Can I use my MacBook keyboard and trackpad with my Mac Mini?

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Mac mini Model A1283

2, 2.26, 2.53, or 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo processor

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Brady Cabe @bradycabe

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Posted: Feb 3, 2010

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Can I use my MacBook keyboard and trackpad with my Mac Mini?

My Mac Mini (finally ordered today!) will sit next to my television and I really don't want to have a keyboard and mouse plugged into it. Wireless keyboard and mouse, sure but too much clutter/money. iPhone app that operates as trackpad and pull-up keyboard, got it already but a little too small. I want to know if I could 'pair' my MacBook keyboard and trackpad with the MacMini over the network.

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rab777hp @rab777hp

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Posted: Feb 3, 2010

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Sure, just use screen sharing.

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5 Comments:

Cool! Will be running Leopard on both and I have never done this. Sounds easy enough. Can you elaborate?

Feb 3, 2010 by Brady Cabe

Yeah, all you have to do is enable screen sharing via the Sharing panel of system preferences, then, use the MacBook to log into the mac mini in the Finder, and hit the screen share button, you authenticate, and you get the screen of the mini your MacBook and you can use the keyboard and mouse.

Feb 3, 2010 by rab777hp

Thanks! Can't wait to try it out.

Feb 5, 2010 by Brady Cabe

Did I miss something here? I believe the poster wants to use his laptop keyboard & trackpad to control his Mac mini plugged into the TV. Screen sharing will work, but that’s sharing the LAPTOP screen TO the Mac mini. It’s not actually using the Mac mini at all (you can do the same thing with an Apple TV). So unless I missed something, I think the poster wants to actually use his Mac mini (with all the processing & storage power onboard the Mac mini) and simply CONTROL it with his laptop keyboard & trackpad.

Jun 9, 2022 by ITB Social Media

is this actually possible ITB SOCIAL MEDIA ?

Mar 8, 2023 by TimTam

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Cool! Will be running Leopard on both and I have never done this. Sounds easy enough. Can you elaborate? — Brady Cabe
Yeah, all you have to do is enable screen sharing via the Sharing panel of system preferences, then, use the MacBook to log into the mac mini in the Finder, and hit the screen share button, you authenticate, and you get the screen of the mini your MacBook and you can use the keyboard and mouse. — rab777hp
Did I miss something here? I believe the poster wants to use his laptop keyboard & trackpad to control his Mac mini plugged into the TV. Screen sharing will work, but that’s sharing the LAPTOP screen TO the Mac mini. It’s not actually using the Mac mini at all (you can do the same thing with an Apple TV). So unless I missed something, I think the poster wants to actually use his Mac mini (with all the processing & storage power onboard the Mac mini) and simply CONTROL it with his laptop keyboard & trackpad. — ITB Social Media