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Set up two Windows PCs

Install the same Boundless build on both PCs, open the tray dashboard, pair them, and arrange their positions. Boundless is currently a development preview; start with two PCs on a trusted local network.

Install

  1. Download Boundless-<version>-windows-x64.zip from the release, copy it to each PC, and choose Extract All. The ZIP includes the complete MSI and matching helper, so installation does not download another package.

  2. Sign in as the intended desktop user and double-click Install.cmd in the extracted folder. Approve the Windows elevation prompt and leave the window open until the checks finish.

    The launcher runs the matching helper, which identifies the desktop user before elevation and verifies the installed service, API, and tray. Unsigned preview builds may display Unknown publisher. See Service Mode for the administrative fallback.

  3. Launch Boundless from the Start Menu or desktop shortcut. Choose Dashboard from its tray icon if the window is hidden.

  4. Check Home. If the background runtime is unavailable, open Support before attempting pairing.

The installer puts binaries in %ProgramFiles%\Boundless and installs BoundlessService. Keep one service-owned runtime; starting a second per-user daemon is not a repair step. The MSI does not add the CLI to PATH.

Existing MSI installs are upgraded. Recognized old per-user installs are retired with a recovery copy, and supported old configs migrate with a backup. Moving from a per-user daemon to the machine service requires pairing again. See Migration for the exact preservation and rollback behavior.

Pair

The default transport and nearby pairing ports are TCP 16100 and 16200. If Windows Firewall blocks pairing, follow the scoped Private-network instructions in Troubleshooting; this preview does not add firewall rules automatically. Disable Mouse Without Borders input sharing while qualifying Boundless, even though their default ports now differ.

On both PCs, open Boundless. From Home → Add a PC, choose the other PC from discovery or enter its host address. Follow the code-entry flow shown by Boundless and verify the intended PC before completing it. Pairing establishes trust; it does not imply the peer is online or ready to accept input.

Once Home shows the paired PC as connected, open Arrange PCs. An offline paired PC keeps its trust and reconnects when available. Do not forget or reset it merely because it is asleep.

Arrange and use

Arrange the PCs to match their physical positions, keep This PC in the layout exactly once, and apply the layout. Adjacent edges determine where input moves. In Sharing, enable input sharing and Easy Mouse as needed, then move across the corresponding screen edge.

To return control locally, press Ctrl twice on the local keyboard. In the normal installed service + tray-broker mode, Pause input on Home releases the local capture hook immediately and requests input sharing to stop; that local release does not wait for a working daemon connection. A standalone developer daemon owns its own hooks, so its pause requires daemon acknowledgment. Resume deliberately when ready.

The normal supported desktop is the selected user's unlocked Windows session. An administrator-launched application has additional input restrictions; see Service Mode. UAC prompts and the lock screen are outside the supported control surface.

Clipboard and files

Enable clipboard sharing in Sharing. Use Files for explicit sends and transfer progress. Receiving files requires a receive folder and an explicit receive-policy opt-in. See Clipboard and File Workflows before enabling it.

Get help

Support shows versions, connection help, and redacted report export. It also exposes the temporary permission used for paired testing. No report is sent automatically.

CLI fallback:

$BoundlessCtl = "$env:ProgramFiles\Boundless\boundlessctl.exe"
& $BoundlessCtl --json daemon status
& $BoundlessCtl diagnostics dump --open-folder

Use diagnostics dump --offline --open-folder if the background runtime cannot be reached. See Troubleshooting for the next check.

Exit or uninstall

Closing the dashboard hides it to the tray. Use the tray's Quit action to exit the interactive app. The installed service has its own lifetime.

Uninstall through Windows Installed Apps. Ordinary uninstall preserves configuration and trust; use the reset workflow only when you intend to remove that state. The migration guide explains upgrades and older installation layouts.