Locked-down machines
A work laptop where you cannot install software, a conference room PC, a friend's desktop. Pairing a mouse is not a privilege you need to ask IT for.
Bluetooth mode
Nothing to install on the PC.
Your phone pairs as an ordinary Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Windows has known how to talk to those for twenty years, so there is no server, no network and no admin rights involved.
Where it wins
Where it wins
No network at all
Hotel Wi-Fi that blocks devices from seeing each other, a PC with no network card, a presentation room. Bluetooth does not care.
Where it wins
Nothing to trust
No server process, no open port, no relay. The PC only ever sees an input device, which is about as small an attack surface as it gets.
Honest limits
What works, and what cannot.
Bluetooth mode speaks the standard input protocol. That is exactly why it needs no software — and exactly why some features are impossible over it. Anything that has to read something back from the PC needs a program on the PC to answer.
| Feature | Bluetooth | Wi-Fi |
|---|---|---|
| Touchpad, clicks, scroll, drag | Yes | Yes |
| Typing and keyboard shortcuts | Yes | Yes |
| Custom shortcut panels | Yes | Yes |
| Media keys — play, pause, skip | Yes | Yes |
| Volume up, down, mute | Yes | Yes |
| Video remote | Yes | Yes |
| Screen sharing | No | Yes |
| File transfer | No | Yes |
| Task manager | No | Yes |
| Clipboard sync | No | Yes |
| Open windows list | No | Yes |
| Program launcher | No | Yes |
| Automations | No | Yes |
| Performance monitor | No | Yes |
| Second screen and magnifier | No | Yes |
| Virtual gamepad | No | Yes |
| Wake-on-LAN | No | Yes |
One difference worth knowing
Volume works in steps — up, down and mute — rather than as a slider. A Bluetooth keyboard can tell the PC to turn the volume down, but it cannot ask what the volume currently is, so there is nothing for a slider to point at.
Setup
Pairing it, step by step.
Pick Bluetooth
Open the app, tap Remote Control, and choose Bluetooth when it asks how you would like to connect.
Clear the old pairing
On the PC, remove this phone from Bluetooth settings if it is already there. An old pairing does not include the keyboard service.
Add the device
On the PC choose Add device, then Bluetooth, and pick your phone. It is listed under the phone's own name.
Confirm the code
Accept the matching code on both screens. The touchpad goes live the moment they connect.
Looking for “Any Command” in the list? It will not be there.
Windows shows the phone's own Bluetooth name, not the app's — so look for something like Galaxy S23 or Pixel 8. This trips almost everyone up the first time, which is why the app now tells you your phone's exact Bluetooth name on the pairing screen.
Questions
Common snags.
Windows says it cannot connect to my PC
Almost always a leftover pairing. If the phone and PC were paired before — for audio, or to send a file — that pairing was negotiated without the keyboard and mouse service, and Windows will keep trying to reuse it.
Remove the phone from Bluetooth settings on the PC, forget the PC on the phone as well, then pair again from scratch. It works the second time in nearly every case.
Which Android version do I need?
Android 9 or later. Acting as a Bluetooth input device rather than merely connecting to one is a capability Android only gained in 9, and a handful of manufacturers leave it out even then. The app checks for it and simply does not offer Bluetooth if your phone cannot do it.
Does it work with things other than Windows?
In principle yes — anything that accepts a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse should accept your phone, including smart TVs, tablets, Macs and Linux desktops, because nothing about the protocol is Windows-specific. We only test Windows, so treat the rest as a happy side effect rather than a promise.
Is it faster or slower than Wi-Fi?
Pointer movement feels the same in normal use. Bluetooth carries far less data than Wi-Fi, which is irrelevant for mouse and key events and decisive for anything involving pixels — which is the real reason screen sharing is not available over it.
Do I still need the Windows server?
Not for Bluetooth. Install it when you want the rest — screen sharing, file transfer, task manager and the others. The two modes live side by side, and you can switch whenever. Get the server
Get started
Free, and already in the app.
Bluetooth mode costs nothing and needs no premium unlock. If your phone supports it, the option appears the next time you connect.