DualSense touchpad as a mouse on a Mac
InputConfig is completely free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
InputConfig turns the DualSense, DualSense Edge or DualShock 4 touchpad into a Mac trackpad. Activate the built-in Touchpad Mouse preset and one finger moves the pointer, a second finger scrolls, a tap clicks and a two-finger tap right-clicks. macOS lets apps read the pad's two fingers, but nothing on the Mac turns it into a pointer, so out of the box it does nothing. It works over Bluetooth and over USB. If the pad does nothing, the ladder starts with the Live Visualizer.
On this page: 9 sections
Steps
- Add a row and set the input type to Touchpad.
- Pick Finger 1 or Finger 2, the axis, and the direction: X plus is a swipe right, Y minus a swipe up.
- Set the output, usually Mouse Motion in the matching direction. Four rows make a full pointer. The Touchpad Mouse preset is the complete example, and the Smart Preset Maker can add the same rows to any layout.
Set it up in a minute
- Pair the controller with the Mac (PS5 or PS4), or plug it in.
- Open InputConfig, pick the Touchpad Mouse preset in the sidebar, and press Activate.
- Slide one finger to move the pointer and put a second finger down to scroll. Tap or press the pad to click; tap with two fingers to right-click. Cross clicks and Circle right-clicks too.
If the pointer is too fast or too slow, change Speed on the four finger 1 rows. Touchpad Mouse is the whole setup; everything else is tuning.
Press, tap, double tap and two-finger tap
Pressing the pad down is button 13. A one-finger tap, a two-finger tap and a double tap are Touchpad Gesture inputs. A click is never counted as a tap, so all of them can live in one preset: swipe to move, tap or press to click, two fingers for a right click. Scan asks which one you meant. Press and tap are separate inputs, so each can do its own job.
Build it by hand
The Touchpad Mouse preset is the complete example, and the Smart Preset Maker can add the same rows to any layout. To build it yourself, add a row with the input type Touchpad, pick Finger 1 or Finger 2, the axis and the direction, and give it Mouse Motion in the matching direction. X plus is a swipe right and Y minus a swipe up. For a scroll wheel only, bind finger 1 Y plus and minus to Mouse Wheel and leave X unbound. Four finger 1 rows make a full pointer.
If the pad does nothing
Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Watch the touchpad live. Open the Live Visualizer and pick the Touchpad template: each finger shows on the pad as you move it.
- Reconnect the controller. If nothing moves there, the Mac is not getting touch data from it.
- Check the preset is active. Touchpad Mouse, or your own preset with touchpad rows.
- Check which controller is read. With two PlayStation pads, only the first input device with touchpad rows is read.
If the Live Visualizer shows your finger, the rest is the preset.
Why it does nothing on a Mac by default
A lot of articles say macOS only sees the touchpad click and that swipes never register. The Mac does pass the finger positions to any app that asks; what is missing is something that uses them. macOS does not make the pad a pointer, and a game only reacts to swipes if its developer wrote for them, which almost no Mac game did. If you only want it in one Steam game, look in that game's controller settings in Steam first. A pad that clicks but never moves the pointer is not broken; nothing is reading the fingers yet.
What it cannot do
A preset reads one PlayStation touchpad: the touchpad of the first input device that has touchpad rows and whose controller has one. Touchpad rows in a second PlayStation pad's device stay quiet, so the second player's touchpad does nothing in that preset. A Steam Controller's trackpads are read on their own, so a DualSense and a Steam Controller both work in one preset; see Steam Controller. Xbox controllers have no touchpad. One PlayStation touchpad per preset.
The short version
- Activate Touchpad Mouse. One finger points, two scroll, a tap clicks.
- Tune the speed. Speed on the four finger 1 rows.
The touchpad you already own makes a decent trackpad.
Questions
Two controllers with touchpads: which one is read?
One PlayStation touchpad per preset: the touchpad of the first input device that has touchpad rows and whose controller has one (a DualSense or DualShock 4). Touchpad rows in a second PlayStation pad's device stay quiet, so the second player's touchpad does nothing in that preset. A Steam Controller's trackpads are read on their own, so a DualSense and a Steam Controller both work in one preset.
Can the pad be a scroll wheel only?
Bind finger 1 Y plus and minus to Mouse Wheel and leave X unbound.
Does the Xbox controller have a touchpad?
No. The Steam Controller's two trackpads are on its own page.
Why does the DualSense touchpad do nothing on my Mac?
macOS does not turn it into a pointer, and most Mac games and apps ignore it. InputConfig reads each finger and maps it: activate the built-in Touchpad Mouse preset and the pad moves the pointer.
Does the touchpad work over Bluetooth?
InputConfig reads the touchpad over Bluetooth and over USB, on the DualSense, DualSense Edge, and DualShock 4.
How can I see the touchpad working on my Mac?
Open the Live Visualizer and pick the Touchpad template: each finger shows on the pad as you move it. If nothing moves there, the Mac is not getting touch data from the controller, so reconnect it.
Related
Completely free. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon. Open source on GitHub.
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