Guide

How to switch your monitor's input with a keyboard shortcut

You don't have to reach for the buttons under the bezel. Nearly every modern monitor speaks DDC/CI — a VESA standard that lets software talk to the monitor over the video cable it's already plugged into. One of the things it can say is "show the other input." Here's how it works and the tools that do it.

The short answer

DDC/CI (Display Data Channel / Command Interface) carries small commands from your computer to your monitor over the existing HDMI, DisplayPort, or USB-C cable. The commands are defined by the VESA Monitor Control Command Set (MCCS), and VCP code 0x60 is Input Select. Write a value to it and the monitor switches to that input, exactly as if you'd pressed its physical buttons. So any software that can send that command can flip your monitor between two computers, and you can bind that to a keyboard shortcut.

That's the whole trick. The rest is choosing how you want to trigger it.

Option 1 — The monitor's own buttons (free, clunky)

Every monitor ships with this: press the OSD buttons, navigate the on-screen menu, pick the input. It's free and it always works, but it means physically reaching under or behind the panel, and the menus on most monitors take four or five presses to get to the input list. Fine once a day; tedious if you swap between a work laptop and a desktop all day long.

Option 2 — Free command-line tools and scripts (great for tinkerers)

Because DDC/CI is an open standard, there's a healthy ecosystem of free tools that can write VCP code 0x60:

Linux — ddcutil is the reference tool. ddcutil setvcp 60 0x0f switches to DisplayPort 1 on many monitors, and ddcutil capabilities tells you which input values your specific panel accepts.
Windows — NirSoft's free ControlMyMonitor can read and write any VCP code, including Input Select, and can be driven from the command line — so you can wire it to a shortcut with a launcher like AutoHotkey.
macOS — BetterDisplay and Lunar are GUI apps with DDC control, and m1ddc is an open-source command-line tool for Apple-silicon Macs.

These are genuinely good if you enjoy scripting. The catch: you're assembling the workflow yourself — finding your monitor's input values, binding hotkeys, and doing it separately on each computer. And the tools only move the picture. After the switch, your keyboard and mouse are still attached to the computer you just switched away from, so you also need a USB switch or a second set of peripherals.

Option 3 — EasyKVM (one hotkey, and your keyboard follows)

EasyKVM is a software KVM switch for Mac and Windows built around exactly this DDC/CI trick — plus the part the scripts leave out. Press a global hotkey (default Ctrl+Alt+Q, works from either machine) and it switches the monitor's input over DDC/CI and hands your keyboard, mouse, and audio to the other computer over your LAN. Press it again to come back. No input values to look up, no scripts to maintain, no USB switch.

Install EasyKVM on both computers (macOS 13+ and Windows 10/11).
Pair them once with a 6-digit code over your LAN — no account needed.
Plug each computer into its own input on the monitor (HDMI, DisplayPort, or USB-C).
Press the hotkey. The monitor flips, and your keyboard and mouse now drive the other machine.

One honest detail: EasyKVM sends the DDC/CI command from whichever Windows machine is in the pair. A Mac + Windows desk swaps the monitor automatically from either side; a Mac + Mac pair shares keyboard, mouse, audio, and clipboard but doesn't drive the monitor input.

Caveats — read before you rely on DDC/CI

DDC/CI input switching works on most modern monitors, but not all, and a few things can get in the way:

DDC/CI can be switched off in the monitor's menu. Some monitors ship with it disabled. Look for a "DDC/CI" or "Smart Control" option in the on-screen menu and enable it.
Input switching is its own capability. A monitor can accept brightness commands over DDC/CI and still ignore writes to the Input Select code. If a brightness tool works but input switching doesn't, that's likely why — check what ddcutil capabilities (or the tool's equivalent) reports.
Docks and adapters can block the channel. If the monitor is connected through a USB-C dock or hub, the DDC/CI signal sometimes gets eaten along the way. Try a direct DisplayPort or HDMI cable to confirm whether the monitor itself is the problem.
The switch isn't instant. Panels can take a moment to actually change input after acknowledging the command — a brief black screen while the monitor re-syncs is normal.

If your monitor turns out not to support input switching, EasyKVM still works as a keyboard + mouse + audio switch — turn off "Swap monitor input on hotkey" and change the input yourself. The troubleshooting page covers the common DDC/CI failure modes in more detail.

FAQ

Does my monitor support DDC/CI input switching?

Probably, but the only way to be sure is to try. Almost every monitor made after ~2015 speaks DDC/CI, and if yours has on-screen menu buttons it almost certainly does. Input switching specifically (VCP code 0x60) is a separate question, though — a monitor can accept brightness commands over DDC/CI and still ignore input-switch commands. A free tool like ddcutil (Linux), ControlMyMonitor (Windows), or BetterDisplay (macOS) will tell you in minutes, and so will EasyKVM's 3-day trial.

Can I switch monitor input without a KVM switch?

Yes. DDC/CI runs over the video cables you already have, so no extra hardware is needed. Free command-line tools and scripts can send the input-switch command, and EasyKVM binds it to a global hotkey and also hands your keyboard, mouse, and audio to the other computer at the same time — the full KVM result, in software.

Does this work on both Mac and Windows?

The hotkey works on both — you can press it from the Mac or the PC. One detail worth knowing: EasyKVM sends the DDC/CI command from whichever Windows machine is in the pair, so a Mac + Windows desk swaps the monitor automatically no matter which side you press the hotkey on. A pair of two Macs swaps keyboard, mouse, audio, and clipboard but not the monitor input.

Why isn't my monitor switching?

Three common causes. First, DDC/CI is turned off by default in some monitors' on-screen menus — look for a "DDC/CI" or "Smart Control" setting and enable it. Second, USB-C docks and hubs sometimes eat the DDC/CI signal; try a direct DisplayPort or HDMI cable to confirm. Third, a few monitors simply don't accept input-switch commands even when other DDC/CI controls work. Also note panels can take a moment to actually change input after the command is sent. More fixes on the troubleshooting page.

What is VCP code 0x60?

It's the "Input Select" control in the VESA Monitor Control Command Set (MCCS) — the standardized list of things software can ask a monitor to do over DDC/CI. Writing a value to code 0x60 tells the monitor which input to display: each HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C port has its own value. It's the same switch the monitor's physical buttons flip, just triggered over the video cable instead.

Try it on your own monitor

The fastest way to find out whether your monitor plays along is to run the 3-day trial — no credit card, full functionality, and it tells you within minutes whether DDC/CI input switching works on your exact panel. If it doesn't, there's a 14-day no-questions refund.

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