Clipboard history | Searchable, encrypted at rest, per device | Latest clip only |
| Encryption | XChaCha20-Poly1305 AEAD end-to-end | Within Microsoft's protocol; bundled with PowerToys |
| Source code | AGPL-3.0 | MIT (PowerToys) |
| Pairing | Short-lived public-key invitation code | Security key entered on each PC |
| Price | Free | Free |
Comparison reflects publicly documented behaviour as of 2026-05.
Adding UniClipboard
Verdict
If your daily setup is two or three Windows PCs side-by-side on one desk, on one LAN, and you want one keyboard and mouse to drive them all, Mouse Without Borders is the right answer. Pick UniClipboard when the clipboard is specifically what you want to share — when you do not want a tool that also takes over your mouse and file drops, when one of the machines is a Mac or runs Linux, when the devices are on different networks, or when you want a searchable encrypted clipboard history on every device. The two are not really competitors. Many people who land here arrived because the mouse takeover from MWB conflicts with remote-desktop or screen-sharing workflows, and they only ever wanted the clipboard piece.
FAQ
Not in a meaningful way. MWB is a KVM by design — its clipboard sync rides on the same paired link that captures mouse and keyboard input. There is no clipboard-only switch. UniClipboard exists for exactly this case: clipboard sync as a first-class feature, with nothing else attached.
Yes for clipboard, no for input. UniClipboard syncs the clipboard between the two PCs exactly the way you would expect — copy on one, paste on the other, with history following along. It does not share mouse or keyboard. If you need that on top, pair UniClipboard with MWB or run them side-by-side.
No. UniClipboard never touches input devices, file-drop targets, or the PowerToys settings. The two run side-by-side without conflict — you can install, uninstall, or pause UniClipboard at any time without touching MWB.
MWB is built for the same LAN and is hard to extend across networks. UniClipboard handles cross-network out of the box: NAT hole-punching first, an encrypted relay as a fallback that only ever sees ciphertext.
UniClipboard moves text, images, and files (including large files via streaming transfer) through the clipboard — copy a file on one device, paste it on another. It does not extend the desktop's drag-and-drop target across machines the way a KVM does. For drag-and-drop file transfer between two Windows PCs on the same desk, keep MWB. For copy-and-paste of files across mac/windows/linux over any network, UniClipboard is the cleaner answer.
Because the cost of bundling input sharing into a clipboard tool is real: MWB's mouse loops across remote desktops, breaks streaming setups, and asks for input permissions some people specifically do not want. Doing one thing well lets us audit and harden the encryption, pin our scope to all three desktop platforms, and avoid the most common reason MWB users come looking for an alternative.
Get UniClipboard
macOS 12+, Windows 10/11, Linux x86_64 / ARM64. No account, no LAN requirement, no setup beyond pairing.