How to use one Apple Magic Keyboard with a Mac and a Windows PC

Updated 20 October 2026 · 5 min read

Apple's Magic Keyboard is lovely to type on – but unlike many Logitech keyboards it has no buttons for switching between computers. It remembers one computer at a time. If your desk has a Mac and a Windows PC, that is a problem: every time you want to type on the other machine, the keyboard is still paired with the first one.

There are four common workarounds – and a fifth option I built because none of them worked for me. Here is how each one works and what it costs you.

1. Re-pair it by hand every time

This works without buying or installing anything, but it is slow.

From the Mac to the PC:

1. On the Mac, open System Settings → Bluetooth, click ⓘ next to the Magic Keyboard and choose Forget This Device.
2. Turn the keyboard off and on again (switch on the back edge) so it can be found.
3. On the PC, open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Add device → Bluetooth and pick the keyboard. Windows may show a code – type it on the keyboard and press Enter.

Back to the Mac: remove the keyboard in Windows (Bluetooth & devices → ⋯ → Remove device), then pair it on the Mac again – plugging it into the Mac with its cable for a second is the quickest way.

Downside: about a minute and a dozen clicks per switch, and you need a mouse on both computers to do it.

2. Use the cable

Plug the Magic Keyboard into the computer you want to use with its USB cable. It then works as a wired keyboard, also on Windows.

Downside: you move a cable instead of a keyboard. Plugging it into the Mac also pairs it with the Mac over Bluetooth, so the PC loses it until you re-pair.

3. A hardware KVM or USB switch

A USB switch (from about 20 €) connects one keyboard to two computers and switches with a button.

Downside: it only works with a cable, so the Magic Keyboard is no longer wireless. Touch ID does not work through a switch.

4. Software that shares the keyboard over the network

Apps such as Barrier, Deskflow or Synergy leave the keyboard paired with one computer and send your typing to the other one over the network.

Downside: the computer the keyboard is paired with must always be on. If it sleeps or shuts down, the other computer has no keyboard – also not at its login screen. Keyboard shortcuts and some games may not pass through.

5. Move the keyboard itself with one shortcut

This is why I built KeyShuttle. It does option 1 for you, automatically: press ⌃ ⌥ ⌘ K on the Mac (or Ctrl Alt Win K on Windows) and the keyboard un-pairs from one computer and pairs with the other in a few seconds. The keyboard stays wireless and connects directly to the computer you are using.

• Shut down one computer and the keyboard moves to the other automatically.
• Wake a computer with the mouse and the keyboard comes to it.
• If a hand-over fails, the keyboard comes straight back.
• The two apps talk only on your local network – no account, no cloud.

Comparison

Which one should you pick?

If you switch once a week, re-pairing by hand is fine. If you don't mind a cable, a USB switch is cheap and instant. If both computers are always on and you mostly use one mouse for both, network sharing works well. If you want to keep the Magic Keyboard wireless and switch several times a day, try KeyShuttle free for 14 days.