Written for Synergy 3 (v3.8.4) and Synergy 1 (v1.22.3), checked 20 October 2026.
Operating system: Linux
For business and enterprise customers: to install on many computers at once, see: Deploying across your organization, including silent install on Windows
What you need before installation
- An active Synergy 1 or Synergy 3 license
- The package for your distribution and release from the download page
- At least two computers, each with its own screen
- Administrator privileges on all computers to install the package
- Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection (computers must be on the same network)
- The same product on every computer, since Synergy 1 and Synergy 3 aren't guaranteed to work with each other
The distributions each product supports are listed in: Operating system and hardware requirements
For a Raspberry Pi, which package to choose is covered in: Do I install ARMHF or ARM64 on my Raspberry Pi?
Switching a computer from one product to the other? Remove the one you have first. The steps are in: Reinstalling or uninstalling
Synergy 1 and Synergy 3 use the same package name on Linux, so a computer can have only one of them, and installing Synergy 3 replaces Synergy 1 if it is installed on the same computer.
Which package for Linux Mint or Pop!_OS
Download the package for your release, not the newest Ubuntu package. Linux Mint 22 and Pop!_OS 24.04 each have a package under their own name on the download page. For these, pick the package they are built on:
- Linux Mint 21: Ubuntu 22.04
- LMDE 7: Debian 13
The Ubuntu 26.04 package doesn't run on any of these, because it needs newer libraries than they have. For another distribution, the package to pick is under: Operating system and hardware requirements
General install instructions
- Double-click the .deb or .rpm file you have downloaded above
- Click Install
- Enter your password when asked
- Continue with: Open Synergy 1 or Synergy 3
Command line instructions
Once your download starts, the download page shows the command for the file you downloaded, under Installation guide, with a button to copy it. The commands for each distribution are below.
Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS and Raspberry Pi OS
Synergy 1 and Synergy 3 can also be installed in the Terminal using commands. These vary depending on the Linux distro; the command for Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS and Raspberry Pi OS is:
sudo apt install ~/Downloads/[.deb package name]
On Linux Mint or Pop!_OS, the package for your release is listed under: Which package for Linux Mint or Pop!_OS
Using the GUI on Ubuntu 24.04 and later
On an up-to-date Ubuntu 24.04 or later, right-click the .deb file, choose Open with App Center, and follow its prompts to install it. If App Center doesn't offer to install it, update App Center first by running sudo snap refresh with App Center closed, or use the Terminal command above.
Fedora, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux
Use dnf to install rpm packages.
sudo dnf install ~/Downloads/[.rpm package name]
On Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Rocky Linux 10 and AlmaLinux 10, Synergy 3 (v3.8.2 and later) installs without EPEL. If dnf stops with nothing provides libappindicator-gtk3, the package is an older version: download the current one from our download page.
openSUSE
Use zypper to install rpm packages.
sudo zypper install ~/Downloads/[.rpm package name]
Arch Linux, Manjaro and CachyOS
Use pacman to install the package.
sudo pacman -U ~/Downloads/[.pkg.tar.zst package name]
Other distributions
Use the Flatpak, which runs on most distributions.
sudo flatpak install ~/Downloads/[.flatpak file name]
To ask for a package built for your distribution, contact our support team.
Open Synergy 1 or Synergy 3
- Open Synergy from your application menu: Synergy 1 and Synergy 3 are both listed as Synergy, without the number. It doesn't open by itself after installing.
To open it from a terminal instead, run:
- Synergy 3:
/opt/Synergy/synergy - Synergy 1:
synergy
If you installed the Flatpak, run:
flatpak run com.symless.synergy
- Synergy 3:
- Sign in with your license and name your computer:
- Synergy 3:
On a Wayland desktop, a Wayland support message opens over the window each time you open Synergy 3. On GNOME (v46 and later) or KDE Plasma (v6.1 and later), select Don't remind me again to stop it coming back, then click Continue with Wayland. On any other desktop, log in with Xorg instead. Wayland support is covered in: Wayland support on Linux
- On the Welcome to Synergy 3 screen, click Continue to login.
- Enter the email address and password of the account that has an active Synergy 3 license.
- Click Log in.
- Under Name your computer, enter a name for your computer that you haven't used for another computer (for example, Linux-One).
- Click Next.
Then follow the instructions on screen to configure Synergy 3.
To use your serial key instead, click Use serial key manually at step 1, paste the serial key from your account page, and click Continue.
To open the window again later, open Synergy from your application menu, or, if your desktop shows tray icons, click the Synergy 3 icon in the system tray and choose Show config. Closing the window doesn't stop Synergy 3: it keeps sharing your keyboard and mouse in the background. The window and the tray icon menu are covered in: Finding your way around: window, menus, tray icon and pausing sharing
- Synergy 1:
With Synergy 1 Enterprise, which has no serial key, skip to naming your computer. Otherwise, when Synergy 1 first opens, it asks you to Enter your serial key:
- Log in to your account page.
- Click the copy button next to your serial key, under Serial key on your license.
- Paste the serial key into Synergy 1.
- Click OK.
- Click OK again on the message that thanks you for entering your serial key.
Synergy 1 names your computer after its host name, shown next to This computer's name: in the main window. To change it, click the edit button beside the name, type the new name and press Enter. Use only letters, numbers, hyphens, underscores or dots (e.g. Linux-One).
- Synergy 3:
Accept your desktop's input permission
If your desktop asks for permission to capture input or allow remote control, accept it with the keyboard and mouse of the computer showing it, and select the option to remember your choice if there is one. On a Wayland desktop, Synergy 1 and Synergy 3 use the desktop portal for input, which is what asks. How to accept it on each desktop is covered in: Capture Input or Remote Desktop dialog keeps appearing on Linux
Set up your other computers
Install and open the same product on every Linux computer that you want to connect.
Once it is installed, you can connect your computers and share your peripherals. For the steps, see: Arranging your computers or Connecting your computers
Synergy 3 can't start or stays paused after installing?
Install the package for your distribution's release. A package built for a newer release needs libraries yours doesn't have yet, so Synergy 3 opens but can't start sharing. The Ubuntu 26.04 package on Linux Mint 22 is the usual case.
Synergy 3 (v3.8.2 and later) says so in a Can't start message, naming the libraries it needs, such as libQt6Core.so.6 (version Qt_6.10). An error ending in version `Qt_6.10' not found means the same: the package needs version 6.10 of the Qt libraries, and your release has an older one. Older versions of Synergy 3 stay paused instead, and Resume does nothing.
- Remove Synergy 3, with the command for your distribution:
- Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS and Raspberry Pi OS:
sudo apt remove synergy - Fedora, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux:
sudo dnf remove synergy - openSUSE:
sudo zypper remove synergy - Arch Linux, Manjaro and CachyOS:
sudo pacman -R synergy
- Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS and Raspberry Pi OS:
- Download the package for your distribution and release from our download page. For Linux Mint or Pop!_OS, which one that is: Which package for Linux Mint or Pop!_OS For any other distribution: Operating system and hardware requirements
- Install it with the command for your distribution above.