Running two Macs at the same desk has become genuinely practical. An M-series Mac Mini or Mac Studio handles compute-heavy work at full power, while a MacBook handles portability. The problem no one talks about enough: one set of Magic peripherals, two machines.
Why two Macs at one desk makes sense
The most common configurations:
- Mac Studio + MacBook Pro — desktop power for video rendering or heavy dev work, laptop for meetings and travel
- Mac Mini + MacBook Air — affordable desktop for home tasks, ultra-portable for everything else
- Work MacBook + Personal Mac — company-managed laptop on the left, personal machine on the right (different Apple IDs, so Universal Control won't bridge them)
In each case you're sitting at the same desk, using the same external monitor, keyboard, and mouse — and constantly deciding which Mac currently "owns" your peripherals.
Your options for switching peripherals
KVM switch
A hardware KVM (Keyboard-Video-Mouse) switch routes USB devices to whichever machine you select with a button. Works fine for wired peripherals. Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad connect over Bluetooth only — KVMs don't relay Bluetooth signals. So KVMs don't help here.
Universal Control
Apple's Universal Control lets you slide your cursor between two Macs on the same desk. Great feature — but it doesn't transfer Bluetooth device ownership, and it requires both Macs to share the same Apple ID. Work Mac + personal Mac? Not an option.
Re-pairing manually
Forget the device on Mac A, wait for it to show up on Mac B (there's no pairing button), pair it there. Works, but takes 2–3 minutes every switch. Several times a day, that's a meaningful interruption.
LinkFlick
Installs on both Macs, no Apple ID required, no extra hardware. Click once — devices move in about 10 seconds. That's the approach covered below.
Setting up a two-Mac desk with LinkFlick
What you need
- LinkFlick installed and running on both Macs
- Both Macs on the same Wi-Fi network or subnet
- Your Magic peripherals paired to whichever Mac you're currently on
One-time link setup
Open LinkFlick on both Macs and follow the setup window: click Invite next to the other Mac, then click Accept on that Mac. Done. Both Macs remember each other across restarts. See the setup guide for every step.
Daily workflow
Once linked, switching is fast: open LinkFlick on whichever Mac you're moving to, find your device in the list, select the destination Mac, confirm. Devices transfer in about 10 seconds.
Enable Launch at Login in the gear menu on both Macs so you never have to think about opening the app.
Placement tips
- Keep devices within 10 metres of both Macs during the handoff. If your Magic Mouse is on one side of a large desk, the Bluetooth signal may be weak for the Mac on the opposite end.
- Both Macs need to be awake. The destination Mac needs to be on and LinkFlick running to receive the device.
- If a transfer stalls, toggle Bluetooth off and on on the source Mac to reset its radio state, then retry.