Age of Empires IV on a Mac with a controller
The Age of Empires IV layout is built into InputConfig, 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.
On a Mac: No Mac version. Xbox Cloud Gaming carries the Anniversary Edition (checked September 2026) and plays in a Mac browser, and it also streams from a Windows PC you own. Steam lists full controller support, so a stream that passes your pad can use the game's own scheme. This layout sends mouse and keyboard for streams that do not see the pad, or for anyone who wants the mouse game.
You can play Age of Empires IV on a Mac with a controller through Xbox Cloud Gaming in a browser, or a stream from a Windows PC you own. There is no Mac version. Steam lists full controller support, so a stream that passes your pad can use the game's own scheme.
This layout sends the mouse and keyboard to the stream client, for a stream that does not see the pad, or for anyone who wants the mouse game. Nobody plays an RTS on a controller for the ranked ladder. People do it because their hands cannot work a mouse for three hours, and for that a pointer on a stick, control groups on the face buttons and attack-move on the stick click is a complete game.
On this page: 8 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Pointer and camera. The left stick is the pointer, the right stick pans.
- Clicks. The right trigger selects. The left trigger moves and attacks (right click).
- Control groups. Groups 1, 2 and 3 on the face buttons, with the build menu (B) on the top.
- Zoom and menu. Zoom on the bumpers, Escape on Options.
Box select works: hold the trigger and drag the stick.
Tune it to how you play
- Set groups. Control plus a number sets a control group. Put it on a chord of the same face buttons.
- Attack-move. Put A on the left stick click.
- Idle villager and town center. Put Period and H on the D-pad.
- Age up and queues. Pointer work, at a slow speed behind a bumper.
If the stream sees your pad, use the game's own scheme and leave this preset off, so presses do not double. Age of Mythology Retold has its own layout. Setting groups on a chord is what makes control groups usable from a pad.
Age of Empires IV controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Age of Empires IV, so the game was made to be played on a controller, menus included. A keyboard and mouse work as well, and the choice is yours. On a Mac, use the game's own controller support first when it sees your pad; this layout is for a pad it does not see, or for buttons it will not let you move. Full support listed means the controller is a first-class way to play Age of Empires IV.
From Steam's listing, checked in October 2026. Every game's listing is in Mac games with controller support.
If your controller is not working in Age of Empires IV
When Age of Empires IV does not react to your controller on a Mac, climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Check that the Mac sees the controller. Open the gamepad tester and press a button. If nothing lights up there, the problem is the connection, and a controller that is connected but not working covers that first.
- Press a button after the stream has started. A stream only picks up a controller that is paired with the Mac, and a browser shows a controller to a page only after a button press. Start Age of Empires IV, then press any button. Streaming from your own PC has its own checks, in how to stream PC games to a Mac with a controller.
- Play it from keys. If Age of Empires IV still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Age of Empires IV already reads. Turn the game's own controller option off while it runs, or a press can arrive twice. The layout works whether or not Age of Empires IV ever sees the controller.
Get it in two clicks
- Get InputConfig free on the Mac App Store, open it, and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
- Search for Age of Empires IV and pick it. The layout is created as a preset in your sidebar, named and ready.
- Press Activate. Every row can be changed afterwards: the editor's Scan button rebinds any control the moment you touch it.
To check the controller itself first, the gamepad tester shows every button and stick live in your browser.
Age of Empires IV controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Age of Empires IV's default keyboard and mouse controls, as this layout expects them. If you changed a key in the game's settings, change the same row in InputConfig.
| Controller | Sends | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Left stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 16) | Cursor left |
| Left stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 16) | Cursor right |
| Left stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 16) | Cursor up |
| Left stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 16) | Cursor down |
| Right stick left | Left | Pan left |
| Right stick right | Right | Pan right |
| Right stick up | Up | Pan up |
| Right stick down | Down | Pan down |
| Right trigger | Left click | Select (left click) |
| Left trigger | Right click | Move / attack (right click) |
| A / Cross | 1 | Control group 1 |
| B / Circle | 2 | Control group 2 |
| X / Square | 3 | Control group 3 |
| Y / Triangle | B | Build menu (B) |
| LB / L1 | Scroll down | Zoom out |
| RB / R1 | Scroll up | Zoom in |
| Start / Options | Escape | Menu (Esc) |
Button names follow the Xbox / PlayStation pair shown in the editor, so A / Cross is the bottom face button on either pad. On a Switch Pro Controller the bottom button is labeled B; the mapping still fires on position.
Questions
Does Age of Empires 4 have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for the Anniversary Edition, and Xbox Cloud Gaming streams it to a Mac browser. When the stream passes your pad, use the game's own scheme. This layout is for a stream that does not see the pad, or for anyone who would rather move a pointer like the mouse game.
Does Age of Empires IV run on a Mac?
Age of Empires IV does not run natively on a Mac. Stream it from a cloud service or a PC you own. This layout works on the Mac side.
Does Age of Empires IV have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Age of Empires IV, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Age of Empires IV better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Age of Empires IV, so it was made to be played on a controller, and a keyboard and mouse work as well.
Why is my controller not working in Age of Empires IV on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Age of Empires IV still ignores it, activate the Age of Empires IV layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Age of Empires IV on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Age of Empires IV runs on the other end, on a cloud service or your own PC, so the Mac only plays the video and sends your input. An M1 MacBook Air streams it like any other Mac.
Does Age of Empires IV run in CrossOver on a Mac?
I have not tested Age of Empires IV in CrossOver. CodeWeavers keeps a compatibility list where players report how each Windows game runs. If it runs and the controller is not seen, this layout plays it from the keys and mouse.
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.
Updated