Astroneer on a Mac with a controller
The Astroneer 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. It streams to a Mac through Xbox Cloud Gaming or a Windows PC you own. The stream normally passes a controller to the game's native scheme. This layout is for streams that do not see the pad.
Yes, Astroneer plays on a Mac with a controller, through Xbox Cloud Gaming in a browser or a stream from a Windows PC. Both normally pass your pad to the game, and this layout is for a stream that does not. Astroneer is a game about a terrain tool, so the layout is a terrain tool: use on the right trigger, gather on the left, flatten and deform on the D-pad.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. The left stick walks on W, A, S and D. The right stick moves the mouse at speed 16 across and 14 up and down.
- Terrain tool. The right trigger uses the terrain tool (left click), the left trigger gathers (right click).
- Tool modes. Flatten on D-pad up (Ctrl), deform on D-pad down (Option). Toggle the tool mode on the right face button (C), cycle the augment on the left (R).
- Move and use. Jump on the bottom face button (Space), interact on the top (E), sprint on the left stick click (Shift), use item on the right stick click (F).
- Menus. The backpack on Back (Tab), menu on Start (Escape).
The tool's modes are one press of the D-pad away, so shaping the ground never stops.
Tune it
- A slow pointer for the backpack. The backpack is a 3D thing you point at. Duplicate the four right-stick rows, set While also holding to a button on the copies, and give them a low speed.
- Camera. Pointer speed on the preset's page scales all four camera rows together.
A slower pointer behind one button is worth adding first.
If the game sees the pad
A stream normally passes your controller to the game's own scheme. Try that first with the preset off. Press Activate only if the game ignores the pad, and Deactivate if one press does two things.
Astroneer has two input paths here, so pick one before you land on a new planet.
Astroneer controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Astroneer, 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 Astroneer.
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 Astroneer
When Astroneer 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 Astroneer, 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 Astroneer still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Astroneer 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 Astroneer 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 Astroneer 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.
Astroneer controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Astroneer'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 | Move left (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Move right (D) |
| Left stick up | W | Move forward (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Move back (S) |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 16) | Look right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 16) | 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 | Use terrain tool |
| Left trigger | Right click | Gather / alternate |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump |
| B / Circle | C | Toggle tool mode (C) |
| X / Square | R | Cycle augment (R) |
| Y / Triangle | E | Interact (E) |
| Back / Share / Select | Tab | Backpack (Tab) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Menu (Esc) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Sprint (Shift) |
| R3 (right stick click) | F | Use item (F) |
| D-pad up | Ctrl (Left) | Flatten (Ctrl) |
| D-pad down | Alt / Option (Left) | Deform (Alt) |
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 Astroneer run on a Mac?
Astroneer does not run natively on a Mac. Xbox Cloud Gaming or a PC stream carries it, and either usually passes a controller through. This layout covers a stream that does not see the pad.
Does Astroneer have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Astroneer, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Astroneer better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Astroneer, 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 Astroneer on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Astroneer still ignores it, activate the Astroneer layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Astroneer on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Astroneer 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.
Updated