My keyboard was destroyed and I can't afford to replace it right now because I have urgent car and household expenses. Is there an easy way to use my 2020 M1 MacBook Air to control and type on my Windows desktop temporarily? Remote access or screen sharing would be fine for browsing, watching videos, and messaging. I'm not concerned about gaming, though I'd prefer something with minimal input lag if possible. I was hoping there might be a cable that lets the MacBook act directly as a USB keyboard.
3 Answers
Game-streaming tools can also work for this. You can stream the Windows desktop to the MacBook and send keyboard input back to the PC. With a properly configured setup, the delay may be barely noticeable, though it depends on your network and hardware.
There isn’t normally a cable that lets a MacBook function as a direct USB keyboard for a Windows computer. Also, setting up remote access usually requires some way to interact with the PC initially. You could use the mouse and Windows’ on-screen keyboard, or ask around for a spare used keyboard that someone is willing to give away.
A remote-access or screen-sharing application that runs on both macOS and Windows is probably the simplest option. Install the host component on the PC and use the MacBook as the client. It should work well enough for browsing and messaging, although gaming may feel laggy.
That makes sense. I was hoping for a cable-based solution to avoid input lag, but I’m fine skipping games for now.
Using the on-screen keyboard to get remote access configured is a good workaround. I’ll try that and also see whether anyone has a spare keyboard.