Best KVM Switches in 2022

Last update: November 16, 2022

Are KVM switches obsolete?

Can I use a KVM switch with 4 monitors?

A KVM switch is a hardware device that allows a user to control multiple computers from a single keyboard, video display, and mouse. Typically, a KVM switch is used to save space on a desk or in a data center. A KVM switch with 4 monitors would allow a user to control 4 computers from a single keyboard, video display, and mouse. This would be especially useful in a data center where space is often limited.

Can I use a KVM switch with a laptop?

Yes, you can use a KVM switch with a laptop. You will need to purchase a KVM switch that is compatible with your laptop's operating system. Once you have the KVM switch, you will need to connect it to your laptop's video output port and your keyboard and mouse.

Can KVM run on Windows?

Yes, KVM can run on Windows. KVM is a type 1 hypervisor that can be installed directly on top of a physical server. KVM supports a wide range of guest operating systems including Windows, Linux, and Solaris. KVM provides excellent performance and is widely used in production environments.


Perixx PERIPRO-401 PS2 USB Cable Cord Adapter for Keyboard and Mouse with PS/2 Interface, Built-in USB Controller and Support PS2 Port of KVM Switch, Black Review:


I still require a PS2 keyboard and mouse despite having a KVM switch. You can use a single keyboard, mouse, and display for many computers by using a KVM switch. You can go between the computers at will. My KVM switch connects the keyboard and mouse using the outdated PS2 connectors. There is only one PS2 slot on the latest motherboards. I bought a splitter, but it would only allow one of them to operate simultaneously. The mouse was typically used by default.I decided to give it a try after reading the reviews and seeing that others had success using it with their KVM switch. Only my mouse is connected to this splitter, and my keyboard is connected to the PS2 on the computer. The device is much better constructed than most. The cable has the block in the middle of it. The majority of splitters lack that.Buy this without hesitation. It will probably help you with your troubles.



USB 3.0 Switch Selector,ABLEWE KVM Switcher Adapter 4 Port USB Peripheral Switcher Box Hub for Mouse, Keyboard, Scanner, Printer, PCs with One-Button Switch and 2 Pack USB Cable Review:


I needed a USB extender since I had too many devices connected to my computer. Since I was on a tight budget, I was seeking for one that was inexpensive, and voila! I discovered one that was almost just what I needed. Let me say that thus far, there have been no issues and everything has worked perfectly. If anything changes, I'll be sure to update this review and let you guys know. A fascinating feature of the USB Switch is that two computers can be plugged into it and used with the identical USB systems that are attached to it. Given that it is a 3.0, it is lightning-fast and simple to switch between with just the push of a button. The fact that it includes two USB to USB adapters to connect to either one or two computers is its best feature.



UGREEN USB KVM Switch Box 2 Port VGA Video Sharing Adapter 2 in 1 Out Manual Switcher with USB Cables for Computer, PC, Laptop, Desktop, Monitor, Printer, Keyboard, Mouse Control Review:


This was just delivered to me today, and I already adore it! Since I already had VGA cables connected, switching them into this KVM switch was simple. It was simple to connect a single USB connection (included with this switch) to each computer, and I was relieved to find that both of my PCs could function with only a single monitor, keyboard, and mouse.I did had a minor issue that merits mentioning so that others do not make the same mistake I made. The USB cord from the KVM switch was plugged in, and I believed I had disconnected the mouse from both machines. The mouse on one computer worked flawlessly, but not on the other. I quickly recognized that the USB mouse I had unplugged from that computer was not the mouse I had in mind when I saw that the original mouse that had been connected to it was still functional. I removed the mouse's cable after following it. After that, both computers seamlessly integrated the mouse and keyboard. Definitely five stars!



UGREEN USB Switch Selector 2 Computers Sharing 4 USB Devices USB 2.0 Peripheral Switcher Box Hub for Mouse, Keyboard, Scanner, Printer, PCs with One-Button Swapping and 2 Pack USB A to A Cable Review:


In lieu of switching wireless keyboard dongles back and forth from my Windows desktop and my primarily desktop-configured Macbook Pro, I was seeking for an option. Future expansion is made possible by the extra ports. The four port USB switch is expertly engineered and constructed. It has the same shape as a typical USB hub and has a lovely gloss black finish. The high-quality, generously length (6') hub to host (male, male USB A) cables that come with the hub are easy to connect to both PCs. Contrary to the common trend of items with obnoxiously bright LED indicators, the Computer 1 and 2 position reading is just legible and the blue LEDs are operated at low power, which I enjoy but others might not.Both my MacOS X 10.11 and Windows 7 PCs seamlessly and without the need for drivers support the switch. When switching host machines, there is a setup period of 5 to 20 seconds depending on the OS. The switch can optionally be powered by a micro USB port with a 5V input ( cable not included ). It was unnecessary to use the 5V input for my low power application.



JideTech 2-Port USB HDMI Cable KVM Switch Video, Cables & USB Peripheral Sharing Support 4k×2K@30hz Resolution Review:


Please be aware that Amazon combines reviews for the three different JideTech switches in this category, which may cause some readers to become confused. This review is for the HDMI KVM version, which utilizes an HDMI connection to send keyboard, mouse, and audio signals from two devices to a single monitor or TV display.I frequently use a few VGA KVM switches with different desktop computers, however I recently bought a few secondhand laptops that I periodically want to connect to a bigger monitor. This is made simple with the JideTech switch, and the outcome is excellent!I won't write a thorough review because there are already plenty that cover the essentials. I'll just offer a few remarks in case they're useful to anyone else setting up for the first time.* I'm utilizing the switch with two various Toshiba laptops from earlier generations that have been upgraded to Windows 10. When the HDMI outputs are enabled to transfer signals to the external HDMI port, there may be discrepancies, and your switch may not appear to be operating until you determine what your computer needs. To access HDMI properties in some circumstances, you may need to visit Windows' "Display" settings, or you may need to check Device Manager to see if any HDMI devices need to be enabled. Your system may turn on its HDMI output automatically when it boots up if you simply connect the cords to the switch and the monitor BEFORE turning on the computer. Since you don't have to look around for complicated options, this is definitely the best-case situation!There are no audio wires, therefore if anyone is wondering if this switch passes audio, the answer is "Yes." Video and audio signals are both carried by the HDMI connectors.* For customers who have different wired devices, there are two USB ports on the switch—one for attaching a keyboard and one for a mouse. With the receiver inserted into either the keyboard USB connector on the switch or the mouse USB connector on the switch, both of my Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse devices work as intended. Not to worry!* The accompanying documentation might be enhanced, and I agree with a prior reviewer who made that claim. There are several weird phrases in what appears to be a Chinese to English translation. It's particularly difficult when dealing with technical jargon that may be new to someone trying to incorporate this into their system when the technical phrases are conveyed in a somewhat disorganized manner. In order to demonstrate that the documentation is clear, simple, and accurate, I believe the vendor would be wise to ask someone for whom English is their first language to sit down with the instruction sheet and a switch and follow the instructions to do the hook-up.In conclusion, I'm quite happy with the switch's use, switching speed, and audio/video performance. Hopefully it will be strong as well. If anything changes or fails too soon, I'll make the required revisions to my evaluation.All is well thus far! Keep it, please.



UGREEN USB 3.0 Sharing Switch Selector 4 Port 2 Computers Peripheral Switcher Adapter Hub for PC, Printer, Scanner, Mouse, Keyboard with One Button Swapping and 2 Pack USB Male Cable Review:


At my workstation in my home office, where I also use my personal computer, I have a docking station set up for my business laptop. I soon came to the conclusion that switching USB adapters every time I wanted to move between my personal computer and my business computer was a headache and unnecessary wear and tear on the ports. I decided to hunt for a USB switch and found this one after I also noticed that the built-in DAC in my work laptop was useless when I tried to listen to some music on Pandora while I worked.I'm delighted to report that my setup and the UGREEN USB 3.0 switch coexist almost flawlessly. It is connected to both my laptop dock and my personal PC. I have my wired keyboard, mouse adapter, and independent DAC plugged into the front. When I wish to move the computer display to my TV, I even used the fourth USB port to plug in another keyboard adapter, which I was able to use from my couch.Pressing the button on the UGREEN unit's top instantly and without a pause transfers control from one computer to another. Which computer is now active is shown by a tiny, unobtrusive blue LED. The chosen computer's mouse, keyboard, and audio DAC all function properly right away. I only occasionally run into problems while switching to a machine that is asleep. Then I have to use the power button on the computer to wake it up because using the mouse or pressing a key on the keyboard does not wake the computer up as it typically would. I'm not sure why this occurs, but it appears that if the USB connection was not active when the computer went to sleep, it would not establish a connection until the computer was manually awakened. As this would be an obvious cause for the problem, I examined my power settings to make sure that USB ports are not turned off when the machine is sleeping, but that is not the case. Since the power buttons for both my personal computer and dock are immediately reachable, this is only a slight inconvenience, but it would be wonderful if it functioned.The UGREEN device is really compact and conceals itself on my desk next to my audio mixer. I do have to bend my two wired connections (keyboard and DAC) 180 degrees to route the cables back under the switch in order to keep them neatly controlled. That wouldn't be a problem if all I had plugged in were my four USB adapters. The unit would need to be bigger to have 6 ports on one side rather than 4, which would be the only solution if all the ports were on the back.The switch has a cheap-feeling plastic casing and is very lightweight, which means stiff wires can occasionally lift it so it doesn't rest flat. There is also no mounting provision, which is a small quibble given how nicely it functions.Even with the backlit keyboard I am using, I do not have this switch linked to power, and it and my devices work just fine. It looks that you can power the switch with micro USB if your devices require a lot of power (if you were intending to charge something via USB, for example).I am satisfied with the UGREEN USB 3.0 switch overall. I would be even delighted if it could always establish a connection with a computer that is off when it is switched on, though it may not even be the switch's fault. If you want to exchange inputs between two computers without having to plug in and out of cords, dongles, and adapters, I would highly recommend this.



4 Port VGA KVM Switch with USB Hub Support Wireless Keyboard Mouse Connection and Push Button Switching Function Review:


Please be aware that Amazon combines reviews for the three different JideTech switches in this category, which may cause some readers to become confused. This review is for the HDMI KVM version, which utilizes an HDMI connection to send keyboard, mouse, and audio signals from two devices to a single monitor or TV display.I frequently use a few VGA KVM switches with different desktop computers, however I recently bought a few secondhand laptops that I periodically want to connect to a bigger monitor. This is made simple with the JideTech switch, and the outcome is excellent!I won't write a thorough review because there are already plenty that cover the essentials. I'll just offer a few remarks in case they're useful to anyone else setting up for the first time.* I'm utilizing the switch with two various Toshiba laptops from earlier generations that have been upgraded to Windows 10. When the HDMI outputs are enabled to transfer signals to the external HDMI port, there may be discrepancies, and your switch may not appear to be operating until you determine what your computer needs. To access HDMI properties in some circumstances, you may need to visit Windows' "Display" settings, or you may need to check Device Manager to see if any HDMI devices need to be enabled. Your system may turn on its HDMI output automatically when it boots up if you simply connect the cords to the switch and the monitor BEFORE turning on the computer. Since you don't have to look around for complicated options, this is definitely the best-case situation!There are no audio wires, therefore if anyone is wondering if this switch passes audio, the answer is "Yes." Video and audio signals are both carried by the HDMI connectors.* For customers who have different wired devices, there are two USB ports on the switch—one for attaching a keyboard and one for a mouse. With the receiver inserted into either the keyboard USB connector on the switch or the mouse USB connector on the switch, both of my Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse devices work as intended. Not to worry!* The accompanying documentation might be enhanced, and I agree with a prior reviewer who made that claim. There are several weird phrases in what appears to be a Chinese to English translation. It's particularly difficult when dealing with technical jargon that may be new to someone trying to incorporate this into their system when the technical phrases are conveyed in a somewhat disorganized manner. In order to demonstrate that the documentation is clear, simple, and accurate, I believe the vendor would be wise to ask someone for whom English is their first language to sit down with the instruction sheet and a switch and follow the instructions to do the hook-up.In conclusion, I'm quite happy with the switch's use, switching speed, and audio/video performance. Hopefully it will be strong as well. If anything changes or fails too soon, I'll make the required revisions to my evaluation.All is well thus far! Keep it, please.



Sabrent USB 2.0 Sharing Switch for Multiple Computers and Peripherals LED Device Indicators (USB-SW20) Review:


If you have more than one computer or laptop and only one printer and they aren't WiFi compatible, this is the coolest device for you.My printer is not WiFi compatible and is older than either my laptop or my desktop. But if you connect this device to each of their USB ports, you may connect them both with just one cable that runs from the device to the printer.Consider two inputs and one output. Windows PC, Mac OS X, Linux, and USB 2.0.Consider connecting both your MAC and your Windows device to the same printer simultaneously. Or by simultaneously connecting the two to a scanner, camera, or external storage device.For a small fee, it even includes two printer cords in addition to the device.No matter how far away your offices are in the same building, I advise anyone who must share a non-WiFi printer to get one of these units.[On Amazon, you may get 100' USB cords]. A 50' cable is available.



USB Switch Selector, KVM Switcher for 2 PC Sharing 4 USB Devices, One-Button Swapping for Keyboard, Mouse, Scanner, Printer, Computer Review:


First off, a disclaimer: despite what anyone reading the specifications may think, this is actually just a KM switch since there is no video involved. When all monitors were D-sub and all keyboards and mouse utilized PS/2 ports, I was well aware of KVMs and frequently used them at work and at home. It only took me experiencing frustration a few times before I started looking for a contemporary USB KM switch.For the layperson, this gadget is comparable to a 4-port USB hub with two USB outputs rather than one. You may easily utilize one set of gadgets with either computer by plugging your keyboard, mouse, and up to two other devices into the ports, connecting the two supplied cables from the switch into a free USB port on two different computers, and so on.In my case, I began working from home due to FMLA. When I sat down at my desk for work, I had to unhook the hub from my home computer and plug it into my work notebook. The hub had a keyboard and mouse attached. The issue was that if I needed to do anything, I had to switch the output from one computer to the other and back again if I wanted to do something on my home computer at the same time (stream music, for example) (like skip a track). My keyboard and mouse are already attached to both PCs with this switch. I can multitask all day long by just pressing the button to transition from one task to the other.This is the most reliable technology available today. The two given cables could have been a little bit longer, if that's my only criticism. Overall, it performs admirably.



IOGEAR 2-Port USB VGA Cable KVM Switch with Cables and Remote, GCS22U Review:


This KVM switch seems to work fine overall. It functions with my wireless Logitech M570 with the Unifying Receiver as well as my keyboard and all of its media keys. The mouse seems to respond immediately, and switching between looks to be fairly swift. However, not all users will have this experience because different workstations and devices may require different amounts of time to be reinitialized.But I'm dissatisfied in the video department. In comparison to using a VGA connection to connect my computer directly to my display, the entire screen appears slightly hazy. Even though it doesn't affect usability at all, it is evident when reading text. My screen is 1920x1080, however it appears to be scaled up to 1600x900 in some way. Though I'm not sure it will, I'm going to try a shorter VGA cord. I included a close-up image comparing how text appears with and without the KVM.—-EDIT—-I was browsing the options for my display when I noticed "Phase" as one of the focus settings. The image was sharpened after this was adjusted, but each computer appears to have a little different phase shift, so I had to find a compromise where both looked good enough.


Can you hook up 2 computers to 1 monitor?

You can if you have the right cables. If you have an HDMI port, you can use an HDMI cable. If you don't have an HDMI port, you can use a DVI cable.

Does KVM switch cause input lag?

A KVM switch is a device that allows a user to control multiple computers from a single keyboard, video monitor and mouse. While a KVM switch can be very helpful in reducing desktop clutter and saving space, some users report that it can cause input lag. Input lag is the delay between the time you make an input on your keyboard or mouse and the time it takes for that input to register on your computer. While a KVM switch can introduce some delay, it is typically very minimal and should not be noticeable to most users. If you are concerned about input lag, you

Does KVM switch need power?

A KVM switch is a device that allows a user to control multiple computers from a single keyboard, video display, and mouse. A KVM switch does not need power if the devices it is switchings are powered off. If the devices are powered on, then the KVM switch will need power to operate.

How can I use two computers as one?

If you have two computers, you can use them as one by connecting them together. This can be done with a cable, or wirelessly. Once they are connected, you can share files, printers, and other peripherals. You can also use one computer as a backup for the other.

How do I connect 2 computers to two monitors?

You can connect two computers to two monitors in a few different ways. The most common way is to use a DVI splitter. This will allow you to connect one computer to two monitors. Another way is to use a VGA splitter. This will also allow you to connect one computer to two monitors.

How do you hook up a KVM switch?

To hook up a KVM switch, first make sure that it is properly powered and that all the cables are in good working order. Next, connect the KVM switch to the computer using the appropriate cable. Finally, connect the KVM switch to the monitor and keyboard using the appropriate cables.