Apex Legends on a Mac with a controller
The Apex Legends 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. GeForce NOW streams it and normally passes a controller straight to the game, which has full native support with aim assist. This layout is for browsers that do not see your pad, and for the keyboard-and-mouse movement on a controller.
Yes, you can play Apex Legends on a Mac with a controller, through a stream, because there is no Mac version. GeForce NOW passes the controller to the game in nearly every case, and the game's own scheme, with aim assist, is the better setup when your pad shows up. Use that.
This layout is for two cases: Safari and a Bluetooth pad that do not get along, so the stream sees nothing; and players who want the keyboard movement, tap-strafes and wall-bounce timings, from a controller. It is the keyboard and mouse game sent from a pad.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. W, A, S and D on the left stick, the mouse on the right.
- Shoot. Fire on the right trigger, aim on the left.
- Sprint. The left stick click, held, because Apex is a running game and your thumb is already there.
- Face buttons. Jump, crouch, reload and interact. Crouch is on the right button, where the console scheme puts it, so a slide is a thumb flick from the stick.
- Abilities. Tactical (Q) on the left bumper and ultimate (Z) on the right, so both are fingers, not thumbs, and you can fire them mid-aim.
- Weapons and menus. The D-pad is weapons 1 and 2 on up and left, the grenade on right and melee on down. Tab for the inventory on Create, Escape on Options, and the map (M) on the Home button, which works because the map is the one thing you press while nothing else is happening.
Both abilities are on fingers, so you never take a thumb off the aim to use them.
Tune it to how you play
- Tap-strafing. It exists on keyboard because W can be spammed during a turn. Put W on a spare button set to Repeats while held at a high rate (the touchpad press is free) and hold it while you flick the right stick. This is exactly what the controller scheme cannot do.
- Slide jump and superglide. A macro row: hold the crouch key, wait 30 ms, press Space. Put it on a chord so it does not fire when you only want to crouch.
- Ping. It is the mouse wheel click, or F1 for the enemy ping. Bind the right stick click to Middle click and you ping with the stick you aim with.
- Heals. The heal wheel is a held key and the mouse. Bind the direct heal keys to face buttons behind a chord instead. 4, shield cells, is the one you want most.
- Look curve. Streams punish overshoot. Use the Smooth curve, a higher speed, and a small Deadzone from Adjust live.
A repeating W held through a right-stick turn is the tap-strafe, and it is the reason some players want this layout.
If the stream already sees your pad
Use the game's own scheme. With this layout the game receives keyboard and mouse input and treats you as a mouse player, so there is no aim assist. InputConfig also does not hide the controller, so with the preset on, a stream that reads the pad gets every press twice.
Native scheme for aim assist, this layout for keyboard movement: pick one per session.
Apex Legends controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Apex Legends, 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 Apex Legends.
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 Apex Legends
When Apex Legends 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 Apex Legends, then press any button.
- Play it from keys. If Apex Legends still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Apex Legends 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 Apex Legends 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 Apex Legends 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.
Apex Legends controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Apex Legends'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 | A | Strafe left (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Strafe right (D) |
| Left stick up | W | Move forward (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Move back (S) |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 20) | Look right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 20) | Look left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 14) | Look down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 14) | Look up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Fire |
| Left trigger | Right click | Aim down sights |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump |
| B / Circle | C | Crouch (C) |
| X / Square | R | Reload |
| Y / Triangle | E | Interact / use (E) |
| LB / L1 | Q | Tactical ability (Q) |
| RB / R1 | Z | Ultimate ability (Z) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Sprint (hold) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Weapon 1 |
| D-pad left | 2 | Weapon 2 |
| D-pad right | G | Grenade (G) |
| D-pad down | V | Melee (V) |
| Back / Share / Select | Tab | Inventory (Tab) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Menu (Esc) |
| Home / PS / Guide | M | Map (M) |
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 Apex Legends run on a Mac?
Apex Legends does not run natively on a Mac. GeForce NOW streams it, and the stream usually sees a controller directly. This layout is for when it does not, and for keyboard-style movement from a pad.
Do I get aim assist with this?
No. The game receives keyboard and mouse input and treats you as a mouse player. That is the trade for the keyboard movement tricks. If you want aim assist, let the stream see the pad and use the game's scheme.
Can I tap-strafe with a controller on Mac?
Yes, that is one of the main reasons for this layout: a W key set to Repeats while held, held during a right-stick turn, does the keyboard tap-strafe.
Does Apex Legends have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Apex Legends, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Apex Legends better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Apex Legends, 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 Apex Legends on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Apex Legends still ignores it, activate the Apex Legends layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Apex Legends on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Apex Legends 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.
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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