Open source, cross-platform distributed workspace

One desk.
Many computers. One workspace.

Your desktop, laptop, and workstation each have their own CPU, GPU, and memory. Aether lets them cooperate as one workspace. Share a single keyboard and mouse across every machine, move the cursor from screen to screen, copy and paste between systems, and keep each device doing what it does best. No KVM switch, no cloud, no subscription.

Download Aether See the vision
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Platforms supported
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Cloud accounts needed
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Local, peer-to-peer
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UI languages

Built for distributed workflows

Each machine keeps its own compute power. Aether handles the coordination.

One keyboard, every machine

Drag the cursor off one screen and onto another without pressing any buttons. Aether tracks edge positions so the transition feels instant and natural. No KVM switch, no cable swapping.

Shared clipboard

Copy and paste text and images between systems automatically. Your clipboard content travels with the cursor as it crosses screen boundaries. No file sharing, no cloud sync.

TLS encrypted

Server and client traffic is encrypted with TLS to keep your input data private. Aether generates and manages certificates for you automatically. Nothing leaves your local network.

Cross-platform

Windows, macOS, and Linux. X11 and Wayland are both supported on Linux, so Aether works across mixed-OS setups without compromise.

Synergy and Barrier compatible

Works with the Synergy and Barrier wire protocols for broad interoperability. Connect Aether to existing Synergy or Barrier clients and servers without replacing everything at once.

Each machine stays useful

Unlike remote desktop tools that centralize everything on one machine, Aether keeps each computer independent. Your laptop runs its own apps. Your desktop runs its own apps. Aether just connects them.

How it works

Aether runs as a server on your primary machine and as a client on each secondary machine.

1

Install

Download and install Aether on every computer you want to connect.

2

Configure

Set one machine as server, arrange screens in the GUI, and add clients by hostname.

3

Share

Move your cursor across screen edges. One keyboard and mouse, many computers.

Real desks, real workflows

Aether is not just for switching between machines. It is for people who use several computers at once.

The developer desk

A powerful desktop runs Docker, AI inference, and build jobs. A laptop handles the browser, Slack, and email. Aether lets you move between them with one keyboard and paste code snippets from the laptop straight into the desktop terminal. Each machine does what it is best at. No remote desktop, no rendering overhead.

The multi-OS workstation

A Windows gaming PC, a Linux dev box, and a Mac for design work. Aether connects all three over your LAN with native input capture on each platform. Move the cursor from a Windows game to a Linux terminal to a Mac design tool without touching a KVM switch.

The home server setup

A desktop for daily work, a headless home server running background services, and a laptop on the couch. Aether reaches all of them. Check on a build, paste a config change, and jump back to the laptop without leaving your seat.

The mixed-environment tester

Test your app on Windows, Linux, and macOS at the same time. Copy a URL from your main machine and paste it into a browser on each test machine. Aether keeps the clipboard in sync across all of them, so cross-platform testing stops being a context-switching chore.

See it in action

Click a hotspot to watch how Aether moves your cursor, clipboard, and input between machines.

$ aether --server
Listening on :24800
Client connected.
Workstation
Server
$ aether --client
Connecting to server...
Connected.
Laptop
Client

Move your cursor to the edge of the server screen and it seamlessly appears on the client. No buttons, no shortcuts.

Available on your platform

Native packages for every major desktop OS.

Windows

10 or later (x64)

  • MSI installer
  • EXE bootstrapper
  • Portable 7z archive
Download

macOS

12 Monterey or later

  • DMG installer
  • PKG installer
  • Portable tar.gz
Download

Linux

X11 and Wayland

  • DEB (Debian, Ubuntu)
  • RPM (Fedora, openSUSE)
  • Tar.gz (any distro)
Download

Synergy & Barrier compatible

Protocol interoperable

Connect to existing Synergy or Barrier clients and servers. Mixed setups work out of the box.

7 UI languages

Localized interface

English, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Chinese.

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know before getting started.

Yes. Aether is 100% free and open source under GPL-2.0 with an OpenSSL exception. No subscriptions, no paid tiers, no feature locks. The source code is available on GitHub for anyone to audit, modify, and contribute to.
No hardware needed. Aether is software-only and works over your existing local network. Just install it on each machine, connect them, and you're ready. No KVM switch, no extra cables, no cloud account.
All traffic between Aether server and clients is encrypted with TLS. Aether generates and manages certificates automatically, and supports fingerprint-based peer verification so you can confirm you're connecting to the right machine. Nothing leaves your local network.
Yes. Aether is built on the Synergy codebase and uses the same wire protocol. It works with existing Synergy and Barrier clients and servers, so you can mix Aether into your current setup without replacing everything at once.
Yes. On Linux, Aether supports both X11 and Wayland. The correct backend is selected automatically based on your session type, so it works regardless of which display server you're running.
There's no hard limit. One machine acts as the server (with the shared keyboard and mouse), and you can connect as many client machines as your network can handle. Arrange them in the GUI grid to match your physical desk layout.

Get Aether now

Download the latest release or build from source in minutes.

Go to downloads Read the docs