Dual Boxing in World of Warcraft: A Comprehensive Guide

What is Dual Boxing and Why Do It?

Dual boxing (a form of multiboxing) means one player running two World of Warcraft accounts at the same time and controlling two characters simultaneously. This can be done in Retail WoW, WoW Classic, or any version – the concept is the same. Players typically dual box by running two game clients on one computer (or sometimes multiple PCs). Below are some of the key advantages and reasons players choose to dual box:

Faster leveling and progression: You can level two characters together, essentially doubling your leveling speed for the same playtime. Group quests and kills count for both characters, so you only need to do things once. Many quests that involve killing enemies or completing objectives will grant credit to both characters in a party, allowing you to finish two characters’ quests nearly as fast as one. For example, killing 10 mobs will update the quest for both characters simultaneously instead of doing 20 kills separately.
Self-sufficiency and group capability: Dual boxing lets you form your own mini-group. You can tackle content that normally requires multiple players – such as elite quests, dungeons, or older raid bosses – by controlling two characters yourself. For instance, a tank-healer duo or any complementary class combination can take on tough PvE challenges without needing a second human player. You essentially become your own party, which is great for soloing old content for fun or farming (e.g. two level-capped characters could duo an old raid boss for gold and loot that one alone might struggle with).
Efficient farming and gold-making: With two characters, you can farm gold or materials more efficiently. Dual-boxers often use two gathering characters (e.g. dual Druids for herbalism/mining) to collect twice the herbs/ore from the same route or spawn. Both characters can gather from the same resource node (in modern WoW, resource nodes are individual per player) for double loot. You can also clear farming spots faster with two sets of abilities, or have one character kill mobs while the other loots and collects, splitting the workload. Doing daily quests or world quests on two characters at once effectively doubles your gold and rewards for only a bit more effort. Many players use dual boxing to speed up routine farming tasks and earn gold or materials at an accelerated rate.
Power-leveling and helping alts: Dual boxing is a popular way to power-level an alt by pairing a high-level character with a low-level friend or second account. For example, you can have a max-level character run low-level dungeons or quest alongside a low-level alt on follow, quickly killing mobs to boost the alt’s XP gain. Although experience per kill is split and slightly reduced in a group, the high-level’s kill speed makes up for it, resulting in faster leveling than the low-level could achieve alone. The high-level can also protect the low-level from ganks or difficult areas (like having a bodyguard in PvP zones). In WoW Classic (or any version), a dual boxer can essentially “carry” their own low-level through tough content.
Convenience and independence: With dual boxing, you don’t have to rely on finding other players for help with content. You have the convenience of a second character on demand. For example, you might dual box a tank and healer so you can instantly run dungeons without waiting for those roles in the queue, or bring along a healer to support your DPS in tough world content. It also means you can trade items or gold between your two characters easily and even have characters stationed in different areas (one at an auction house, another out in the world) to save travel time. Some players simply enjoy the added challenge and fun of controlling two characters, recreating the feeling of a full RPG party on their own.
PvP and protection: Although controlling two characters in PvP is challenging (discussed later), some players use dual boxing to have a “pocket healer” or backup in world PvP. For example, one character can be a healer following your main, ready to manually assist with heals or buffs. In open-world PvP or War Mode, having a second character can deter would-be gankers – attacking a lone player who turns out to have a second character for support can surprise opponents. Dual boxing also lets you field two characters in battlegrounds or arenas, but note that this is extremely difficult without software broadcasting (and /follow is disabled in battleground instances, making it hard for one character to follow another). Generally, dual boxing is less effective in competitive PvP, but it can give you an edge in casual world PvP by outnumbering solo players (at least in terms of characters, if not actual human decision-makers).

Is dual boxing allowed? Yes – simply playing multiple accounts at once is allowed by Blizzard. Many players across WoW’s history have multiboxed, and it’s not against the EULA to log into two accounts simultaneously. In fact, a significant portion of WoW’s subscriber count over the years has been multiboxers (one person with multiple accounts). However, there are important legal caveats regarding how you multibox – especially concerning automation and input broadcasting – which we will cover in detail in a later section. In short, dual boxing is allowed as long as each character is manually controlled by you. The real drawbacks of dual boxing to consider are the additional cost (you need to maintain two subscriptions and game licenses), the higher system resource demand on your PC, and the learning curve of managing two characters at once. But with preparation and the tips in this guide, you can overcome these hurdles. Next, we’ll ensure your hardware is up to the task.

Hardware and System Requirements for Running Two WoW Instances

Running two WoW clients on one PC will naturally require more resources than running one, but WoW is relatively forgiving on system requirements, making dual boxing feasible on many modern gaming PCs. Your exact needs will depend on which WoW versions you’re playing (Retail WoW’s latest expansions are more demanding than Classic-era clients) and your desired graphics settings. Here’s an overview of hardware considerations and recommendations:

CPU (Processor): A multi-core processor is highly recommended. WoW can utilize multiple cores to some extent, and running two instances means two game clients sharing the CPU. A fast quad-core or better (e.g. Intel i5/i7 or AMD Ryzen with 4+ cores) will provide smoother performance. Dual boxing has been done even on older CPUs (for example, players have run 10 WoW clients on an older Intel i7-2600K from 2011) by using low settings. For just two instances, most mid-range CPUs from the last several years should suffice, but more cores and higher clock speeds help, especially in crowded areas or raids. If your CPU has limited cores (e.g. a dual-core), you may notice one client slowing down while the other is active, so adjust settings accordingly.
RAM (Memory): Memory is often the first limitation you’ll hit. Blizzard’s official Dragonflight requirements list 8 GB RAM minimum for one client and 16 GB recommended. Therefore, for dual boxing, 16 GB of RAM is a comfortable minimum, and 32 GB is ideal if you can afford it, particularly for Retail WoW. Each WoW instance can use several GB of memory (exact usage varies by zone and addons). Historically, even 1–2 GB RAM total was enough for two instances of the much older WoW versions, but modern WoW will quickly consume far more. Make sure to close unnecessary background applications to free up RAM and prevent slowdowns or excessive paging to disk. If you notice your system using nearly all available memory when running two clients, consider adding more RAM for a smoother experience.
Graphics Card (GPU): Running two game windows increases the load on your GPU, especially if both are rendering high-quality graphics. Discrete 3D graphics are essentially required (integrated graphics will struggle with two instances unless settings are at absolute minimum and resolution is very low). A GPU that comfortably runs one WoW on high settings may run two on reduced settings. VRAM (video memory) is important: each instance will load textures and assets, so ideally have a GPU with at least 4 GB VRAM (more if possible). If VRAM is insufficient, the GPU will swap textures to main RAM which hurts performance. For example, players report that a mid-range card like an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (with 12 GB VRAM) can handle around 5 WoW clients at low settings (with frame rate caps) before hitting limits. Higher-end cards like an RTX 3080 could potentially run ~10 instances on low settings. For dual boxing, this means any decent gaming GPU from recent years (e.g. NVIDIA GTX/RTX or AMD RX series) should handle two instances. If you have an older card (e.g. from the GTX 900 series or earlier), you may need to dial graphics down significantly on one or both clients. Tip: It’s common to run your main character’s client at higher graphics, and the secondary character’s client at a lower preset (or “potato” settings) to lighten the GPU load. WoW also lets you reduce the resolution or rendering scale on a per-client basis if needed.
Storage (SSD vs HDD): An SSD (Solid State Drive) is highly recommended for multiboxing. While WoW can run from an HDD, loading multiple instances from a traditional hard drive (especially simultaneously) causes a lot of slow disk reads and will dramatically increase load times (and even cause stuttering if one client is loading data while you’re active on the other). Players who multibox at scale have found that moving WoW installations to an SSD made a huge difference once they started running many clientseu.forums.blizzard.com. Even for just two clients, having WoW on an SSD will make launching the game and zoning into world/instances much snappier for each client. Ensure you have sufficient space (each WoW install can be large, especially Retail with all expansions – but you can use a single install for both clients, explained below). If you only have an HDD, consider at least using a small SSD for WoW if possible, or be prepared for longer load screens when both clients are active.
Single vs Multiple WoW Installations: In the past, multiboxers sometimes maintained multiple copies of the WoW game folder (e.g. separate installs for each client) to reduce disk thrashing and have different settings per account. Today, this is generally not necessary – you can usually just run multiple instances from the same WoW installation. Blizzard’s client is designed to allow this (you can click Play in the Battle.net app for WoW, then once the first client is running, click Play again to launch a second; or launch Wow.exe twice). Both instances will share the game data files, which an SSD handles well. If you do use separate installs (or copies of the folder), it would mainly be to have completely independent settings or to spread disk load across different drives. For most, a single install is fine – the same game client can log in to two different accounts simultaneously. Just remember that each account must be separate – you cannot log two characters from one account at the same time (you’d need to create a second WoW account and own the game on it).
Monitors and displays: While not a “requirement,” your display setup impacts the experience. Dual monitors (or a very large single monitor) are ideal for dual boxing. With two screens, you can dedicate one game client to each monitor, keeping both characters visible at all times. This makes it much easier to monitor your “slave” character’s status (HP, positioning, etc.) while focusing on your main. If you only have one monitor, you have a couple options: you can run both WoW windows side-by-side or partially overlapping on the screen (scaled down so they fit), or run one in the foreground and one in the background and swap between them. Many players will run the main character’s window at larger size and have the secondary character’s window small (perhaps tucked in a corner) so it’s semi-visible. Others go with equal half-size windows split on the screen. Keep in mind that two visible windows means each is smaller, which can make UI text and visuals harder to see – this setup works best if you have a high-resolution or large display. The alternative is running one client fullscreen (or maximized) and quickly alt-tabbing to the second client when needed. This “full-screen swap” method gives you a bigger view for each, but you lose visibility of one client at all times. It’s doable (and many dual boxers played on one monitor for years), but expect to toggle screens frequently. We’ll cover window management tips in the next section.
Other hardware/peripherals: You don’t need much beyond your standard keyboard and mouse. Some multiboxers use specialized hardware like programmable keypads or even multiple keyboards/mice to control different clients, but this is optional and can get complicated. A headset with voice chat (if grouping with others while dual boxing) might help since you’ll be multitasking. Ensure your power supply and cooling in the PC are adequate too – running two instances will make your CPU/GPU work harder and generate more heat, so good cooling is important to avoid throttling. A stable internet connection (broadband) is assumed; dual boxing doesn’t vastly increase bandwidth usage (it’s mostly sending duplicate data, which is negligible compared to modern internet speeds) but a wired Ethernet connection can add extra stability, since a Wi-Fi hiccup would affect both clients at once.

Performance tips: To make dual boxing run smoothly, lower the graphics and frame rate on your secondary client. In WoW’s settings, you can set a separate “Max Background FPS” (the game can cap the frame rate of any instance running in the background). For example, you might cap the background window at 30 FPS or even 10 FPS to save CPU/GPU, since you don’t need high FPS on a window you’re not actively controlling. Also consider turning down or off features like shadows, view distance, and ground clutter on the second instance (or on both, if needed). Disabling sound on the secondary account (or at least disabling “Sound in Background”) can save a bit of CPU and prevent audio confusion. WoW’s video presets are handy – you could run your main on Graphics Quality 7 (for example) and your alt on Quality 1 or 2 (“Low”) to drastically reduce load on the alt’s client. The WoW Wiki notes that the game’s low system requirements make it possible to even run two instances on a single-core processor with settings turned down, though modern WoW will need more horsepower than in early expansions. The key is to experiment and monitor performance: if you see your system struggling (low FPS, high temperatures, 100% CPU usage, etc.), adjust settings accordingly. Every setup has a different ceiling – testing by logging into a busy city with both clients and watching resource usage is a great way to gauge your PC’s limits. Generally, dual boxing two characters is very achievable on a mid-range gaming PC with some settings optimization.

Dual Boxing Manually (No Third-Party Software)

It is entirely possible to dual box without any special software – simply running two WoW clients and controlling each with standard in-game tools and your keyboard/mouse. This section will cover how to set up and manage dual boxing manually, including tips for window management, keybindings, and macros to make your life easier. This approach (manual dual boxing) is also the only Blizzard-approved method now, since using software to broadcast inputs is against the rules (more on that in the policy section). Here’s how to get started:

Step 1: Account Setup and Game Launch

Ensure you have two WoW accounts (under the same Battle.net or separate ones) that you can log into at the same time. You’ll need a valid game license and subscription for each account – remember, you cannot play two characters on the same account simultaneously. Launch the game twice so that you have two WoW login windows open. Log in to Account A on one, and Account B on the other. It’s a good idea to set each account to remember your email/password to speed up logging in. If you use the Battle.net launcher, you can click “Play” for WoW, then once the first game is up, click “Play” again to open a second. Alternatively, you can use the WoW.exe file to start another instance. You should see two game clients running (you might need to Alt+Tab between them at first). Tip: In Windows, you can rename the windows or at least differentiate them (the title bar might just say “World of Warcraft” for both). Some multiboxers use a script or third-party tool to rename the window titles (for example, a HotkeyNet script can rename one window “WoW1” and the other “WoW2” for claritygist.github.comgist.github.com). This isn’t strictly necessary for two, but if you find yourself alt-tabbing to the wrong window often, consider tools or even Windows 10’s FancyZones to label or organize them.

Step 2: Graphics and Window Settings

On each WoW client, go into Video settings and switch to Windowed mode (or “Windowed (Fullscreen)” which is borderless window mode). Running in windowed mode is crucial for multiboxing – it allows instant alt-tab or clicking between clients with minimal delay. In contrast, full-screen exclusive mode can cause a few seconds of black screen when switching, which is deadly if you need to react quickly on your second character. So make sure both game instances are windowed. Next, configure the resolution and graphics quality for each. If you have a single monitor and plan to show both windows side by side, you might set each window to half your screen resolution. For example, if you have a 1920×1080 display, you could run both clients at 1600×900 windowed, and overlap them slightly or fit one above the other. Find a layout that works for you:

Dual monitors: Simply drag one WoW client to your first monitor and the other to the second monitor. You can run each at fullscreen (windowed fullscreen) on its respective screen for a perfect view of both. This is generally the best configuration for dual boxing – you’ll always see what both characters are doing without having to switch windows.
Single monitor, split screen: Resize the two WoW windows so they both fit on your one screen, either side by side or one in a corner. For instance, you might have your main character’s window take up ~70% of the screen and the secondary a small 30% portion where you can still see it. Or you can do a vertical split (one on left half, one on right half) if that UI scaling works better for you. It may be a tight squeeze on smaller monitors, but this method lets you see both at once. You might need to scale down the UI (in WoW Interface options) on the smaller window so that action bars and texts are not cut off.
Single monitor, swapping windows: Run one client in (windowed) fullscreen and have the second in the background. You will mostly play on the main screen and alt-tab to the second client whenever you need to control it. This gives you a big view for whichever character is active, but you can’t see the “follower” until you swap. If using this method, consider enabling “max background FPS” and setting it to something reasonable (like 15-30 FPS) so that the background window doesn’t eat resources but still updates smoothly when you switch. You should also enable the option “Allow Background Input” if you plan to have your second character respond to certain inputs even when its window isn’t focused – by default, keystrokes only go to the active window, but some software solutions can send input to background windows (within the rules, this generally isn’t possible without third-party tools, so with pure manual boxing you’ll only be controlling the focused window).

No matter the layout, turning graphics to Low on at least one client is advised unless you have a very strong PC. Disable extra effects (shadows, SSAO, etc.) on the secondary account to keep it running smoothly. You can also turn off sound on the follower to reduce distraction (and to save a bit of CPU usage). Many multiboxers keep sound on their main character only, so they can still hear game cues while the second client is muted. Another trick: in WoW’s Advanced settings, you can set a target Foreground FPS and Background FPS. For example, you might cap the background client at 30 FPS so it doesn’t steal too much GPU, and perhaps cap the foreground at 60 to avoid maxing out the GPU as well. The goal is smooth performance for both: better to have two instances at stable moderate FPS than one uncapped and the other struggling.

Step 3: Character Configuration – Macros and Keybindings

Now comes the key part of manual dual boxing: setting up each character so that your inputs can efficiently control both characters when needed. Since you won’t be using software to broadcast one keypress to both clients at the same time (which is disallowed now), you’ll typically control one character as your “main” and the second as a “slave” or support character that assists. You’ll manually switch to the second window when you need to issue commands to that character. To streamline this, you should create some basic macros and choose convenient keybindings. Here are essential macros and techniques:

Follow Macro: This is the most critical macro for multiboxing. It ensures your secondary character follows your main character around. On your secondary toon, create a macro (e.g. put it on action bar “1” or a key you can hit quickly after switching windows) that says: /follow MainCharacterName. For example, if your main is named Alice, the macro on your alt would be: /target Alice newline /follow Alice. This targets the main (though targeting isn’t even required if you specify the name in the follow command) and follows her. All you need to do in play is occasionally hit this macro whenever follow breaks (which happens if combat starts, or the follower gets too far behind, etc.). It’s a simple one-button fix to regroup your team. Tip: Put this follow macro on a easily reached key for the slave. Many put it on “1” or “F” on the slave’s keybinds. Then, when your follower stops following (combat, crowd control, etc.), you can quickly swap to that window (alt-tab or click) and press the follow key to get them moving behind you again. If you are using two keyboards or a programmable pad, you could even assign a key that you can hit without switching windows (for instance, having a second keyboard exclusively controlling the alt – though be cautious that any hardware device that duplicates inputs could violate policy if it sends to both at once; one device per game window is fine as long as you physically press keys separately).
Assist/Attack Macros: To make your second character contribute to combat, you’ll want a macro that assists your main and performs an action (like cast a spell or attack). The simplest form is: /assist MainCharacterName on one line, then a cast command on the next. For example, on a secondary Mage you might have: /assist Alice then /cast Frostbolt. When you press this macro on the slave, they will target whatever Alice (the main) is targeting, and start casting Frostbolt at it. You can make similar assist macros for different spells or abilities. Another approach is to use targeting by roles or party positions: e.g. /assist party1 (if your main is always party leader or in slot 1) so that you don’t have to hard-code the name. You could even set your main as the focus on your alt and use a macro like /assist focus so it automatically assists whatever target your focus (main) has. The idea is that you don’t want to manually target things on your slave – it’s too slow – so you press one button to mirror your main’s target and attack it. For healers, you can do a macro to heal your main (or whoever): e.g. on a priest alt: /target MainName newline /cast Heal will directly heal your main. Or use focus: set your main as focus and then /cast [target=focus] Heal. If you prefer, you can assist the main and then cast a heal on that target (if the main is targeting an enemy, that macro wouldn’t directly heal the main unless you explicitly target them – so usually for healing you target the character’s name). For example, you could have a macro that says: /assist Main then /cast [help] Heal; [harm] Holy Fire – which would heal the main if they’re your assist target or cast an offensive spell if the main’s target is an enemy. Designing smart macros is part of the fun; just ensure you include “/assist {main}” or targeting logic at the start of any attack macro on the follower so that they automatically acquire the right target before firing abilities.

(Note: You cannot do everything in one macro due to in-game limitations. For instance, a macro cannot both /follow and /cast a spell in the same button press effectively, because once you follow it may clear target. It’s usually best to have separate keys: one for follow and another for assist/attack. Don’t try to cram all commands into one macro or it might not work as expected – the game only allows one secure action per button press.)
Interact with Target: One of the most useful built-in keybinds for multiboxing is “Interact With Target.” In WoW Key Bindings settings, under the “Targeting” or “Interact” section, find “Interact With Target” and bind it to a convenient key (do this on your follower character, and even on your main if you like). Also, on the follower, enable “Click-to-Move” in Interface > Mouse options. Here’s how it helps: suppose your main character is talking to an NPC or looting a corpse. Your second character needs to do the same. Rather than manually clicking the NPC window for the alt, you can target the NPC on your main (so the NPC is now your target), then switch to the alt and press your “Interact With Target” key. The alt will auto-run to the NPC and open the dialog (because click-to-move causes them to move to an interactable target). This way, you can have both characters talk to quest givers, loot quest items on the ground, or loot corpses in turn by just repeating this process: main targets object, alt presses interact. It saves a ton of clicking around on the second window. You can even bind a mouse thumb button or something easy for “Interact” so that it’s quick to hit after alt-tabbing. Keep in mind, for looting mobs, you’ll need to have each character loot their own mobs (unless in a group with shared loot). Using interact is helpful – just target the corpse with your main (or have the corpse’s nameplate targeted) and have the alt interact to loot. If there are multiple items (e.g. quest items where each char needs to pick up), you might need to do it one by one: loot on main, then alt-tab, interact on alt, etc. This is still faster than moving each character manually with WASD to the object. In summary, bind Interact With Target + enable Click-to-Move on followers for easy NPC interactions and looting
Party invites and other utility macros: When dual boxing, you will constantly invite your two characters into a party together. It’s convenient to have a macro to do this quickly. For instance, on your main, a macro /invite OtherCharacterName will send an invite. You could also do this from the alt side. Some people even make a macro on the alt like /invite MainName and /accept (though accepting via macro might not work without an addon, as /accept is protected; an addon like Jamba can auto-accept invites from your own characters). At minimum, a one-click invite macro helps. Alternatively, if both characters are on the same Battle.net, you can use the friends list “Quick Join” or simply hit the invite in chat. Another macro to consider is one to assist and cast crowd control or interrupts from the alt, if you plan to use those (e.g. your alt is a mage, you could have a macro to /assist and then cast Polymorph on your main’s target). Essentially, think about what actions you want the follower to perform with minimal input and create simple one-press macros for them.
Keybinding strategy: You’ll control one window at a time, but you want switching to be as seamless as possible. Some multiboxers set up their keys such that the main and alt use similar or mirrored keybinds. For example, you might bind the follower’s important macros to the same keys you use on the main for abilities. Then when you switch windows, you can press the same familiar keys to have the alt do something. However, be cautious – you don’t want the alt doing things while you’re on the main unless you explicitly switch. Since no broadcasting software is in use, you won’t accidentally send keys to both – you physically have to be in that window to issue commands. So an alternative strategy is to bind unique keys for the alt’s functions that you can reach while mainly playing the main. For example, you might use the numeric keypad for commands on your second character. If you’re adept at using one hand on the main’s movement/abilities and the other hand can hit a numpad key to trigger something on the alt (if you have that window active or using certain software, which with purely manual you can’t send to background, so you’d still need to switch focus momentarily). In practice, most manual dual-boxers will focus on one character at a time: fight on your main while the alt either assists on auto-attack or follows, then swap to the alt to do a specific action, then swap back. This “staggered control” is something you get better at with practice.

Lastly, don’t forget to adjust your in-game settings like camera, interface scale, etc., on each account to suit how you’ll play. You might want larger unit frames on the follower’s UI if you only glance at it occasionally, or different UI layouts. Some addons (which we’ll discuss in the QoL section) can help coordinate the two characters (e.g. relay when the follower gets low on health, etc.). But even without addons, the above macros and keybinds lay the groundwork for effective manual dual boxing.

Step 4: Window Management and Switching

Managing two windows can be tricky in the heat of battle. Here are some manual window management tips:

Quick Alt-Tabbing: Train yourself to use the Alt+Tab (or Alt+` if on Windows 10/11 with same app grouping) to flip between clients rapidly. Windowed mode ensures this is very fast. If you find cycling through other apps annoying, close unnecessary programs or use Alt+Tab in a quick tap to toggle between the last two windows (if only WoW and maybe one other thing are open, it’s easier). Another method is using the taskbar – you can click on the specific WoW window if you have them visible. This is slower than a hotkey though.
Hotkeys for window switching: You can use third-party tools or even Windows shortcuts to switch directly to a specific window. For example, Windows assigns Win+Number keys to taskbar items – if your first WoW is the first icon on your taskbar, pressing Win+1 will bring it up; if the second WoW is the next icon, Win+2 brings that. This only works if you have them as separate icons and pinned in positions. Some multiboxers use apps like AutoHotkey (with a script) purely to give a hotkey that focuses Window1 or Window2. Blizzard’s policy does not forbid using software for window management or focus changes (it forbids broadcasting the game actions to multiple clients). So, for convenience, you could use a tool that when you press, say, F1 it brings your main window front, F2 brings the alt front – this is similar to what some multibox software (like ISBoxer or WowOpenBox) does with their window switching featureswowopenbox.orgwowopenbox.org. If you don’t want any external tools, just arrange your windows so that part of the secondary window is clickable even when in the background (for instance, if your main is not full-screen, you could leave a small strip of the alt visible and click it to bring focus). In dual monitor setups, you can simply move your mouse to the other screen and click – or if you enable “Focus follows mouse” via Windows settings or a tool, you can make it so hovering your mouse over a window automatically focuses it. Some multiboxers use this so that moving the cursor to the alt’s monitor immediately makes any key presses affect that window. Just be careful as it can be jarring if you accidentally move your mouse out of the main window and suddenly your keystrokes go elsewhere.
Picture-in-Picture swaps: If you’re using specialized software (like ISBoxer) in a legal way (just for window management), you might have the option of PiP swap – i.e., one keypress that swaps the big and small window. For manual methods, you can mimic this by simply resizing windows or using multiple monitors with one in full screen on each. Without software, there’s no instant swap animation, but effectively alt-tab achieves the same: you bring the smaller client to full focus and maybe maximize it. If you want both visible, you’ll have to manually resize and position; some software can remember positions if you want to get fancy.
Run both as windowed fullscreen for easy mouse transitions: If both clients are in windowed-fullscreen (borderless), you can move your mouse freely between them (even across monitors) without screen tearing or minimize delays. This is the smoothest if you have two displays – one client per display in windowed fullscreen acts almost like two separate games you can interact with seamlessly.

In summary, manual dual boxing involves a lot of window juggling and quick reactions, but many players master it. With macros for follow and assist, and a good window setup, controlling two characters becomes quite manageable – you’ll typically pull with your main, then swap and press an attack on the alt, then swap back, etc. It might feel clunky at first, but as the 2009 Master of Warcraft dual-boxing guide put it: if you set up your macros, characters, and computer properly, it will become as easy as playing one character. Practice in easy content first to build up your coordination.

Dual Boxing with Software Tools (ISBoxer, HotKeyNet, etc.)

In addition to purely manual methods, many multiboxers historically have used software tools to assist in dual boxing. These programs can handle things like broadcasting your keystrokes to both game clients, managing window layouts, and providing quality-of-life features like one-click window swapping. However, due to Blizzard’s policy (as of 2020–2021) prohibiting input broadcasting, you must be extremely careful with using such software. The tools themselves are not illegal to have, but using them to automate or mirror inputs to multiple clients simultaneously will get your account penalized. We will first describe these tools and their setup in an informational sense – but keep in mind that broadcasting keys/cloning actions is now an actionable offense. Many multiboxers have stopped using broadcasting software or have switched to tools that explicitly avoid breaking the rules (focusing only on window management). Always ensure you adhere to the current legal policy (covered in detail in the next section). With that disclaimer, here are common multiboxing software solutions:

ISBoxer (Inner Space Boxer): This is a premium, feature-rich multiboxing software suite. ISBoxer has historically been considered the gold standard for multiboxing software. It requires a subscription (via Lavish Software’s Inner Space platform). Features: ISBoxer provides a wizard-based setup: you add your WoW accounts/characters, create a “team,” and it automatically configures a window layout (for example, one big window for your main and a small thumbnail window for the alt, which you can swap with a hotkey). It also sets up key maps – for example, you can have certain keys broadcast to all clients (so pressing 1 will send 1 to both WoWs), while other keys are not broadcast (like movement keys, since broadcasting movement can cause characters to run different directions due to camera differences). ISBoxer handles instant window swapping, meaning if you press your swap hotkey, your secondary window jumps to the main position with minimal delay (it was known for its efficient swapping). It also can broadcast mouse clicks (e.g. for accepting quests or placing AOE spells) and has a repeater function to send all keys if you toggle it on. Setup steps: Typically, you would install Inner Space, then ISBoxer toolkit, then run the Quick Setup Wizard. Select WoW, add your two characters (you may need to enter account info), and choose a window layout (ISBoxer might default to something like full-screen on one monitor and a small viewport for the alt – you can customize it). You’d also configure Key Maps: ISBoxer by default might set that all number keys, F keys, etc., broadcast, but movement (WASD) is not (to avoid clone movement issues). You can create mapped keys for things like “when I press F on my main, it sends invite macro on alt” or more complex sequences. ISBoxer will also create an in-game addon (ISBoxer Addon) that helps with setting up FTL (Follow/Assist mechanics without requiring distinct macros for each slot – it can dynamically assign a “focus” or use party roles to automatically assist the current leader). For dual boxing though, sometimes simpler is to just use basic follow/assist macros as we did manually, but triggered via broadcasting. Important: As of the policy change, using ISBoxer’s broadcasting features (key cloning) is against TOS. Some multiboxers still use ISBoxer for its window management and multi-launch convenience, but they disable key broadcasting entirely to comply. ISBoxer itself cannot really be used “legally” for WoW unless you refrain from using its main feature (broadcasting). Consult the ISBoxer forums or community if they have modes to comply – for example, they might suggest only using it to set up windows and not using the repeater. Historically, ISBoxer was the top recommendation if you were willing to pay, and it made multiboxing extremely smooth when it was allowed. It is very powerful (you could set up complex round-robin keys, click-bars for all characters’ abilities, etc.), but all that is moot if broadcasting is forbidden.
HotKeyNet (HKN): This is a free, lightweight multiboxing program that requires writing a script to define how keys are sent. HotKeyNet doesn’t have a fancy GUI – you create a text script with rules. For example, you can make it so that when you press 1 (and a certain toggle like Scroll Lock is on), it will send the 1 key to Window1 and Window2gist.github.comgist.github.com. You can specify window names, create hotkeys to launch the games, etc. A sample HKN script for two clients might look like:
```
<Hotkey ScrollLockOn 1>
    <SendWinM WoW1>
    <Key 1>
    <SendWinM WoW2>
    <Key 1>
```
This means “when I press 1 (and scroll lock is toggled on), send the ‘1’ key to WoW1 and WoW2.” You’d have similar lines for 2,3,4… and so on. You can also broadcast mouse clicks with HKN (there are commands for it, though it’s a bit complex). HKN allows you to rename windows (you press a hotkey to rename your open WoW windows to identifiers like “WoW1”)gist.github.com. It can also be used to launch the games with specific commands. It’s quite flexible but requires some coding-like setup. There are many ready-made HKN scripts shared in multiboxing communities (for 2, 5, etc. clients)gist.github.comreddit.com. Setup steps: Download HotKeyNet (it’s an .exe, no install needed). Write or copy a script for dual boxing – the official HotKeyNet site and forums had examples, and gist.github has some (e.g., a sample two-player script is availablegist.github.comgist.github.com). Edit the script with your WoW window names or file paths as needed. Then run HotKeyNet and load the script. Once loaded, you usually toggle on broadcasting with Scroll Lock (as many scripts use that as an on/off switch for sending keys). After that, when you press your defined hotkeys, it will send to both windows. You can also define a key (like Ctrl+R) to automatically rename windows if you launched them manuallygist.github.com, and maybe a hotkey to invite your other character, etc., via sending in-game slash commands. HKN effectively can do everything ISBoxer does in terms of input broadcasting, but without the nice GUI – it’s scripting. It was a popular free alternative. Again, note: Using HKN to actually broadcast keys (e.g. sending 1 to two clients at once) is now against the rulesus.forums.blizzard.comus.forums.blizzard.com. In fact, many players were banned once Blizzard cracked down, for example a user in 2020 reported a suspension for using HotKeyNet to mirror keys for two magesus.forums.blizzard.comus.forums.blizzard.com. So, if you use HotKeyNet today, it should be only for benign purposes like window management, and not to send simultaneous commands to multiple game clients. Otherwise, you’re automating actions across clients, which Blizzard considers an offense.
Keyclone: An older program (one-time purchase) that simply clones keys to multiple applications. Keyclone doesn’t have advanced features like ISBoxer’s configurations; it just broadcasts all keys (with some settings to blacklist certain keys). It’s mentioned here for completeness (it was popular around 2008-2010). It likely still works, but it’s “not actively developed” and generally not recommended over modern options. Given the policy, using it to broadcast would be disallowed anyway. There’s no strong reason to use Keyclone now except perhaps nostalgia or if you somehow have it and use it without broadcasting (which defeats its purpose).
Jamba/EMA (Addon): Jamba was actually an in-game addon, not standalone software, but it’s worth noting in this context. Jamba (now continued as EMA – “Ebony’s Multiboxing Assistant”) is a multiboxing helper addon that works entirely within the WoW client. It doesn’t broadcast keys, but it provides a suite of features to ease multiboxing (we’ll detail these in the QoL section). While not a broadcasting tool, Jamba often was used alongside software like ISBoxer/HotKeyNet. For example, ISBoxer would handle duplicating your key presses, while Jamba would handle things like auto-follow after combat, quest sharing, etc.. Today, with broadcasting banned, you can (and should) still use addons like EMA to assist with the manual play.
Joe Multiboxer (JMB) and WoW Open Box (WOB): These are newer tools that emerged after Blizzard’s policy change to specifically allow multiboxing within the rules. Joe Multiboxer is a paid software (subscription-based) that advertises compliance by not broadcasting inputs. It primarily offers a robust window layout manager and some conveniences. The author of JMB confirmed with Blizzard GMs that as long as it doesn’t broadcast simultaneous inputs, it’s allowed. JMB basically helps you tile your WoW windows, swap them, and maybe assist with some window-specific hotkeys, but it will not send one key to multiple clients at once (you could configure it to send a key to a specific window when you press a certain modified hotkey, which is more like quick window switching than broadcasting). WoW Open Box (WOB) is a free, open-source project with a similar philosophy. WOB is all about setting up your windows exactly how you want and enabling features like focus-follows-mouse or hotkeys to switch focus, without ever duplicating inputs to multiple targets. For example, WOB has a “round-robin focus” mode where each time you press a certain key, it shifts your active window to the next client. This lets you cycle through characters rapidly to issue commands on each in succession (still one at a time, which is allowed). It basically streamlines the manual approach by removing some of the fiddling with alt-tab – you press one key and it’s as if you alt-tabbed to the next window instantly. WOB also has a window layout wizard so you can easily set how big/where each game window should be on your screens. Both WOB and JMB are explicitly designed to be policy-compliant multiboxing software, focusing on window management rather than input mirroring. If you want to use software in 2025 for dual boxing, these are the type of tools to look at, since using the older broadcasting features of ISBoxer or HKN will risk penalties. Setup: For WOB, you download it from the official site or GitHub, run it, use the wizard to detect your WoW windows and arrange them, set your hotkeys for swapping windows or enabling focus-follows-mouse, etc. It’s user-friendly and being open source, many multiboxers contribute to it. JMB would have its own interface for layout and presumably might integrate with the game’s Auction House features (the blog mentions the person uses it to speed up posting auctions by having multiple seller characters and a good window layout).

In summary, historically you had a choice: pay for something like ISBoxer for a polished experience or use free tools like HotKeyNet and some elbow grease. Now, with Blizzard’s ban on broadcasting, the landscape has shifted to either not using these tools at all or using new ones that strip out broadcasting. If you do decide to use any multiboxing software for dual boxing:

Avoid any key cloning or broadcasting functionality. Do not enable key repeaters that send one keystroke to both clients simultaneously. Even if the software has that feature (e.g. ISBoxer’s repeater), leave it off for WoW.
Use software for window management only. It’s perfectly fine to use these programs to arrange windows, set up hotkey window swapping, or even to launch both clients at once. Blizzard’s concern is with automating gameplay, not with how you position your windows. For example, window layout and instant swap is okay – pressing a key to swap which window is big/small is not giving input to the game, it’s an out-of-game action, which should be fine. Similarly, moving your mouse to a window to give it focus (even if aided by a tool) is just a convenience.
One key = one action. A good rule: if a single key press causes two characters to do something in-game at the same time, that’s against the current rules. If a single key press only ever controls one character at a time (even if it helps switch to the other quickly), that’s generally safewowopenbox.org.

For those interested, communities like dual-boxing (formerly dual-boxing.com) and subreddits have more up-to-date tips on using software legally. As an example, a player in early 2021 confirmed with GMs that using a program (JMB) purely for window layout without broadcasting was fine. So, it is possible to still leverage software to improve your multiboxing experience – just configure it to comply with Blizzard’s multiboxing policy. We will cover the specifics of that policy in the next section.

Optimizing Dual Boxing for Different Activities

Dual boxing can be used for a variety of purposes in WoW. Your approach and setup might differ slightly depending on what you’re trying to accomplish. Here we’ll provide guidance tailored to a few common use cases: leveling, gold/material farming, PvP, and dungeons/raids. In each scenario, we assume you are following the rules (no input broadcasting), meaning you’ll be manually coordinating the two characters as described earlier. We’ll highlight tips to make each scenario as efficient as possible for a two-character team.

Leveling Two Characters Together

Leveling two characters in parallel via dual boxing can be highly rewarding – both characters reach max level together, and you effectively double your alts leveled per unit time. However, to do this efficiently, keep in mind:

Choose complementary classes: An ideal leveling duo has synergy. Popular pairs include tank + healer (e.g. Protection Paladin and Restoration Druid) so you can queue dungeons together or tackle group quests with ease; or DPS + DPS that have some way to help each other (like one has bloodlust, the other has AI buffs, etc.). Even two of the same class can work (dual hunters or mages can annihilate quests quickly). Ranged pairs might be easier to manage than melee, because with melee, getting both characters in range of targets can be awkward with follow (melee followers tend to dance around or get out of position). If you do melee+melee, expect to frequently reposition the slave. One common tactic is to make the more mobile or durable class the follower. For example, you lead with a squishier class and have a tanky melee on follow who can take a beating while you focus on the main’s survival. Healer + DPS is a very safe combo for questing – the healer can follow and auto-follow after each combat (especially if using an addon to auto-follow after combat ends) and you only switch to the healer when you need to top up health.
Synchronized questing: When both characters are on the same quests, try to plan your route to minimize extra work. Kill quests are fantastic – if you need to kill 10 mobs, you kill 10 and both get credit. Quest items that drop from mobs will drop for each character (personal loot), so that usually isn’t an issue. The pain comes from collect quests (e.g. “gather 6 bear paws” where each bear drops 1 paw). You effectively need double the drops. If the quest is not a guaranteed drop, this can really slow you down. Some multiboxers choose to skip or minimize collection-heavy quests when leveling two characters, focusing on kill quests, exploration XP, dungeon runs, etc., to maximize efficiency. When you do have to do a collect quest, a trick: have both characters loot each corpse (many quests give each party member a chance to loot their item from the same corpse). Use the Interact with Target method to have your follower loot quickly after your main loots. If only one item can be taken (like picking up objects in the world), you’ll have to pick it up on one char, then the other – effectively doubling the time for that quest. Weigh if it’s worth it or if you can just grind mobs or do another quest instead. Sharing quests: A big benefit is one character can pick up a quest and then share it with the other, so you don’t have to double talk to NPCs for pickups (though for turn-ins you usually do). An addon like EMA can automatically share quests to your team when one picks it up. In default UI, you have to hit the “Share” button in the quest log. Also, accepting quests on the follower can be sped up by addons (auto-accept) or just by spamming Interact with Target as mentioned. With a good setup, you can talk to an NPC on main, hit share, and both have the quest, then when completing, you can right-click NPC on main and the follower auto-interacts and even auto-completes if using an addon. The addon EMA (Jamba) even allows one character to choose a quest reward and the others auto-select the same reward to turn in, which speeds things up.
Follow management: While moving around questing, your second character will be on follow most of the time. Keep an eye on follow breaking – combat will break follow, as will any crowd control on the follower or certain phasing events. Get used to reissuing the follow command frequently (you can hit it after every fight, or macro it into something non-critical if you want). For example, some multiboxers put a “/follow focus” at the end of their slave’s attack macro, so after they cast a spell, they attempt to follow again. This can work, but be careful it doesn’t interrupt casting or cause the follower to run oddly during combat; sometimes it’s better to manually hit follow when you know it’s safe. Movement: Try not to do sudden jerk movements or jumps with the main that can lose the follower. Smooth, straight movements keep the follow toon trailing correctly. If the follower gets stuck on terrain, you’ll have to go back or manually move them. So, quest in relatively open areas when possible or be mindful of obstacles.
Heirlooms, XP bonuses, and RaF: If you have access to heirloom gear on both characters, definitely use them to boost XP. The Recruit-a-Friend program used to provide massive XP bonuses when two accounts were linked, but the modern RAF (as of 2023) no longer grants bonus experience (earlier versions gave up to 300% XP gain, but that was removed). So currently, there’s no extra XP for leveling together beyond the normal group bonus (note: in retail, characters in a party do get a small XP bonus for kills if evenly leveled, but nothing huge). Leveling dungeons and Party Sync features can be utilized too – since you control both, you can queue them together for dungeon finder (if they fulfill roles).
Power-leveling with one high-level: Another mode of dual-box leveling is using one high-level character to boost a low-level. For example, on WoW Classic Burning Crusade, you might use a level 70 to run a level 20 alt through Scarlet Monastery. In retail, a 70 could annihilate low-level dungeons for a level 10 alt. The alt will get XP from kills (though reduced if too high a level gap in modern retail due to scaling). This can still be efficient to an extent. Blizzard nerfed XP gains in situations where a high-level is in party, so it’s not as crazy as it once was, but it can still be faster than the alt solo. If you do this, just ensure the lowbie stays in range for XP and doesn’t die. This approach is more about solo leveling an alt rather than leveling two peers, but it’s worth mentioning if you intend to multibox to expedite leveling alts one by one. Note that in retail, you might need to lock XP or use party sync to get into certain dungeons with a big level gap.
Use of addons: The addon EMA (Jamba) is almost essential for comfortable multibox leveling. It handles so many little things: auto-follow after combat (so when you finish a fight, your slave automatically starts following again without you pressing anything); quest sharing and automatic quest accept/turn-in on all toons; tracking each character’s quest progress in one window (so your main can see “Alt has 8/10 items” so you know when both are done); mirroring flight path selections (all characters take the same flight when the leader does); and even group invites (invite your whole team with one command). Setting up EMA might take a bit (you install on both, designate a master character, and configure the options you want), but it can dramatically streamline leveling as a dual boxer. For instance, no more manually clicking turn-ins on both windows – one click can do it for both. Blizzard’s UI now also has some party sync quest features, but a dedicated addon is far more powerful in this regard.
Efficiency tips: Treat your dual team as a single unit that happens to have double firepower. Tag mobs with one and finish with the other so both get kill credit. If one has an AoE advantage, use it while the other assists lightly. Keep both characters in XP range – don’t let one stray too far or they won’t get credit for kills. If doing any escort or cutscene quests, be mindful that both clients might need to trigger them. Some events might phase one character out – try to keep them in sync. Always have your follow macro ready because nothing’s worse than completing a quest and realizing your alt got stuck on a tree 200 yards back and didn’t get quest credit for the area you entered. Regularly check both screens or use an addon that warns when your follower is not on follow or is stuck.

Leveling is one of the most enjoyable ways to multibox, as you see two characters growing together. With practice, you’ll find a rhythm and might even forget how slow solo leveling feels by comparison when you’re basically getting two-for-one progress! Just remember to take breaks – dual boxing can be a bit more mentally taxing than playing one character, since you’re monitoring two. Next, we’ll discuss using dual boxing for farming and gold-making.

Farming Gold and Materials with Two Characters

Dual boxing is frequently used by players to increase their farming output. While Blizzard’s input broadcasting ban has curbed the extreme cases (like 5+ druids automated gathering herbs across entire zones), a dual boxer can still gain some efficiencies and conveniences when farming. Here are ways to optimize farming with two characters:

Gathering professions (Herbalism/Mining): If both your characters have gathering professions, they can each gather the same node, effectively doubling the loot from each herb or mineral node. In Retail WoW, most resource nodes are player-specific for a short time – meaning if Character A picks a herb, Character B can still pick it within a short window before it disappears. With dual boxing, you can fly or run to a node with both characters together, pick it on one, then quickly switch and pick on the other. You’ll get two sets of herbs from one spawn. This was a major reason multiboxers were hated in the community (e.g. 5 druids vacuuming entire zones of herbs). With only two characters and manual switching, you can still do it but at a slower pace – yet it’s still more yield than a single character. Tip: Put your characters in the same party even if you’re just farming (they don’t have to be, but it can help with seeing each other easily on map and if on PvP server, being in party avoids accidentally flagging each other). Also, consider using instant-cast mounts like Sky Golem or Travel Form for druids so that herbing doesn’t require dismounting. If both are druids, great – you can even make them both go into Flight Form and herb almost simultaneously. Without broadcasting, doing it exactly together is hard, but you can e.g. press herb on main, then immediately alt-tab and herb on alt within a second. It’s quick enough to usually nab the node on both. Make sure to limit the background FPS of the follower but not too low – you don’t want the follower’s client to lag or freeze when you alt-tab, or the herb might despawn. 15-20 FPS background is enough to respond to input quickly.
Killing and grinding mobs: If farming mobs for materials (cloth, leather, etc.), two characters can kill much faster than one. You can either have them stick together, killing the same mobs (focus fire one target at a time), or potentially split up in a small area to cover more ground (advanced, since you’d alternate control). Usually keeping them together is easier – e.g. both characters AOE the same pack of mobs. Without key broadcasting, you might pull with your main, then swap and cast an AOE with the alt. Even though it’s sequential, the overall clear speed is higher. Both will loot separately, doubling loot (each has their personal loot or their share of group loot). For skinning, only one can skin a specific corpse, but with two you might kill twice as many beasts and then split skins. You could have one skin while the other pulls next pack, etc. It requires some multitasking but can be done.
Resource node camping: If there’s a rare node or spawn you want (like an elite mob or chest), having two characters can cover two locations or double your chances. For instance, in old content farming, you could park one char at one spawn point and another elsewhere and then only actively play one until something appears on the other’s screen (though this veers into semi-afk territory; just be careful not to automate it).
Dungeons/raids farming: If you like to solo old dungeons or raids for raw gold, transmog, or mount drops, dual boxing can let you clear some content faster or more efficiently. Example: running old raids with two characters – each boss kill will drop loot for each character, so you effectively get double the chances for rare drops (like mounts or transmog) in one run, since each character’s loot is independent. In legacy raids, you can even funnel loot if one gets something the other needs by trading (if tradable) or just doubling chances. Some old encounters might also require two players, and dual boxing can fulfill that requirement (e.g., an encounter that has two levers to pull simultaneously – you can manage by positioning one char and quickly swapping to pull the other). For pure gold farming from raw drops, having two characters in an instance can bump against the dungeon reset limits if done in tandem, but you can stagger them or do different instances. Note that in instances, if both are present, loot is often not shared – in legacy content, each character gets their own loot (if personal loot) or they split if group loot, but you could set to each gets their own since you’re the only two. Also be mindful of mechanics: controlling two in a complex raid fight (even an old one) might be tricky if there are things like needing to move two characters away from danger. Most truly old raids are a joke by now so it’s fine.
Coordinated cooldowns: If farming open-world content (say for drops or rares), two characters can use different abilities to increase efficiency. For example, one might have the Traveler’s Tundra Mammoth vendor mount and the other can use it to vendor loot periodically without hearthing. Or one drops a Mage portal while the other summons, etc., to move around. If one is a class with movement perks (like a warlock with Demonic Gateway or a shaman with Far Sight), they could aid the other. Think of ways the classes can complement: perhaps one provides a buff that increases kill speed or a heal.
Managing aggro and tagging: When farming mobs for drops, note that if both characters tag and contribute to a kill, they will generally both be able to loot it (personal loot in modern WoW, or shared tap for group). If they’re not grouped, each could tag separately and potentially double-dip (some farmers do this to get two rolls of loot on world mobs, but it depends on loot rules). Within a group, loot is per person for personal loot, so you still each get your own. If personal loot yields e.g. cloth, each gets cloth drops individually. This definitely increases total yield (2x the cloth roughly). For rare mobs or world bosses with daily loot lockouts, having two chars means two attempts per spawn (useful for mount farming rare spawns – you can camp with two and kill with both for two chances). Of course, you have to be able to handle the mob’s fight essentially controlling both (or have one just on autoattack).
Safety in numbers: In outdoor content, if farming in War Mode or dangerous zones, two characters can watch each other’s backs. You’re less likely to get ganked or harassed when you effectively have a personal bodyguard. Even if someone attacks one of your toons, you can retaliate with the other. This can be especially helpful if you’re farming in a high-risk area (Nazjatar PvP areas, etc.). Be aware though that some players might target multiboxers deliberately, and controlling PvP with two can be tough as mentioned.
Monitoring and stamina: Farming can be repetitive, and doing it on two screens means double the things to watch (two inventories filling up, two health bars, etc.). Make liberal use of things like auto-loot (turn it on in settings so you don’t have to manually loot each item), and consider addons like LootAppraiser or farm HUDs if they support multi-toon tracking. When one bag is full, you need to stop and vendor for that char (unless using a vendor mount to handle both on the fly). It’s easy to tunnel vision on one window and forget the other’s status (like durability, buffs, etc.), so occasionally swap windows or use an interface that shows both (some addons might relay info like “Alt’s bags are full” via party chat or on your main’s UI).

Overall, dual boxing can still roughly double your farming output in many scenarios, as long as you can manage the multitasking. The key is to ensure both characters are contributing efficiently. If one is mostly idle while the other does all the work, you might not be gaining much. Strive to keep both active: e.g., while one is on cooldown for abilities, use the other; alternate who pulls mobs, etc. With practice, a two-character farm setup can be very rewarding (literally!). Just remain mindful of the rules – avoid any automation (no key broadcasting or botting, which we know) – and also be considerate of other players (monopolizing too many spawns with two characters can still annoy others).

Dual Boxing in PvP Scenarios

Using dual boxing in PvP is arguably the most challenging application. Human opponents will exploit any weakness, and managing two characters at once in a fast-paced environment is difficult. That said, there are a few ways dual boxing can be applied in PvP or provide benefits:

World PvP / Ganking / Defense: In world PvP (outdoor zones, War Mode, world quests), having a second character is like bringing a friend – it can turn a 1v1 gank into a 2v1 in your favor. If someone attacks your main, you can quickly swap to your alt and attack them from two fronts. Often, world PvPers won’t expect a second character controlled by the same person, so you have the element of surprise. Optimal pairing for WPvP is usually a DPS + healer. For example, a Frost Mage main with a Holy Paladin alt on follow: if the mage gets jumped, you alt-tab to the paladin, throw some heals and maybe a Hammer of Justice stun, then back to the mage to finish off the attacker. Even though your reaction might be slower than two separate players, just the presence of healing and extra damage can overwhelm lone gankers. Alternatively, two DPS can burst someone extremely fast if you manage to coordinate openers (e.g. two rogues pouncing together, though two melee is hard to micromanage for positioning). A ranged plus a pet class (like a Warlock + a Hunter) could also be effective by stacking damage. If you prefer defense, you might have a tank spec as one character to absorb the enemy’s attacks while the other kills them. Keep in mind, without broadcasting, you cannot realistically control both to their full potential simultaneously, so one will often be acting in a simpler support role (throwing heals, auto-attacking, or taunting). Choose one character to be your main focus in the fight and treat the second as an auxiliary.
Battlegrounds and Arenas: In random battlegrounds, you can bring two characters (by queuing them at the same time and hoping they get in the same match – if you queue as a party, it will put both in together). Note that /follow is disabled in battlegrounds (and also in arenas) in modern WoW, specifically to prevent multiboxing abuse and botting. This means your follower cannot just tail you around automatically; you would have to move both manually. This is a huge handicap. It basically makes true multibox play in BGs impractical, because you can’t simultaneously WASD two clients without broadcasting (and broadcasting movement is chaotic anyway). If you really want to try, one trick is to mount both characters, then move a bit on one, then the other – leapfrogging, but that’s clunky. Most who multibox BGs end up parking the less-mobile character somewhere useful (like an alt defending a flag or sitting in a vehicle) while controlling the main normally. For example, you could have a healer alt sit in the backline of a fight on follow (which won’t work, since follow is off, but you can manually position them on a hill and then swap to throw heals occasionally). But the moment you leave them, they’ll be idle. In rated PvP (arenas/RBGs), multiboxing two characters is virtually non-existent, since you’d be far less effective than two separate players and likely won’t be allowed in serious teams. It might be done for fun at low ratings, but again, the /follow removal in arena (since MoP) stops typical multiboxing.
Two characters, one objective: You can use two characters to multitask objectives in PvP. For instance, in Alterac Valley, you could have one character guard a tower while the other pushes with offense. You’d effectively be contributing to two parts of the BG at once. You’d need to bounce between controlling each at the right times (e.g. alt-tab to your tower guard if an enemy comes to back-cap it, then back to your main in the offense when needed). This is a lot to handle, but in battlegrounds, where situations unfold over longer periods, it’s somewhat doable. Some players used to do this to an extent (e.g. one char at stables, one at LM in Arathi Basin, watching both). To make this viable, consider setting up visual cues – for example, have sound alerts if an enemy assaults a flag near your alt, or use addons that announce incoming enemies to a node in chat (so you see it on your main’s screen).
Potential advantages: Dual boxing in PvP could give you some cheeky advantages. Two characters can use different toolkits – e.g. one could be a class with Bloodlust/Heroism to buff the other, or one could place down a Summoning Stone or Warlock Healthstones for the group while the other fights. In older expansions, some did stuff like have a pocket healer on follow in battlegrounds (back when follow was allowed, which it no longer is in BGs). Also, you can cover weaknesses: your main gets CC’d? Swap and control the alt for a moment until CC wears off. Your main dies? You’re still in the fight with the alt (though a single multiboxer with one char left is at a disadvantage vs two enemy players). There is also a psychological factor: opponents might misjudge the situation. For example, they see two of you and might assume it’s two separate players – not realizing they could exploit the fact that one of your toons is just /following. They might panic or focus the wrong target. Some multiboxers deliberately make their followers look identical to confuse enemies (like same class, transmog, name style). The enemy might split damage or be uncertain, which works to your benefit.
Be prepared for reports: Fair warning: other players in PvP might report suspected multiboxers or call you out. Even though multiboxing (unassisted) isn’t against the rules, players sometimes mistakenly think any form of multiboxing is ban-worthy. As long as you’re not broadcasting, you’re fine, but be ready to explain if someone accuses you. In extreme cases, Blizzard has penalized some multiboxers who were very disruptive in PvP (for example, in late 2020, reports indicated many got banned especially if doing group farming or dominating PvP with multibox teams). With just two chars you’re unlikely to cause that level of stir, but it’s good to be aware.

Tips for PvP dual boxing: Keep one character’s actions simple. If you have a healer alt, maybe just have a macro to target and heal your main, and follow (in world PvP since BG follow is off). The healer can mostly follow you (in the open world) and you switch to hit a heal or dispel occasionally. If you have two DPS, perhaps have them both attack the same target (you could even try to start fights by positioning both, then manually hitting an instant nuke on one, swapping, hitting on the other – sort of an “alpha strike” to burst someone). Communication is key in PvP – since you are both characters, you know exactly what each is doing, which is a small advantage (no need for voice comms between players!). Use that: for example, you can perform a perfectly timed combo because you control it (like have your mage sheep one enemy at the same moment your warlock fears another, splitting enemy team’s attention – albeit doing that without broadcasting means very quick alt-tabbing, but it’s conceivable with hotkeys).

Ultimately, dual boxing PvP is for fun or niche utility, not for competitive edge. You will generally be less effective than two separate players, especially in fast situations. But it can be enjoyable as a personal challenge or to have a backup character for world PvP dailies, etc. If your goal is serious PvP (like climbing arena rating or leading BG charts), you’ll likely stick to one character at a time. But for world PvP shenanigans or defending yourself while farming, dual boxing provides that extra muscle or support that can turn the tables in your favor if used wisely.

Two-Character Dungeons and Raids

Running dungeons or even raids with only two characters (controlled by you) is another scenario where dual boxing can shine, though it has limits. You won’t be able to clear current-expansion raids or high Mythic+ keystones alone with two characters (those are designed for 5-20 people), but there are still several use cases:

Filling Group Roles in Dungeons: In leveling dungeons or normal mode dungeons at max level, you can effectively be two members of the party. For example, you queue the dungeon finder with one character as a tank and the other as a healer (or one as healer, other as DPS). This way, you ensure those critical roles are covered by you, and the dungeon finder will slot in the remaining DPS. Many multiboxers do this to speed up queue times – tanks and healers have instant queues, and you bring both, so you instantly get a group with 3 random DPS. When doing this, be mindful of your ability to multitask: tanking and healing simultaneously is hard even for seasoned players. But if the content is easy for you (say you outgear it or it’s just normal mode), it’s manageable. You might primarily tank on your tank character, and use your healer alt mostly for spot-heals. Perhaps macro the healer to assist and DPS by default, then manually heal when needed. Or vice versa: focus on healing and let the tank follow the usual route (maybe using simple AoE aggro abilities). Discuss with your group if needed – but typically if you can handle it, the random DPS might not even realize one person is doing two roles. This can also be done in Heroic 5-mans and low Mythic dungeons if you’re skilled and geared. It gives you a lot of control over the run (less dependency on randoms). You could also do DPS+DPS and rely on others for tank/heal, but then you’re not solving the queue issue (except some do double DPS in a timewalking dungeon or so for fun).
Two-manning old content: As mentioned under farming, two characters allow you to attempt older raids and achievements that a single player can’t normally do. For example, some raid mechanics require two people to trigger things (like “both players press buttons at same time”). With dual boxing, you can do these mechanics by quickly switching or positioning appropriately. Legacy Raids: By “old,” we mean raids from prior expansions that are now trivial or somewhat trivial at max level. Many of these can be soloed, but for those that can’t, two characters could succeed. Even if one level 70 could solo something, doing it with two level 60s might be possible, or two lesser geared characters. It’s a way to farm mounts and transmogs on two toons at once. Note: Some older raids (like Ulduar’s 25H Yogg+0 or certain boss achievements) were designed for more people and having a second character helps manage mechanics. Dual boxing is a nice trick to get those done without a second human. Lockouts: If farming a specific mount, you can run the raid on both characters each week – doubling attempts. If the mount is not tradeable, that’s two shots. If it is tradeable (like some personal loot ones within group), you could actually master loot it to one char if trade allowed, but nowadays most rare mounts are personal non-trade.
Two-person challenges: Some players like to challenge themselves to see what 2 characters can clear. You might try to duo a Mythic+ at a low level key with tank+healer, or duo some of the easier Shadowlands raid bosses at level 70 (maybe normal difficulty), etc. Without broadcasting, this is incredibly challenging, but not impossible for certain fights where one character can mostly autopilot. If one char is a tank and can survive on its own for a bit, and the other is DPS or heal, you can swap attention as needed. Don’t expect miracles, but it can be fun to see how far you get.
Loot and rewards: When dual-running content, both characters get personal loot. This is great for doubling up rewards. For example, in a Timewalking dungeon week, you could run through on a dual-box and get two sets of Timewarped Badges (one per char). In raids, you get double chances at loot (though personal loot is usually per char and not shareable unless eligible). If you are trying for something like a specific drop, you have two chances in one go. In dungeons, if farming a specific drop, you can even have one of your characters funnel gear to the other if it’s tradable (e.g. both are same armor type, if your alt gets the drop the main needs and it’s tradeable within group, you can give it). This can speed up gearing if you’re working on gearing one main char – use the second as a loot booster.
Coordination and macros in PvE: In a PvE environment (especially predictable ones like a dungeon boss), you can pre-plan some macro usage. For instance, have your follower automatically assist and attack your tank’s target (macro /assist tank, /cast someAttack bound to a key you press regularly). Or use the tank as focus and have the healer’s heals target focus’s target-of-target (to heal whoever the boss is attacking, presumably the tank). If done carefully, you can reduce how often you need to manually direct the second char. Addons can help by broadcasting warnings to both clients (so you see them no matter which screen you’re on). However, avoid any fully automated behavior beyond what the base UI allows – no unattended play. You still have to press the buttons; just use smart macros to get the most out of each press.
Finding the limits: Be aware of what content simply requires more than two players. For example, most current expansion raids or high-end content have DPS checks and mechanics that two characters can’t meet (e.g., one might get a debuff that requires a soak by multiple people, etc.). Don’t beat yourself up if something can’t be done with two – it likely wasn’t meant to. The sweet spot for dual boxing in PvE tends to be: old raids (for farming), easy current dungeons (for daily rewards or low keys), or perhaps world events (like a two-player quest scenario).
Communicate in group content: If you bring two to a group, let others know if appropriate. For example, in a dungeon, if you’re tank+healer, the DPS might wonder why the healer sometimes is unresponsive (if you’re focusing on tank). A quick note, “Hey all, I’m dual-boxing the tank and healer, I’ve got it under control” can help. Some people might be wary but if you perform fine, they’ll usually be impressed or at least accepting. In cases where both your chars need to coordinate, maybe set one on follow (if not in BG) or plan positions. One thing: In some modern high-end content, Blizzard has mechanics that detect same-account characters and may prevent some participation (for example, you can’t sign up both your characters to the same Rated Battleground team on one bnet, etc., though that’s more PvP).

Overall, two-manning PvE content can be efficient and satisfying. You essentially cut down the number of strangers or friends you need to recruit for things by being your own mini-team. Many WoW players love the self-reliance of multiboxing – “if I can’t find a healer, I’ll just be the healer myself” kind of attitude. Dual boxing is the smallest scale of that, but it still opens a lot of doors for what you can do alone (or “alone with yourself”). Enjoy the flexibility it offers, and always remember to play within your comfort – controlling two in a tough fight can get hectic, so don’t hesitate to focus on one if things go awry (it’s better to keep one character alive than lose both because you split your attention poorly).

Blizzard’s Policy on Multiboxing (Legal Considerations)

It’s crucial to understand Blizzard’s current rules and guidelines regarding multiboxing, to ensure your dual boxing endeavors don’t put your account at risk. The policy has changed in recent years, so even if multiboxing was tolerated in the past, some practices are now explicitly disallowed. Here’s what you need to know:

Multiboxing itself is allowed: Blizzard has stated that simply playing multiple accounts at the same time (one player controlling two or more characters) is not a violation of the EULA. You are free to own and log into multiple WoW accounts concurrently. In fact, many players have done so for years, and Blizzard obviously enjoys the extra subscription revenue. So you will not be banned just for having two characters online from the same IP or same computer. Blizzard’s official support article as of 2025 affirms “Multiboxing ... is not a violation of our End User License Agreement.”. They even allow it in their forums, etc. So running two WoWs on one PC and manually controlling them is perfectly fine.
Input broadcasting and automation are NOT allowed: This is the big caveat introduced in late 2020. Blizzard updated their policy to prohibit the use of software or hardware that broadcasts inputs to multiple clients. In other words, pressing one key and having it mirror to two or more game windows is no longer allowed. This was a common multiboxing technique (using tools like ISBoxer, HKN, etc., as discussed) – but after the policy change, doing this “will soon be considered an actionable offense” and indeed enforcement began shortly after. Hardware broadcasting (using devices to split one keyboard’s signal to multiple PCs) is also banned under this rule. They use the term “any software or hardware mechanisms to mirror commands to multiple accounts at the same time” which covers pretty much all broadcasting. Additionally, any form of automation or “streamlining” beyond normal gameplay is forbidden. This includes things like botting or automated scripts (which were always banned), but also certain clever abuses like crafting one macro to control multiple chars (which the WoW API doesn’t really allow anyway).
One-press-one-action principle: Blizzard essentially returned to enforcing the classic rule that each game action must be triggered by a separate physical keypress by the player. If one press triggers actions on two characters, that’s a violation. You are allowed to press keys really fast or swap windows to press keys – as long as physically you are the one doing each input for each client individually. But you can’t use a program to send those inputs in parallel or series automatically. As a Blizzard CM clarified in 2020: “All of the individual accounts must be controlled by inputs from the player themselves.” Each character you multibox should feel like you are individually steering them (even if rapidly). This effectively kills the “one man army” style of multiboxing that dominated gathering and PvP, since those relied on broadcasting to have, say, 5 boomkins all cast Starfall together with one button. Now, if you want 5 boomkins to Starfall, you’d have to alt-tab and press it on each – which is humanly impractical to do simultaneously, so you lose the synchronized power.
Consequences for breaking the rule: Blizzard has been enforcing this policy with increasing strictness. Accounts found using input broadcasting software have been given warnings, suspensions, and even bans for repeat or egregious offenses. Typically, they started with warnings in late 2020 when the change was announced, then moved to 6-month suspensions, and have banned accounts outright if they didn’t comply after warnings. For example, a player using HotKeyNet to mirror keys in mid-2020 got a suspension labeled under “Use of Bots or Third-Party Automation” – Blizzard considers key broadcasting a form of automation cheating now. By 2021, they updated and clarified the policy again to include hardware devices too (some multiboxers had tried to swap to hardware multiplexer keyboards – those are also disallowed). The official forum post by Blizzard (Kaivax) explicitly says using input broadcasting software is an offense. If you violate this, expect no mercy – many multiboxers ended up banned, losing many accounts, if they didn’t adapt. So, do not use key broadcast features. Running the software alone isn’t necessarily bannable (Blizzard can’t detect something not hooked into the game; and if it’s just running but not broadcasting, you’re technically not violating the rule). But it’s a slippery slope, and Warden (the anti-cheat) likely can detect known broadcasting software running. To be safe, if you use multibox programs, use ones designed to be compliant (like those that explicitly don’t broadcast).
“Streamlining” ambiguity: Blizzard’s wording includes “automate or streamline multiboxing in any way”. This is intentionally broad/vague. It likely means that even if a tool isn’t directly broadcasting keystrokes 1-to-1, if it automates something that makes multiboxing easier (but not something a normal player could do), they might consider it disallowed. For instance, a script that automatically moves your second character in response to your first might be considered streamlining beyond normal. The safe approach is: if an addon can do it using allowed API (like Jamba auto-follow after combat – that’s allowed because it’s within addon restrictions and still requires you to press follow once per combat) that’s fine. But if an external program tries to do fancy things that effectively give you an edge, avoid it. One example: a program that listens to WoW memory and automatically heals your main when HP is low without you pressing – definitely not allowed (that’s a bot). Or even something like round-robin focus switching automatically might be borderline, but since you still press a key each time for WOB’s round-robin, that’s okay (each press just also switches window focus, which is akin to alt-tabbing manually – it’s user input driven).
Blizzard’s attitude: They have clarified they don’t hate multiboxers per se, but they made this change largely to address the negative gameplay impact (especially on the economy and PvP) that large-scale multiboxing was having. It was not an easy line to draw, but they chose to disallow the method (broadcasting) rather than multiboxing itself, as a compromise. As a result, you can still multibox, it’s just “annoying to manage so many characters” without broadcasting – which was kind of their intent, to discourage the extreme cases without outright banning having multiple accounts. So dual boxing is far less affected than, say, 10-boxing. Dual boxing manually is quite feasible, as this guide demonstrates, and Blizzard doesn’t penalize you for doing it the hard (manual) way. In fact, some on forums have explicitly asked “Would 2 accounts be against TOS?” after the change, and the answer was no, as long as you control them separately.
GM Verification: People have even gone out of their way to get confirmation from GMs for specific tools. As noted, one multiboxer got a GM to say using Joe Multiboxer (which lacks broadcasting) was okay. The key phrase from the GM was “as long as the program doesn’t breach the criteria set out in the policy change, then it’s okay to use”. That essentially means: if your software does not send simultaneous inputs or automate gameplay, it’s not against the rules. Window management, multiple windows, etc., are fine. The GM responses were a bit copy-paste at first, but after pressing, they clarified JMB’s usage (window layout) was fine. The multiboxing community widely interprets this as permission for things like WOB or ISBoxer used only for layout, but it’s on you to ensure you configure it innocuously.
Addons vs. External Software: Addons (like Jamba/EMA) that run within WoW’s API are generally safe because the API itself restricts them from doing anything too bot-like. Blizzard hasn’t targeted multiboxing addons; they targeted external broadcast programs. So feel free to use addons for multiboxing convenience – they are not considered cheating (they react to events or at most do things on a button press, which is allowed). For example, an addon auto-accepting a quest share from your main is just saving you a click on the alt – it’s UI customization. Similarly, addons sending a /follow command after combat when you hit your follow key is fine. The rule of thumb is if the addon requires a hardware event or does something that the default UI could theoretically do with enough clicking, it’s okay. Addons cannot circumvent protected actions (like they can’t auto-cast spells or move characters without input), so they are inherently limited to legal actions.
Blizzard’s enforcement in practice: Since the 2020-2021 changes, blatant multiboxing (like the classic 5 druids all moving in unison farming herbs) has virtually disappeared on retail. Blizzard did ban or warn many of those players. However, people who stealthily continued with smaller scales or less obvious broadcasting might still exist. Know that if reported by players or detected by Warden, you risk punishment. And players will report if they suspect multibox automation (there were cases on forums of people urging others to report any sign of multiboxing, even when sometimes it was just siblings or friends playing together, causing a bit of witch-hunt). Blizzard doesn’t ban without investigation, but they likely have detection for broadcasting patterns. If two characters perform actions at the exact same millisecond repeatedly, that’s a red flag.

In conclusion, to stay 100% safe legally while dual boxing: Do everything by the book. Control each character manually or with legitimate addons. Do not use any key broadcasting or multi-input replication. If you use software tools, configure them only for allowed features (window placement, focus switching with a distinct key press for each switch, etc.). Always be ready to explain your setup if a GM ever whispers or inquires (unlikely for just dual boxing manually, but just in case). But if you follow the guidance in this guide – essentially running two separate clients with your own two hands controlling them – you are within your rights as a WoW player. Blizzard acknowledges multiboxing as a playstyle (they even said it “remains an allowed part of the game” albeit with restrictions).

One more note: EULA and Policy can change. As of 2025, this is the current stance. Always keep an eye on Blizzard announcements or support articles for any updates. If they tighten or loosen rules, adapt accordingly. For now, the era of easy-input broadcasting is over, but dual boxing lives on in a more challenging, yet still rewarding, form.

Tips for Quality of Life Improvements

Finally, let’s look at various addons, UI settings, and performance tweaks that can greatly enhance your dual boxing experience. We’ve touched on some throughout the guide, but here we’ll collect them in one place for convenience:

Multiboxing Addons (EMA, Jamba, etc.): As mentioned, EMA (Ebony’s Multiboxing Assistant) is the continuation of the older Jamba addon, and it is highly recommended. It is available on CurseForge (updated as of 2025). EMA/Jamba provides a suite of features:
- Quest automation: Automatically accept shared quests on all characters, auto turn-in quests on followers when the master turns in (you can configure it to auto-select the same reward as the master).
- Team communication: Shows quest progress for each team member (e.g., “Char2: 5/10 items”) on your UI so you know when everyone is done. It can also forward whisper messages or other alerts from slaves to the master’s chat, so you don’t miss them.
- Follow and movement: Can automatically make your slaves follow the master after combat, as soon as out-of-combat state is reached. This is huge because normally you have to remember to press follow; the addon basically does it for you (since the combat drop event triggers it). It also has strobe follow (constant re-follow) but that’s often not needed and can be disruptive. The addon can warn you if a slave breaks follow or is too far.
- Interaction: You can have it so one character interacting with a flight master causes all to open the flight map (and even take the same flight path automatically). Similarly, talking to vendors or repair can be mirrored, accepting resurrects, etc.
- Group invite/formation: A simple but nice feature – you can set a key or command to invite your whole team to a party, rather than typing each name or logging each separately. Also, if a character disconnects or dies, it can auto-accept group invites or resses from the master.
- Vendor & utility: Slaves can automatically sell gray items and repair when the master does. You can set up auto-deny guild invites or trades on slaves to reduce spam windows.
- Toon swapping: If you change who the “master” is (say you want to drive from the other character), there’s a quick command to promote a different toon to master in the addon, and then follow/assist macros (if using the addon’s system) will swap targets accordingly.
In short, EMA/Jamba removes a lot of the tedious micromanagement and ensures your team acts in unison for non-combat actions. It’s a huge QoL gain. The learning curve is moderate – you’ll need to install on all accounts, set them in a team list, and configure options. But there are guides and the default is pretty sensible. The Reddit snippet earlier strongly recommended Jamba for leveling – “I would not even attempt multibox leveling without that mod.” – that’s how valuable it is seen. So definitely consider using it or a similar addon.

There’s also MAMA (Minimal Awesome Multiboxing Assistant) by MooreaTV (the same dev as WOB)addons.wago.io. It aims to be a lightweight alternative to EMA, for those who want fewer features. If EMA feels too heavy or has more than you need, MAMA might be enough. It can handle basic follow after combat and assist functions, for example. Check Wago or Curse for it.
UI Setup and Visuals: Each character might benefit from a tailored UI:
- Scaling: If you run one window smaller, increase that character’s UI scale so that things aren’t microscopic. Conversely, on the larger window, maybe keep UI normal. You can set UI scale per client in the advanced interface options.
- Party frames: As a multiboxer, you likely want to see both characters’ vital info even when focused on one screen. Use party frames or raid frames to show your other character’s health/mana so you can monitor it without looking at the second window. Maybe put the frame near center for visibility. Also enable “Display Only Dispellable Debuffs” etc., so you can see if your alt got CC’d or needs a dispel.
- Nameplates: Having nameplates on can help track targets for both toons, but it might clutter. Perhaps enable them only on the main or as needed.
- Hotkeys arrangement: If you have special keybinds for multiboxing (like Interact With Target, Follow macro, Assist macro), consider grouping them on your action bar visually or using an addon like WeakAuras to remind you of their key (WeakAuras could even show an icon when your follower is out of range or follow lost, if you set it up via some conditions or events).
- Color coding: If both your characters are the same class, differentiate their UI theme color (you can change health bar colors in some unit frame addons). If different, that’s easier (one is green (hunter), other is blue (mage), etc., easy to tell apart).
- Camera: You may want to adjust camera settings so that when you swap windows the camera isn’t at a weird angle. Consistent camera follow settings (or not) on both can help.
Performance Tuning Recap: We covered a lot, but to emphasize:
- Background FPS: Set a reasonable cap (10-30 FPS) for background windowsus.forums.blizzard.com. This saves GPU/CPU but still lets you see what’s happening on the alt and have it respond timely when you swap.
- Graphics settings: Turn down the graphics on whichever instance doesn’t need pretty visuals. Especially lower CPU-intensive features like view distance on the alt, and GPU-heavy ones like shadows, anti-aliasing. In big cities or raids, consider lowering even the main’s settings if running both in high load areas.
- Disable addons on the follower: If you use lots of addons, consider disabling non-essential ones on your secondary account to save memory/CPU. For example, your alt might not need Auctioneer or Boss Mods if you’re driving from the main. Fewer addons = lighter load. (One caveat: some addons like DBM have multibox communication features – DBM can actually whisper timers to your other account if you’re running two in a raid, but that’s minor. If you care, you can have it on both).
- Processors and affinity: WoW allows setting an affinity mask for CPUs in config. If you have many cores, you could dedicate some cores to one instance and some to the other, to prevent one from hogging all. Windows usually manages this well automatically though. But if you notice one instance always taking priority, you can experiment with Processor Affinity via Task Manager or config.wtf SET processAffinityMask for each install (though with one install running two instances, not sure if you can easily separate them – maybe run one via command line argument to set a different mask).
- Network: Usually not an issue, but if you experience any network strain, ensure both clients are on the same home network (they will be), and consider turning off data syncing addons that might double send (for example, some addons sync data between accounts – if not needed, disable on one). Latency should be similar on both; if one is spiking, maybe it’s running in background and Windows deprioritized network – generally not, network isn’t deprioritized for background tasks by default, but keep it in mind.
Macros and Keybinds Repository: You might accumulate many macros for multiboxing. It helps to keep them organized and even have a shared macro file using the account-wide macros for things like assist, follow, etc., so you only edit in one place if name changes. For instance, if you change who is the leader, you’d update the name in one macro that all characters share (unless using focus-based macros which are more flexible – recommended to use focus or a generic like party1, so you don’t hardcode char names where possible). You can also consider using click bars or menus (via ISBoxer if you dared, or via something like OPie addon) that let you quickly send commands – but again, actual sending to another client must be manual.
Use of Utilities: Don’t forget normal WoW features that can ease multiboxing:
- Focus Target: Use focus to keep track of your other toon or an important unit; then you can make macros like /assist [@focus] or /follow [@focus] so that if you swap leaders, you just change focus. You could even make a simple macro on each char like /focus NameOfMain to hit when you switch who’s lead.
- Keybindings: Bind the Follow macro and Interact With Target to easy keys (some like to bind Interact to something like G or a thumb mouse button – something quick to press after targeting NPC).
- Strafing keys on follower: If you occasionally need to adjust the follower’s position slightly (like to spread for mechanics), having left/right strafe bound on the follower to keys you can hit while on main could be helpful (though that implies you have some broadcasting or separate input device). Alternatively, you can quickly tab over and adjust, but sometimes even a simple right-click and drag on their screen (if dual monitors) to move them a yard can avoid a mechanic. This is advanced micro and not always needed.
Audio cues: One trick: enable sounds like “Client Loss of Control” and error sounds on your follower and route its audio separately (maybe one earbud in for alt, one for main), if you want audio feedback from the follower. For example, you might hear “Not enough mana” or “Inventory is full” from your alt even if you’re not looking at that screen, alerting you to an issue. Or if your follower gets aggro and starts the aggro warning sound, you’ll know to check it. You can also have both clients output to speakers – sometimes overlapping sound is weird (like two music tracks out of sync). Maybe mute music on one, keep effects on both. Or use an addon like BigWigs which can send raid warning sounds to a connected client – might be overkill.
Hardware setup: Think about your physical setup – maybe two monitors (ideal). If one monitor, consider a larger ultrawide so you can tile windows. Also, having a decent mouse with extra buttons can aid in binding some multibox functions (maybe one button to toggle windows via a script, etc., if that’s within rules – focusing a window is okay as it’s an OS action).
Some multiboxers use a foot pedal (as an extra key input device) to do an action on the secondary account – for instance, a foot pedal that when pressed, triggers the second PC’s heal key (via hardware multiplex – careful, if it triggers both at once that’s broadcasting; but if it solely goes to alt, that’s just another input method). It’s niche but interesting.
Practice and muscle memory: One QoL improvement that isn’t software: practice. Over time you’ll build muscle memory for switching and pressing the necessary keys on your follower quickly. It will start to feel smoother, and you won’t need to consciously think “press Alt+Tab, press 2, press Alt+Tab back” – it’ll just flow. So, run some easy content or old dungeons to drill your routines. This reduces the “mental tax” and makes dual boxing more relaxing and fun, which is the ultimate goal.
Community resources: Quality of life also comes from learning from others. The multiboxing community, while smaller now, still exists (forums like dual-boxing.com have archives of knowledge; subreddits like r/wowmultiboxing or r/woweconomy sometimes discuss multiboxing gold strategies, etc.). Engaging with them can give you ideas for macros, addons, or techniques you hadn’t thought of. For example, creative use of the Communication aspect: you can set up in-game macros to control the other toon via /follow, /assist etc., but you can also do things like use the /targetexact or /cast [@party1target] type advanced macros to minimize needed keypresses.

In summary, taking advantage of addons like EMA, customizing your UI for dual view, and optimizing performance settings will significantly smooth out the rough edges of dual boxing. Blizzard’s policy means we can’t rely on one-click wonders; instead, we rely on clever configuration and tools within the rules. Dual boxing is definitely more work than playing one character, but these QoL improvements make it much more manageable – to the point where, after getting used to them, you might find it hard to play without at least some of these aids active because they handle so many nuisances for you.

With all the above guidance – from initial setup to advanced tips – you should be well-equipped to embark on dual boxing in World of Warcraft, whether in Retail or Classic versions. Dual boxing can be a highly rewarding playstyle, granting you self-sufficiency, efficiency, and a new challenge in a game you may already know well. Remember to start simple, perhaps just following and assisting, and gradually incorporate the more advanced techniques and tools as you become comfortable. Stay within Blizzard’s guidelines, and you’ll have no issues enjoying the game with your two characters. Good luck, and happy (dual) adventuring in Azeroth!

Master of Warcraft

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What is Dual Boxing and Why Do It?

Hardware and System Requirements for Running Two WoW Instances

Dual Boxing Manually (No Third-Party Software)

Step 1: Account Setup and Game Launch

Step 2: Graphics and Window Settings

Step 3: Character Configuration – Macros and Keybindings

Step 4: Window Management and Switching

Dual Boxing with Software Tools (ISBoxer, HotKeyNet, etc.)

Optimizing Dual Boxing for Different Activities

Leveling Two Characters Together

Farming Gold and Materials with Two Characters

Dual Boxing in PvP Scenarios

Two-Character Dungeons and Raids

Blizzard’s Policy on Multiboxing (Legal Considerations)

Tips for Quality of Life Improvements

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