2023/03/21 ｜By G Editor
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is convenient for connecting output and input devices to computer systems, such as printers, joysticks, mice, scanners, speakers, external hard drives, etc. The best feature of USB is that it can support up to 127 devices! As long as there are enough USB ports, one computer can connect multiple mice, joysticks, keyboards and touchscreens at the same time.
Although Windows system allows multiple input devices to be connected, only one input source will be present at a time. For example, when using wireless mouse, Windows does not allow touch input from the external touchscreen. Namely, if two people separately use mouse and touchscreen on the extended dual-monitor-desktop, the inputs will be interfered and the cursor will be switched back and forth.
If two input sources (two mice or one mouse plus one touch screen) must be operated simultaneously on a dual monitor desktop, we recommend installing MouseMux, a multi-input collaboration software, to achieve synchronous inputs; or as an alternative, use a trick on Windows display settings to fix the mouse cursor to one display, or use custom hotkeys to bring the cursor back to the center of the main display any time to solve the problem of the mouse cursor being switched to the touch monitor by touch taps.
MouseMux allows multiple users to operate synchronously on the same Windows desktop and makes color marks and activity indicators for different users. It is an auxiliary software for synchronous collaboration. MouseMux provides a free home authorization, which is completely free for a four-user home environment, and a paid license is required for commercial use.
① Download the software https://mousemux.com/
② Run MouseMux after installation
③ MouseMux provides three operation modes. Choose [Multiplex input] to operate multiple inputs synchronously.
In the Multiplex Input mode of MouseMux, the mouse cursor is no longer transferred to the touch screen by touch taps, but there may be delays or inability to click on the APP menu. Similar software such as Pluralinput, TeamPlayer, Eithermous, etc. have been tested under Windows 11/10 and are not recommended as they do not work well or are not compatible with touch input.
On the extended dual-screen desktop, we can use a trick from Windows 11/10 display settings to align the two displays diagonally so that the mouse cursor is not easily switched to the touchscreen.
① Right click on the desktop to initial the quick menu and click "Display Settings". Drag the touch screen (Display 2) to the diagonal of Display 1, then click "Apply".
② When tapping on the touch screen, the windows system cannot smoothly transfer the cursor to the touch screen because the connection channel between the two displays is limited to one corner. The mouse cursor then gets stuck at the corner between monitor 1 and monitor 2. Move the mouse slightly to move the cursor back to the desired position of Display 1.
This diagonal dual-screen arrangement makes it difficult to drag and drop APP windows. Please use the following Windows Hotkeys:
Windows + Shift + Left Arrow
Windows + Shift + Right Arrow
to switch APP window to the next screen quickly.
The free and open-source dual-monitor auxiliary software-- Dual Monitor Tools provides a hotkey function for cursor switching, which can be used to quickly switch the cursor from the touch screen to the main display.
① Download the software https://dualmonitortool.sourceforge.net/dmt_cursor.html
② Run DMT after installation and right click the software icon in the notification area>> click [Options]
③ Click Cursor>General and set hotkeys on 'Move cursor to next screen'. For example, Ctrl+Shift+<Enter>
④ When tapping the touch screen, the mouse cursor will be moved to the touch screen instantly. The main-display user can press the hotkeys (Ctrl+Shift+ Enter) to switch the cursor back to the primary display.
Note
Dual Monitor Tools also provides a cursor sticky function, allowing the cursor to be stuck on display, but it only works for mouse input, and cannot prevent the cursor from being moved to the touch screen by touching.
AutoHotkey is a very powerful free software for customizing hotkeys. Through simple coding, AutoHotkey can quickly execute many repetitive tasks by running hotkeys or files, making the operation more automated and humanized. Use AutoHotkey to set hotkeys to quickly switch the cursor back to the center of the main screen. The setting method is as follows:
① Download the software https://www.autohotkey.com/ and install it.
② Right click on the desktop, and click [add]>>[AutoHokey Script]
③ Input filename. ahk and click [Edit]
④ Paste the following scripts into the file editor (first line defines the hotkeys as Ctrl + j). Then save the file.
^j::
CoordMode, Mouse, Screen
MouseMove, (A_ScreenWidth // 2), (A_ScreenHeight // 2)
return
⑤ Double click the ahk file on the desktop. Then you can switch the cursor back to the centre of the main display anytime by pressing Ctrl+J.
Customise Your Hotkeys：Use the following symbols to set the hotkeys
| Symbole | Description |
| # | Windows icon button |
| ! | Alt |
| ^ | Ctrl |
| + | Shift |
| & | Used to connect two keys (including the mouse button) |
Windows 11/10 allows multiple users to register, but does not allow them to work simultaneously unless they are connected via virtual desktop or remote desktop.
At home, MouseMux is easy for installation and use, allowing parents and children to use one computer at the same time, working and browsing Internet on their respective screens.
In commercial situations, dual-monitor, dual-user applications at the reception desk or office counter, it is recommended to use either a diagonal dual-screen setup or hotkeys to switch the cursor back to the main screen. Interactive operations and cursor- controlled hotkeys can achieve a comfortable dual-monitor dual-user counter application as well.
