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Unable to see cursor on the Linux client computer

Updated

Written for Synergy 3 (v3.7.2) and Synergy 1 (v1.21.4), checked 3 October 2026.

Product: Synergy 1 and Synergy 3
Operating system: Linux

If a Linux client shows as connected and the mouse hovers over parts of its screen but you can't see the cursor, check whether the client uses Wayland, then update Synergy 1 or Synergy 3 and check you installed the right package. If that doesn't help, switch the client to Xorg.

Check whether you're using Wayland

Open the terminal, and run the following command:

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

This should return either x11 or wayland.

If you're using Wayland

  1. Update to the latest Synergy 1 or Synergy 3 from the download page. Synergy 1 (v1.21.2) fixed many cursor problems on Wayland.
  2. Check you installed the package for your Linux distro and version. Some packages work only on Xorg, such as the Ubuntu 22.04 packages; the list is in: Wayland support on Linux
  3. Check your desktop is GNOME or KDE Plasma; other desktops don't support Synergy 1 or Synergy 3 on Wayland yet.

If the cursor still doesn't appear, switch to Xorg: Switch back to Xorg on Ubuntu

Using Xorg and still unable to see the cursor

In rarer cases, the cursor only appears once Wayland is turned off for the login screen too, by setting WaylandEnable=false in the GDM configuration file. For the steps, see: Switch back to Xorg on Ubuntu

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