The main branch contains a portable Windows build of Mouse Without Borders derived from the actively maintained PowerToys-era source. The STANDALONE build symbol remains an internal compatibility identifier; the user-facing product name is Mouse Without Borders — Portable.
Version 1.1.0 promotes RC14's application code, transfer system, compact settings and installation fixes into main. See release and upgrade notes, the current file-transfer guide, and DEVELOPMENT.md for implementation rules. The entries below record the original extraction and subsequent RC history; current controls and behavior are described in those guides.
- Direct
PowerToys.Interopdependency: removed. - Native C++/WinRT
PowerToys.GPOWrapperproject dependency: removed; MWB has a small local managed compatibility implementation instead. Settings.UI.Libraryproject dependency: removed; the subset MWB needs now lives with MWB as local compatibility code.ManagedCommon/ PowerToys telemetry runtime project dependencies: removed/replaced locally. PowerToys telemetry is intentionally a no-op in this portable fork.- PowerToys-runner lifetime coupling: neutralized for portable operation.
- Classic MWB tray/settings UI: forced on without requiring the separate PowerToys Settings process.
- Focused Windows x64 build/test workflow: added at
.github/workflows/build.yml. - Human-friendly shared-key policy: added. User-chosen keys of 4+ characters are accepted; generated keys are 12 cryptographically random easy-to-type characters.
- Classic visual branding: added. The original orange 32×32 MWB pixel design is mechanically recolored green, with a matching multi-resolution ICO and exact pixel-grid SVG.
- Single portable application project: completed. The app and clipboard helper compile into one executable; the retired helper/service comparison projects have been removed.
- Shared PowerToys MSBuild/package infrastructure: removed from the portable build path.
- MWB-only build proof: passing. CI builds the portable app and unit tests directly from this cleaned repository.
- Downloadable single-file Windows x64 build: added to successful workflow runs.
- Clean portable repository: completed. The PowerToys source tree, old solution, native module interface, service project, installers, unrelated tooling, and comparison project files are removed from the product branch.
- Portable first launch and per-user self-install: added. Preferences stay beside the EXE; installation defaults to the current user's local Programs folder, a desktop shortcut is offered by default, and Start with Windows is optional.
- Later installation from Settings: added. The Portable tab can install an already-configured copy, preserving and moving its key, matrix, and options before restarting from the installed directory.
- Install-dialog ordering: fixed in RC2. The configured-copy installer is centered and kept above the always-on-top Settings owner, preventing the disabled Settings window from covering the modal installer.
- Portable shortcut ownership and layout: fixed in RC3/RC4. Supported keyboard shortcuts are editable in the classic Settings window and saved to the adjacent portable JSON; the stale PowerToys Settings lockout is removed, unsupported command rows are hidden, new preference files start with every shortcut disabled, and the remaining four rows now reflow evenly with the Settings window and Windows display scaling.
- Disabled-option clarity: fixed in RC5. The deprecated and disconnected key-mapping checkbox is hidden; service-only sign-in options explain their requirement inline; and disabled file transfer names its Share Clipboard dependency instead of relying on a tooltip that cannot open.
- Mouse-edge/shortcut separation: completed in RC6. Screen-edge switching is an Other Options checkbox with Always/Ctrl/Shift activation, while one master keyboard-shortcut switch defaults off and gates all saved assignments without deleting them. Per-feature absence is labeled None rather than the ambiguous Disable.
- High-resolution machine tiles: corrected in RC8. The 43×27 monitor bitmaps formerly stretched across each tile are replaced by geometrically aligned 360×288 true-alpha PNGs. The graphite/silver configured state uses restrained emerald, blue, cyan, and violet, while the empty state is grayscale. Aspect-preserving zoom and responsive one-row/two-row bounds prevent flattening, white boxes, and lower-row clipping at scaled display settings.
- Quiet long-term key behavior: added. Portable builds never expire a key and do not run the legacy timed check that demanded an auto-generated replacement.
- Reliable key application: added. Apply writes an edited, case-sensitive key to both the live encryption state and adjacent preferences before reconnecting.
- Inspectable Diagnostic Log: added. Mini Log opens a resizable/maximizable, modeless viewer containing the configuration/connection snapshot, environment details, and a bounded recent-event tail; it changes the clipboard only through an explicit Copy all action and redacts the security key.
- Conservative edge behavior: added. New preference files default Wrap mouse to off; existing saved values remain unchanged.
- First-launch startup ordering fix: added and verified on real Windows PCs. A brand-new folder no longer creates default preferences before the portable/install choice or leaves the initial process hidden.
- Streamlined machine setup: added. The portable first run opens the classic machine matrix directly, validates checked computer names, and shows plain-language connection state on every configured tile; the legacy blue wizard and its reconfigure link are no longer part of this product flow.
- Essential tray menu: added. Portable copies show Settings, About, and Exit; installed copies also show Start with Windows and Uninstall. Rare legacy commands are no longer presented in the portable product's tray menu.
- Small-icon rollback: completed in Test 7. The rejected Test 5 tiny-frame redesign lost some of the classic black pixel structure, so the multi-resolution green ICO is restored byte-for-byte to its pre-Test-5 artwork.
- Opaque About window: added. The portable About screen overrides the legacy 90% opacity so windows behind it do not show through.
- Short-lived CI artifacts: added. Temporary workflow copies of the EXE expire after one day; published GitHub Release downloads remain available independently.
- Release-candidate retention: added. Publishing an RC keeps its two newest RC download pages and prunes older RC release entries; Git tags and commit history remain intact.
- GitHub Releases publishing: added and proven. Tagged and requested releases are built, tested, and populated with the EXE and checksum automatically.
- Upstream MWB audit through September 3, 2026: completed. Microsoft's September 2 receive-safety improvements are incorporated and documented in
UPSTREAM_SYNC.md. - Real-Windows connection testing: validated through the Test and Release Candidate series. Version 1.0.0 keeps that behavior and completes the portable setup, shortcut, diagnostics, branding, responsive machine-tile, and flicker-free row-transition work; continued firewall, sleep/wake, display-scaling, and two-machine regression checks remain worthwhile as the stable release receives broader use.
- Machine-tile artwork validation: completed for 1.0.0. The replacement assets and responsive layout do not touch network, input, preferences, or connection-state logic; the stable build also makes row changes repaint atomically instead of exposing intermediate control bounds.
- Preserve keyboard and mouse sharing behavior.
- Preserve clipboard sharing and file transfer.
- Preserve normal-desktop behavior without requiring an installed Windows service.
- Keep same-fork peers compatible with each other.
- Retain useful modern MWB fixes from upstream PowerToys.
- Remove runtime and build-time dependence on unrelated PowerToys modules.
- Keep the MWB-only repository small enough to understand and modify without cloning/building all of PowerToys.
Upstream PowerToys MWB requires at least 16 characters and its generator produces characters in a repeating lowercase / uppercase / digit / symbol class sequence. This fork intentionally changes that UX:
- users may type their own key;
- minimum accepted length is 4 characters;
- short custom keys are allowed even though they are easier to guess;
- generated keys are 12 characters long, providing about 59.5 bits of entropy from this 31-character alphabet;
- generated characters come from
abcdefghjkmnpqrstuvwxyz23456789to avoid ambiguous characters and keyboard-layout-hostile punctuation; - every generated position is selected independently with
RandomNumberGeneratorinstead of following a character-class formula.
The underlying encryption remains the modern PowerToys-era implementation: AES-256 keys are derived using PBKDF2-SHA512 and encrypted connections use fresh random salt/IV material. A short human-chosen secret is still less resistant to guessing; the fork simply lets the user make that tradeoff.
This fork deliberately keeps the recognizable classic MWB tray/title-bar icon shape but changes its orange accent to green. The purpose is practical: a machine running this fork should be visually distinguishable from an old Microsoft build at a glance.
App/ClassicGreen.svg reproduces the original 32×32 artwork pixel-for-pixel; the transparent grid, black edging, and pale highlights are unchanged, while only the orange pixels are mechanically shifted to green. App/ClassicGreen.ico contains nine nearest-neighbor sizes from 16 through 256 pixels. The ICO is embedded into the EXE, and the title-bar and tray icons derive from it at runtime. The old App/Icon/notify_default.bmp remains only as the canonical shape reference.
PowerToys-only dependencies were removed incrementally, with compile/test checkpoints after meaningful changes so useful MWB behavior stayed intact. The portable product deliberately omits installed-service UAC/sign-in-screen support, but retains normal-desktop clipboard and file-transfer behavior.
The portable source is promoted to both the repository root and its main branch. Stable, Release Candidate, and Test tags preserve recovery points, while upstream comparisons use the recorded Microsoft PowerToys commit identifiers directly. Unrelated PowerToys files no longer appear in the product branch.
The extraction began from PowerToys commit becc96f59cf18f3128fedbd6856a5248104216dd (August 14, 2026). An audit of Microsoft PowerToys main on September 3, 2026 found one newer commit affecting MWB: 103d376.
That update is now incorporated. It makes received-file writes transactional, rejects overlapping receives safely, validates the final byte count, cleans up incomplete partial files, preserves an existing destination if a replacement transfer fails, and makes elevated-user impersonation cleanup exception-safe. The portable build benefits from the general transfer protections; its service-only branch remains unused because this edition does not install a service.
See UPSTREAM_SYNC.md for the durable audit marker, intentional divergences, and the process for reviewing future PowerToys changes.
MWB used it only for named event constants. The exact event-name literals are retained locally so existing internal behavior is preserved.
Core/GpoCompatibility.cs supplies the policy API MWB still expects without carrying the native PowerToys GPO project into the portable package.
MWB-specific settings models/storage/helper behavior now compile from MWB-local compatibility files. The upstream namespace/API shape is temporarily retained in places to keep the fork diff manageable while extraction is underway.
Core/PowerToysRuntimeCompatibility.cs provides the tiny pieces MWB still calls. Logging is local to MWB and Microsoft PowerToys telemetry calls resolve to a no-op implementation in this fork.
The portable app and test projects own their target framework, package versions, build properties, and output layout at the repository root. The focused CI workflow verifies the clean repository shape, builds the app and tests, runs the unit tests, and publishes the one-file product.
The older PowerToys-shaped project files, native module interface, helper/service comparison projects, and service executable source are no longer present on the product branch.
The app starts a hidden second copy of MouseWithoutBorders.exe in clipboard-helper mode. This preserves the existing helper IPC and clipboard design without shipping a second executable. The self-install mode copies only the EXE and adjacent prefs file, creates a Start Menu shortcut, offers a desktop shortcut by default, and optionally adds a per-user startup entry. A portable copy can invoke the same install flow later from Settings; current preferences are synchronously saved and copied first, the source prefs are removed only after the old process exits, and the installed EXE is then launched.
The x64 EXE is roughly 88 MB (about 84 MiB) because it is published as a self-contained .NET 10 application. It includes the .NET runtime, Windows Forms desktop assemblies, and required native runtime components inside the single-file bundle, avoiding a separate .NET installation on the destination computer. The majority of the download size is this bundled platform rather than MWB application code.
The portable product does not contain, install, or launch a Windows service. Protected UAC prompts and the Windows sign-in screen are intentionally outside the portable edition's supported behavior.
Remove narrow PowerToys runtime dependencies.Isolate/replace enterprise-policy access.Bring required MWB settings contracts/persistence into the MWB project.Neutralize PowerToys runner/telemetry runtime coupling.Remove shared PowerToys MSBuild/package/build-tree dependencies from the standalone projects.Make the app and tests build from an MWB-only directory tree.Rename executable identities used by portable builds and update matching references together.Publish the app as one self-contained EXE with adjacent portable preferences and optional per-user self-install.- Finish real-Windows validation of first launch, self-install, startup, self-uninstall, and Windows firewall prompting.
- Complete a basic two-machine regression pass: input switching, clipboard, file transfer, reconnect, and sleep/wake behavior.
Promote the portable source to the root and remove the temporary PowerToys comparison tree.
The custom extraction/modification work is performed through ChatGPT coding sessions using the repository owner's authenticated GitHub connection. GitHub therefore displays the owner's account on repository writes even when the owner did not manually author the edit.
AI-assisted commits use:
Assisted-by: ChatGPT (GPT-5.6 Sol)
Unless intentionally changed, protocol constants, named IPC objects, settings migration behavior, and network/file-transfer semantics should remain aligned with the modern PowerToys MWB implementation.
Do not assume compatibility with the old Garage standalone 2.2.1.0327; Microsoft has changed the MWB implementation/protocol since that generation. During testing, use the same fork/current-generation build on all connected machines unless mixed-version compatibility has been explicitly verified.
The RC6 transfer candidate introduced safe folder copying, cancellation cleanup when closing the transfer window, disk-space checks, clearer progress and estimates, compact log events, and a manual GitHub update check in About. For current usage, see FILE_TRANSFERS.md.
See RC6 behavior, limitations, and acceptance checks. Source files and existing destination contents are preserved; cancelled partial data is cleaned up, while interruptions remain recoverable until you Resume or Cancel. The earlier RC4 design document is historical.
RC7 fixes installation over a running copy and automatic relaunch, keeps the tray icon plain, and adds compact DPI-aware transfer rows, immediate preparation feedback, cancellation-state protection, and automatic closing of cancelled lists after cleanup. See RC7 changes and tests.
RC8_SETTINGS.md records the RC8 settings layout and its then-visible inline defaults, receiving-folder selection, automatic transfer-window closing, installation controls, and real-PC checks. RC6/RC7 guides describe their historical transfer and installer baselines.
RC9_SETTINGS.md documents the compact layout and hover help that replace RC8's inline default/description rows. Transfer preferences and installation controls remain as described in RC8.
RC10_SETTINGS.md records the restored shortcut divider, multiline mapping editor, clearer connection help, and focused validation. RC9’s compact layout and RC8’s saved preferences remain intact.
RC11_SETTINGS.md documents the visible separator, row-measurement fix, real-form rendering checks, and manual validation.
See RC12_TRANSFERS.md for acknowledged startup, bounded preparation, timeout classification, aggregate progress, evidence limits and two-PC tests. Existing protocol-2 job data is retained, but RC12 new drops require the StartOffer capability on the other PC.
See RC13_TRANSFERS.md for sender-controlled queue ordering, full-width rows, cached icons, title-bar progress, failure behavior and two-PC acceptance checks. RC11 settings and RC12 startup/retry fixes are retained.
See RC14_DRAG_PREVIEW.md for sharper Windows file-type artwork, transparent edges, three-type selection previews and right-click cancellation. The RC13 transfer window, queue controls and recovery behavior are retained.