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Configure Synergy 1 for multi-user support

Updated

Written for Synergy 1 (v1.21.4), checked 3 October 2026.

Product: Synergy 1 Business
Operating system: Windows, macOS, and Linux

Note: this is a Synergy 1 Business feature. The Scope tab only appears with a Synergy 1 Business license.

Steps

Synergy 1 can be configured for use by multiple profiles on the same computer. For example, if three people share one desktop with their own logins, Synergy 1 keeps the settings and works for each of them.

To set up Synergy 1 for multi-user use:

  1. Install Synergy 1 using an account with administrator privileges.
  2. Open Synergy 1 as administrator (on macOS and Linux, as root). Without administrator rights, Synergy 1 refuses the switch with the message Cannot switch to 'All users' scope.
  3. Open Edit > Preferences. On macOS, the preferences are in the Synergy menu in the menu bar instead.
  4. Click the Scope tab and choose All users instead of Current user.
  5. When the Restart required message asks whether to quit Synergy 1 now, click Yes.
  6. Open Synergy 1 again.

After completing these steps, log in as a different user and open Synergy 1. Users who have never opened Synergy 1 on this computer get the "All users" settings. A user who already has settings of their own keeps using them, because Synergy 1 reads a user's own settings file first; delete that user's %APPDATA%\Synergy\Synergy.conf (Windows), ~/Library/Synergy/Synergy.conf (macOS) or ~/.config/Synergy/Synergy.conf (Linux) to move them onto the "All users" settings.

For Windows-specific deployments

With "All users" enabled, the settings are saved to a file under the ProgramData folder:

C:\ProgramData\Synergy\Synergy.conf

By default, the permissions on C:\ProgramData\Synergy\ and the files in it are:

  • Administrators: full control (read and write).
  • Users: read-only, provided the folder was created by an administrator. If a standard user launched Synergy 1 before C:\ProgramData\Synergy\ existed, Windows made that user the owner of the folder and they have full control of it, including Synergy.conf. Create the folder from an administrator account or your deployment tool before users first launch Synergy 1, and check it with this command: 
    icacls "C:\ProgramData\Synergy"

With the "All users" profile, only administrators can change settings; a standard user who opens Synergy 1 sees the settings as read-only. If end users need to change settings in Synergy 1 themselves, add permissions to the C:\ProgramData\Synergy\ directory so that new files can be created there. This is needed because the server configuration file is written to that folder each time the server starts.

On macOS the "All users" settings are in /Library/Synergy/Synergy.conf, and on Linux in /etc/Synergy/Synergy.conf.

To lock individual settings, such as TLS or clipboard sharing, so that they cannot be changed from any profile, use the locked settings file. It is described in: Lock down Synergy settings so users cannot change them

Zero-touch deployment on Windows is covered in: Synergy Business Silent & Automated Deployment (Windows)

Should you need further help, please contact our business support team

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