K EasyKVM

Troubleshooting

EasyKVM is in beta — expect a few rough edges in v1. Most issues people hit are listed here with the fix. If yours isn't covered, email hello@easykvm.app and we'll add it.

Pairing & connection

"Cannot connect" or the joiner can't see the host

Both machines must be on the same LAN. Wi-Fi works but a wired connection on at least one side gives the snappiest mouse feel.

  • Check both machines are connected to the same router (same SSID for Wi-Fi).
  • Some corporate / hotel Wi-Fi networks block peer-to-peer traffic — try a personal hotspot to confirm.
  • Firewall: on Windows, allow EasyKVM through Windows Defender Firewall when prompted on first launch.
The 6-digit pairing code expired before I could type it

Codes expire 5 minutes after generation. Click Generate new code on the host machine and try again.

"Different fingerprint detected" warning on reconnect

On the first pair, EasyKVM pins the peer's TLS certificate (trust-on-first-use). If you wipe the host's settings or reinstall, a new cert is generated and the joiner sees a new fingerprint.

If you trust the new cert (e.g. you just reinstalled), accept the new fingerprint once and pairing continues. If you didn't expect a change, something's intercepting your LAN traffic — investigate before accepting.

Monitor input switching

The hotkey works but my monitor input doesn't change

Monitor switching uses DDC/CI — a small VESA protocol the OS uses to talk to your monitor over the existing video cable. Almost all monitors made after ~2015 support it, but a few don't.

  • If your monitor has on-screen-menu buttons on the front, it almost certainly supports DDC/CI.
  • If your monitor is connected through a USB-C dock, the DDC/CI signal sometimes gets eaten by the dock. Try a direct DisplayPort/HDMI cable to confirm.
  • Some monitors have DDC/CI turned off by default in their menu. Look for a "DDC/CI" or "Smart Control" option in the monitor's on-screen menu and enable it.
I want my Mac to be the host (control the monitor)

Not supported today. The host machine has to be a Windows PC because Windows is where DDC/CI is reliable on the OS side. Apple Silicon's DDC/CI support is still incomplete in macOS 13/14/15.

Your Mac can absolutely be the joiner — keyboard, mouse, and audio all work in that direction. Mac-as-host is on the roadmap.

Keyboard & mouse mirror

Mac: "Accessibility permission required"

macOS requires Accessibility permission to inject keyboard and mouse events. EasyKVM prompts on first mirror — grant it in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.

If the prompt doesn't appear, or you previously denied, open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, find EasyKVM, toggle it on. You may need to quit and relaunch the app once.

Mac: Accessibility was granted before but now says "denied"

macOS sometimes "forgets" Accessibility permission after an app update — the new build's signing hash differs from the granted version, so the OS treats it as a new app. EasyKVM detects this and shows a Reset button in the app's Accessibility section.

Click Reset, follow the prompts (this runs tccutil reset Accessibility for EasyKVM), then re-grant in System Settings. Should take ~30 seconds.

Weird characters like ß∂ç after pressing the swap hotkey

This means a modifier key got "stuck" — usually Option on Mac. Happens occasionally when the swap hotkey is released slightly out-of-order across the network.

Quick fix: press and release each of Ctrl, Alt/Option, Cmd, Shift once. That tells the OS to clear stuck-modifier state.

EasyKVM auto-flushes modifiers on every mirror state transition, so the issue usually self-corrects within ~100ms. If it persists, send a screenshot and we'll dig in.

Caps Lock won't toggle

Caps Lock on macOS doesn't respond to normal key-injection — it requires a special IOKit path that EasyKVM uses. If Caps Lock seems stuck, press it twice quickly to nudge the OS state.

The emergency hotkey to release input — what is it?

Default is Ctrl+Alt+C (Windows) / ++C (Mac). It immediately disables Mirror peripherals and returns keyboard/mouse control to your local machine — useful if anything ever feels stuck.

You can rebind it in Settings → Emergency Hotkey.

Audio

Audio doesn't seem to follow

Audio forwarding is a v1 feature that needs OS-level capture permission.

  • Mac → PC: uses ScreenCaptureKit, requires Screen Recording permission. First time you turn on audio, macOS prompts. Grant it.
  • PC → Mac: uses WASAPI loopback on Windows. No permission needed but the audio is routed to the same playback device the rest of your system uses — make sure that device isn't muted on the receiving side.

If audio crackles or doesn't start, toggle it off in Settings → Audio and back on. If that doesn't help, mention the audio behavior when emailing support.

"Mute Mac while mirroring" — what does this do?

When enabled, EasyKVM mutes your Mac's system audio whenever the PC is actively viewing it. That way the Mac's speakers stay silent and all sound comes through your PC's headset / speakers — the "EasyKVM is my audio device" experience without installing a virtual audio driver.

Only effective when you've also turned on audio forwarding.

License & activation

"License not found" when I paste my key

Three possible causes, in order of likelihood:

  • Typo in the email or key — they have to match what's on the license server. Re-copy from your license-key email.
  • License already on another machine — one license = one host. Use Change host on your account page first, then activate the new machine.
  • Refunded — refunded licenses can't be re-activated. Email support if this is wrong.
I want to move my license to a different host

Sign in to your account, click Change host… on the license card. You'll get a confirmation email — clicking the link releases the current host, and the next machine you activate becomes the new host.

Host change is rate-limited to once every 30 days to prevent abuse.

App says "Trial expired" but I just bought a license

The license activation needs internet on first activation. If your machine was offline when you saved, the app couldn't reach the license server.

  • Make sure you're connected to the internet.
  • Reopen Settings → License, click Save again. The app retries the activation.
  • If you keep seeing "Trial expired", check your firewall isn't blocking outbound HTTPS to api.easykvm.app.
I'm offline and the app stopped working

License tokens are signed for 30 days and verified offline. We auto-renew every ~7 days when online, so you'd need to be offline for 30+ days continuously to hit this.

If you legitimately need long offline windows, get back online once and the app auto-renews silently in the background within a few seconds of network coming back.

Billing

My bank statement shows "AVENDAVI" — is that EasyKVM?

Yes. Avendavi is the parent company behind EasyKVM, so credit-card statements show the charge as AVENDAVI. Not a fraud charge.

I want a refund

14 days, no questions asked — that's the EU consumer-law right of withdrawal and we honor it everywhere. Email hello@easykvm.app with the email you used at purchase and we'll process within a business day.

I didn't get my license-key email

Check spam — emails from noreply@easykvm.app sometimes land there on first contact. If still nothing after 10 min:

  • Sign in to your account with the purchase email — you can see the key from there.
  • If the account page says "not signed in" and the magic-link email also doesn't arrive, email hello@easykvm.app from the purchase email.

Still stuck?

Email hello@easykvm.app from the address you bought with. Include:

Beta means we're actively fixing things, so reports help a lot.