Mouse Without Borders in Power Toys - problem

Dear lynnechapman!

Welcome to the Microsoft Community!

If you are experiencing a situation where Mouse Without Borders is not working properly, we recommend that you check the following points:

1. Make sure both machines are running

This may sound obvious, but it is crucial to make sure both computers are up and running. Sometimes, one of the computers may be in sleep mode or turned off, causing connection issues. Make sure the host computer running Mouse Without Borders and the remote computer you are trying to connect to are on the same network and can communicate effectively. Verify that both computers have a functional network connection and can access the internet.

2. Make sure you are on the same network

It is also important to make sure that all the computers you are trying to use Mouse Without Borders with are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. You can check if this is the same by clicking the Wi-Fi icon in the taskbar and checking the network name.

Make sure you are connected to the same network as the other computers. Once you have done that, try using Mouse Without Borders again.

3. Change DNS settings

DNS issues can sometimes interfere with Mouse Without Borders. Try changing your DNS settings to a reliable and fast DNS server. You can use Google’s DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) or OpenDNS (208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220).

Whichever method you choose, it is recommended to use the same DNS servers on all computers. Once done, try Mouse Without Borders again and see if it works now.

4. Adjust Firewall Settings

If you are still facing connectivity issues, it may be due to Windows Firewall. Some of our users have stated that manually creating rules for Mouse Without Borders helped them. So follow the steps below.

Step 1: In Windows Search, search for “Allow an app through Windows Firewall”. Click on the first result.

Step 2: In Windows Firewall settings, click on “Change settings”. Give it the same administrator privileges.

Step 3: Now, you can add Microsoft PowerToys to the exception list of the firewall. To do this, click on “Allow another app”.

Step 4: In the new window that pops up, select “Browse”.

Step 5: Now, navigate to This PC > Windows > Program Files > PowerToys. Here, select PowerToys.MouseWithoutBorders and click Open.

Step 6: Then, click Add.

That’s it. Once done, try using Mouse Without Borders again.

5. Manually Enter IP

Mouse Without Borders uses the IP address of your Wi-Fi network to connect to other computers running on the same network. Sometimes, the application fails to detect the correct IP settings, resulting in this error. Thankfully, the tool also offers a mapping option in Settings. This allows you to manually enter the IP address of the remote computer instead of relying on DNS. Here’s how to use it.

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box. Here, type “cmd” and press Enter.

Step 2: This will launch the Command Prompt window. Now, enter the following command.

ipconfig

Note down the IPv4 address of your PC. Repeat these two steps for each computer.

Step 3: Now, open Mouse Without Borders within PowerToys and enter the security key and device name as usual. Then, scroll down to the IP Address Mapping section. Enter the device name here and then its IP address. Do this on all systems.

That’s it. You can now try to connect. The app should now be able to seamlessly connect to all systems and share your mouse and keyboard easily instead of using a DNS resolver.

Let me know if you have any other scenarios, thank you for your understanding and support!

Best regards,

Yang.Z - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist