Keyboard
Grab, the Command key, and Ctrl-Alt-Del.
Two keyboards, one pair of hands. This page is about making it obvious which computer is getting your keys.
Keyboard grab
On: your keys go to the far computer, including shortcuts your own system would normally eat.
Off: your keys stay with your own computer, so you can switch apps with the session still open.
Toggle it in the toolbar or with ⌘K. The toolbar shows which state you are in.
On a Mac, the first time you turn it on, macOS asks for permission. Allow RealFrame under Privacy & Security ▸ Input Monitoring, or grab does nothing.
Use Mac Keys
A Mac uses ⌘ where Windows and Linux use Ctrl. Copy is ⌘C on one and Ctrl+C on the other.
Session ▸ Use Mac Keys is on by default. It sends your ⌘ as the far computer's Ctrl, so copy and paste work the way your hands expect.
Turn it off when Ctrl needs to arrive as Ctrl. Terminal work is the big one.
| You want | Setting |
|---|---|
| Copy and paste to feel like a Mac | Use Mac Keys on |
| Ctrl-C to stop a running command | Use Mac Keys off |
| ⌘Tab to switch apps on your Mac | Grab off |
| ⌘Tab to switch apps over there | Grab on, Use Mac Keys on |
Ctrl-Alt-Del
Session ▸ Send Ctrl-Alt-Del. No shortcut on purpose.
Your own system eats that combo before it can be passed on, which is why it needs a menu item.
Not for Linux
On a GNOME desktop, Ctrl-Alt-Del logs the user out and closes everything. That menu item is meant for Windows.
Stuck keys
If the far computer acts like Shift is held, press and release Shift once here. The far side reconciles modifier state as new input arrives, so one clean press clears it.
Layouts
Keys are sent as positions, so the far computer's layout decides the character. A US keyboard against a German computer types German characters. Match the layouts on that end.