I built CrossDesk to move my Magic Keyboard, Mouse, and Trackpad between Macs
Hi r/macapps, I'm Eugene, the developer of CrossDesk.
I built CrossDesk for the setup I use every day: a work Mac and a personal Mac on the same desk, with one Magic Keyboard and Trackpad.
CrossDesk Demo
Problem
Apple's Magic devices normally connect to one Mac at a time. Universal Control is useful, but it still relies on the Mac that owns the devices staying awake, and it does not fit every work/personal or different-Apple-ID setup.
When I wanted to shut down my work Mac and continue on my personal Mac, I was back to connecting cables or going through the Bluetooth pairing routine.
CrossDesk runs on each Mac. From the menu bar, you move the selected devices to another Mac. The destination becomes their actual Bluetooth host, so the previous Mac can be shut down.
Comparison
Universal Control is the built-in option, and it is probably the better choice if it works for your setup and you’re ok to keep both Macs awake.
Synergy is a more established commercial alternative. It keeps your keyboard and mouse connected to one computer and sends their input to the others. That is better if both Macs stay awake and you want seamless cursor movement, clipboard sharing, or Windows and Linux support.
CrossDesk is for a different workflow. It transfers supported Magic devices to the destination Mac instead of relaying their input. The destination becomes the actual Bluetooth host, and the previous Mac can be shut down.
If you want to work across several active computers at once (especially a Mac-Windows setup), Synergy is likely the better fit. If you want to hand the devices over and be done with the previous Mac, that is the gap CrossDesk is built for.
Current beta details
Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad are officially supported
The app is signed and notarized
Touch ID keyboards are supported
macOS Ventura or later, on Intel and Apple silicon
both Macs must be on the same local network
Bluetooth and Local Network permissions are required
CrossDesk does not read or relay keystrokes, pointer movement, clipboard contents, or files
Pricing
The public beta is free. After beta, CrossDesk will likely be a one-time $14.99 purchase for up to three Macs. No subscription.
I would especially appreciate feedback from people with a work Mac and personal Mac on the same desk:
Was linking the Macs understandable?
Did your first transfer complete without intervention?
Was it reliable enough across a normal workday?
Website and download: https://crossdesk.app/
Compatibility: https://crossdesk.app/compatibility/
Privacy: https://crossdesk.app/privacy/
Terms: https://crossdesk.app/terms/
Developer: Eugene Myasyshchev
Contact: support@crossdesk.app
I'll be around to answer questions and hear the unflattering feedback too.
https://redd.it/1wz2ct4
@macappsbackup
Hi r/macapps, I'm Eugene, the developer of CrossDesk.
I built CrossDesk for the setup I use every day: a work Mac and a personal Mac on the same desk, with one Magic Keyboard and Trackpad.
CrossDesk Demo
Problem
Apple's Magic devices normally connect to one Mac at a time. Universal Control is useful, but it still relies on the Mac that owns the devices staying awake, and it does not fit every work/personal or different-Apple-ID setup.
When I wanted to shut down my work Mac and continue on my personal Mac, I was back to connecting cables or going through the Bluetooth pairing routine.
CrossDesk runs on each Mac. From the menu bar, you move the selected devices to another Mac. The destination becomes their actual Bluetooth host, so the previous Mac can be shut down.
Comparison
Universal Control is the built-in option, and it is probably the better choice if it works for your setup and you’re ok to keep both Macs awake.
Synergy is a more established commercial alternative. It keeps your keyboard and mouse connected to one computer and sends their input to the others. That is better if both Macs stay awake and you want seamless cursor movement, clipboard sharing, or Windows and Linux support.
CrossDesk is for a different workflow. It transfers supported Magic devices to the destination Mac instead of relaying their input. The destination becomes the actual Bluetooth host, and the previous Mac can be shut down.
If you want to work across several active computers at once (especially a Mac-Windows setup), Synergy is likely the better fit. If you want to hand the devices over and be done with the previous Mac, that is the gap CrossDesk is built for.
Current beta details
Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad are officially supported
The app is signed and notarized
Touch ID keyboards are supported
macOS Ventura or later, on Intel and Apple silicon
both Macs must be on the same local network
Bluetooth and Local Network permissions are required
CrossDesk does not read or relay keystrokes, pointer movement, clipboard contents, or files
Pricing
The public beta is free. After beta, CrossDesk will likely be a one-time $14.99 purchase for up to three Macs. No subscription.
I would especially appreciate feedback from people with a work Mac and personal Mac on the same desk:
Was linking the Macs understandable?
Did your first transfer complete without intervention?
Was it reliable enough across a normal workday?
Website and download: https://crossdesk.app/
Compatibility: https://crossdesk.app/compatibility/
Privacy: https://crossdesk.app/privacy/
Terms: https://crossdesk.app/terms/
Developer: Eugene Myasyshchev
Contact: support@crossdesk.app
I'll be around to answer questions and hear the unflattering feedback too.
https://redd.it/1wz2ct4
@macappsbackup
Reddit
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[OS/Free] Squeegee: auto-close old windows. Eg: close any Finder window idle for 6+ hours
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@macappsbackup
[OS] Redlamp: a free, open-source raw photo editor for Mac with Lightroom workflow
https://redd.it/1wz86vk
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https://redd.it/1wz86vk
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From the macapps community on Reddit: [OS] Redlamp: a free, open-source raw photo editor for Mac with Lightroom workflow
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App Trust Preview - what else can you learn before opening a Mac app?
https://redd.it/1wz6xzp
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[OS] Cling 3.0 - instant fuzzy search millions of files, 10x less RAM usage, Spotlight-like search UI
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Askmeety : A 100% private Granola and Otter alternative. Zero cloud costs, no bots, and the v1.3 update just dropped!
https://redd.it/1wz85fm
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https://redd.it/1wz85fm
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AppRec - a tiny App Bar app which can record any application which generates sound — microphone optional —, then transcribe the text(multiple languages) and the summarize. Locally. No internet required after setup. Free. Open Sourced.
https://redd.it/1wz9ntg
@macappsbackup
https://redd.it/1wz9ntg
@macappsbackup
WDM 2.0 is here: one Mac app for downloads, media, conversion, browsing and more
https://preview.redd.it/mkpq6s0l7xth1.png?width=1576&format=png&auto=webp&s=7363ef40047df7f991943127b6266f6bdda94320
I originally built WDM because I was tired of needing a different app for every part of the same workflow.
One app for normal downloads. Another for media. Another for conversion. Another tool for saving groups of images. Browser extensions for capture. And sometimes even a separate browser just to get one stubborn download working.
For WDM 2.0, I decided I did not want to keep stacking features on the old architecture.
I rebuilt the application almost completely from scratch.
WDM 2.0 is now a native Swift/AppKit macOS application. It is no longer Electron.
And the main goal of 2.0 is not to be "another download manager."
The goal is much simpler:
For most download-related work on a Mac, you should not need another app next to WDM.
\## What makes WDM different
There are already well-known Mac apps in this space.
Downie is heavily focused on media downloading.
Folx is mainly a traditional download manager.
WDM 2.0 is built around a different idea:
Combine the entire download workflow into one application.
WDM brings together regular file downloads, browser capture, supported media downloads, a full built-in browser, a built-in converter, browser integration, batch image saving, file artwork, real media thumbnails, download history, notifications, and automatic media-engine updates.
I personally have not found another Mac download manager that combines this entire set of tools into one application.
That is really the point of WDM 2.0.
Instead of:
download manager + media tool + converter + browser extension + image saver + fallback browser
I wanted:
WDM.
\## Rebuilt from scratch in Swift
WDM 1.1 used Electron.
For WDM 2.0, I rebuilt the desktop application around Swift and AppKit.
WDM now has native builds for Apple Silicon and Intel, with support for macOS 12 or later.
The main interface, download workflow, windows, settings, converter, browser, notifications, progress handling and desktop integration were rebuilt around the native macOS version.
Both builds are signed with my Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple.
\## Ready immediately after installation
WDM 2.0 includes its media engine inside the application.
There is no "install WDM and then wait while the rest of the engine downloads" step.
The components WDM uses for extraction, processing and conversion are already bundled.
Install WDM and it is ready to work.
The media engine can still update itself later when newer versions become available. WDM periodically checks automatically, and there is also a manual update option in Settings.
So the bundled engine gets you started immediately while future engine updates can still arrive without requiring a full WDM application update.
\## Download directly from the video
One of the browser-integration features I wanted to make especially convenient is the WDM Download button that appears directly on videos while you browse supported websites.
Instead of copying a link, switching apps and pasting it somewhere else, you can click the WDM button directly on the video you are watching and send that exact item into WDM.
The whole point is to make browser-to-download feel immediate instead of turning every download into a multi-step process.
\## WDM Browser
This is one of my favourite parts of WDM 2.0.
I did not want the built-in browser to be one of those tiny embedded web views that technically counts as a "browser" but exists only as a fallback.
I wanted it to actually be useful.
WDM Browser includes:
\- Multiple tabs
\- Address bar and search
\- Back / Forward / Reload / Home
\- Bookmarks
\- Bookmark folders
\- Bookmark editing and deletion
\- Bookmark import and export
\- Favorites bar
\- Favorites editing
\- Drag reordering
\- Browsing history
\- Open history entries
\-
https://preview.redd.it/mkpq6s0l7xth1.png?width=1576&format=png&auto=webp&s=7363ef40047df7f991943127b6266f6bdda94320
I originally built WDM because I was tired of needing a different app for every part of the same workflow.
One app for normal downloads. Another for media. Another for conversion. Another tool for saving groups of images. Browser extensions for capture. And sometimes even a separate browser just to get one stubborn download working.
For WDM 2.0, I decided I did not want to keep stacking features on the old architecture.
I rebuilt the application almost completely from scratch.
WDM 2.0 is now a native Swift/AppKit macOS application. It is no longer Electron.
And the main goal of 2.0 is not to be "another download manager."
The goal is much simpler:
For most download-related work on a Mac, you should not need another app next to WDM.
\## What makes WDM different
There are already well-known Mac apps in this space.
Downie is heavily focused on media downloading.
Folx is mainly a traditional download manager.
WDM 2.0 is built around a different idea:
Combine the entire download workflow into one application.
WDM brings together regular file downloads, browser capture, supported media downloads, a full built-in browser, a built-in converter, browser integration, batch image saving, file artwork, real media thumbnails, download history, notifications, and automatic media-engine updates.
I personally have not found another Mac download manager that combines this entire set of tools into one application.
That is really the point of WDM 2.0.
Instead of:
download manager + media tool + converter + browser extension + image saver + fallback browser
I wanted:
WDM.
\## Rebuilt from scratch in Swift
WDM 1.1 used Electron.
For WDM 2.0, I rebuilt the desktop application around Swift and AppKit.
WDM now has native builds for Apple Silicon and Intel, with support for macOS 12 or later.
The main interface, download workflow, windows, settings, converter, browser, notifications, progress handling and desktop integration were rebuilt around the native macOS version.
Both builds are signed with my Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple.
\## Ready immediately after installation
WDM 2.0 includes its media engine inside the application.
There is no "install WDM and then wait while the rest of the engine downloads" step.
The components WDM uses for extraction, processing and conversion are already bundled.
Install WDM and it is ready to work.
The media engine can still update itself later when newer versions become available. WDM periodically checks automatically, and there is also a manual update option in Settings.
So the bundled engine gets you started immediately while future engine updates can still arrive without requiring a full WDM application update.
\## Download directly from the video
One of the browser-integration features I wanted to make especially convenient is the WDM Download button that appears directly on videos while you browse supported websites.
Instead of copying a link, switching apps and pasting it somewhere else, you can click the WDM button directly on the video you are watching and send that exact item into WDM.
The whole point is to make browser-to-download feel immediate instead of turning every download into a multi-step process.
\## WDM Browser
This is one of my favourite parts of WDM 2.0.
I did not want the built-in browser to be one of those tiny embedded web views that technically counts as a "browser" but exists only as a fallback.
I wanted it to actually be useful.
WDM Browser includes:
\- Multiple tabs
\- Address bar and search
\- Back / Forward / Reload / Home
\- Bookmarks
\- Bookmark folders
\- Bookmark editing and deletion
\- Bookmark import and export
\- Favorites bar
\- Favorites editing
\- Drag reordering
\- Browsing history
\- Open history entries
\-
Delete individual history entries
\- Clear history
\- Persistent browser state
\- Direct download handoff to WDM
\- Supported media capture
It also has a built-in local ad blocker.
The blocker is part of WDM Browser itself. It does not require a separate paid blocking application.
So if you ever need WDM Browser for a download, you are not being thrown into a stripped-down recovery window.
You still have proper tabs, bookmarks, history, blocking and normal browser controls.
\## Built-in Converter
WDM 2.0 also includes a full converter.
I did not want the converter to be a checkbox feature that exists only so I could put "Converter" on a feature list.
It supports:
\- Individual file import
\- Folder import
\- Conversion queue
\- Video to audio conversion
\- Supported video output formats
\- Supported image conversions
\- Supported document conversions
\- Progress and activity status
\- Cancelling jobs
\- Safe handling when an output filename already exists
\- Thumbnails and artwork
\- Open completed output
\- Show completed output in Finder
The converter uses the same media engine already bundled with WDM, so there is no additional setup before you can start using it.
You can also continue using the rest of WDM while conversions are running.
\## File artwork and real media thumbnails
This part consumed an unreasonable amount of development time, but I really cared about it.
WDM does not treat every download as the same generic document icon.
Normal files use dedicated artwork based on their file type.
Documents, archives, installers, images, audio, video and many other formats have their own visual treatment, with a proper fallback for unknown file types.
Media is handled differently.
When WDM has the real thumbnail or poster for the item you selected, that thumbnail has priority over generic file artwork.
I also spent a lot of time making sure the thumbnail belongs to the actual media you clicked, not a nearby recommendation, another card or the wrong item on the page.
Thumbnail loading is also independent from download execution.
If a thumbnail is slow or unavailable, the download should still start.
The same artwork and thumbnail system is used throughout confirmation, active-download and completed-download views.
\## Batch image saving
WDM also supports image-heavy pages through its browser integration.
Instead of manually saving images one by one, supported pages can send multiple images to WDM as a batch.
That makes it useful for galleries, posts and pages containing many images.
\## Normal downloading is still at the core
Under all of this, WDM is still a general-purpose download manager.
It supports:
\- Multiple connections where available
\- Pause and resume
\- Retry handling
\- Download speed
\- Progress
\- Remaining size and ETA where available
\- Save-location control
\- Download history
\- Notifications
\- Open
\- Show in Finder
\- Browser capture
A lot of my work on 2.0 was not adding flashy features.
It was fixing the boring little details that make a download manager feel trustworthy when you use it every day: progress accuracy, resume behaviour, stale jobs, duplicate capture, filenames, browser ownership and completed-download state.
\## Browser integration
WDM integrates with:
\- Safari
\- Chrome
\- Edge
\- Brave
\- Firefox
\- Other compatible Chromium browsers
Safari support is bundled directly with the Mac application.
Chromium browsers and Firefox use their WDM 2.0 companions.
\## Dark and Light Mode
WDM supports both Dark and Light Mode across the main application, settings, confirmation windows, converter and download interfaces.
\## Settings and updates
WDM has persistent settings covering download behaviour, browser integration, media handling, notifications, download folders, engine behaviour and other runtime preferences.
WDM itself has an application update system, while the bundled media components have their own managed
\- Clear history
\- Persistent browser state
\- Direct download handoff to WDM
\- Supported media capture
It also has a built-in local ad blocker.
The blocker is part of WDM Browser itself. It does not require a separate paid blocking application.
So if you ever need WDM Browser for a download, you are not being thrown into a stripped-down recovery window.
You still have proper tabs, bookmarks, history, blocking and normal browser controls.
\## Built-in Converter
WDM 2.0 also includes a full converter.
I did not want the converter to be a checkbox feature that exists only so I could put "Converter" on a feature list.
It supports:
\- Individual file import
\- Folder import
\- Conversion queue
\- Video to audio conversion
\- Supported video output formats
\- Supported image conversions
\- Supported document conversions
\- Progress and activity status
\- Cancelling jobs
\- Safe handling when an output filename already exists
\- Thumbnails and artwork
\- Open completed output
\- Show completed output in Finder
The converter uses the same media engine already bundled with WDM, so there is no additional setup before you can start using it.
You can also continue using the rest of WDM while conversions are running.
\## File artwork and real media thumbnails
This part consumed an unreasonable amount of development time, but I really cared about it.
WDM does not treat every download as the same generic document icon.
Normal files use dedicated artwork based on their file type.
Documents, archives, installers, images, audio, video and many other formats have their own visual treatment, with a proper fallback for unknown file types.
Media is handled differently.
When WDM has the real thumbnail or poster for the item you selected, that thumbnail has priority over generic file artwork.
I also spent a lot of time making sure the thumbnail belongs to the actual media you clicked, not a nearby recommendation, another card or the wrong item on the page.
Thumbnail loading is also independent from download execution.
If a thumbnail is slow or unavailable, the download should still start.
The same artwork and thumbnail system is used throughout confirmation, active-download and completed-download views.
\## Batch image saving
WDM also supports image-heavy pages through its browser integration.
Instead of manually saving images one by one, supported pages can send multiple images to WDM as a batch.
That makes it useful for galleries, posts and pages containing many images.
\## Normal downloading is still at the core
Under all of this, WDM is still a general-purpose download manager.
It supports:
\- Multiple connections where available
\- Pause and resume
\- Retry handling
\- Download speed
\- Progress
\- Remaining size and ETA where available
\- Save-location control
\- Download history
\- Notifications
\- Open
\- Show in Finder
\- Browser capture
A lot of my work on 2.0 was not adding flashy features.
It was fixing the boring little details that make a download manager feel trustworthy when you use it every day: progress accuracy, resume behaviour, stale jobs, duplicate capture, filenames, browser ownership and completed-download state.
\## Browser integration
WDM integrates with:
\- Safari
\- Chrome
\- Edge
\- Brave
\- Firefox
\- Other compatible Chromium browsers
Safari support is bundled directly with the Mac application.
Chromium browsers and Firefox use their WDM 2.0 companions.
\## Dark and Light Mode
WDM supports both Dark and Light Mode across the main application, settings, confirmation windows, converter and download interfaces.
\## Settings and updates
WDM has persistent settings covering download behaviour, browser integration, media handling, notifications, download folders, engine behaviour and other runtime preferences.
WDM itself has an application update system, while the bundled media components have their own managed