Balatro on a Mac with a controller
The Balatro 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: Native on macOS through Steam, which lists full controller support, DualSense included. This layout is the mouse game from a pad, for a controller the game does not see or for players who like a free cursor.
Yes, Balatro runs natively on the Mac with full controller support, and a PS5 or Xbox pad that macOS sees usually works the first time. If you like the game's own scheme, keep it.
This layout makes the pad a mouse instead, for people who like dragging jokers into order by hand, or who play one-handed and want a pointer that goes exactly where they look. The left stick is slow and lands on a card. The right stick is fast and crosses the table.
On this page: 8 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Two pointer speeds. The left stick moves the pointer at 16. The right stick moves it left and right at 28.
- Click. The right trigger and the bottom face button are both the left mouse button, which selects cards and presses Play and Discard.
- Inspect. The left trigger is the right mouse button.
- Back. The right face button and Start are Escape.
Slow stick to land on a card, fast stick to cross the table.
Tune it to how you play
- Dragging jokers. A drag is a held click while the pointer moves. Hold the right trigger, steer with the slow stick, and let go over the new slot.
- Play and Discard without the pointer. If you have set keys for them in the game, put those keys on the bumpers, and a hand becomes select, select, bumper.
- Fast stick up and down. Add two rows for the right stick up and down at 28 if you want the fast pointer on both axes.
- A quieter pointer. Turn on Ramp-up on the slow stick's rows: a small push creeps, a held push travels. It makes landing on the edge of a card easy.
- One hand. Everything in Balatro is a click, so one stick and one trigger cover the whole game. Put the pointer and the click on the same half of the pad. The one-handed Mac guide has the rest.
If the game also sees your pad, use one or the other, so a press does not arrive twice. Ramp-up on the slow stick is what makes card edges easy to hit.
Balatro controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Balatro, 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 Balatro.
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 Balatro
When Balatro 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.
- Check the Steam Input setting for Balatro. In Steam, open Balatro, Properties, Controller, and change the Steam Input override. A controller that works in Steam but not in the game goes through each choice.
- Play it from keys. If Balatro still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Balatro 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 Balatro 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 Balatro 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.
Balatro controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Balatro'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 | Mouse motion left (speed 28) | Cursor left (fast) |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 28) | Cursor right (fast) |
| Right trigger | Left click | Select / play (left click) |
| Left trigger | Right click | Inspect (right click) |
| A / Cross | Left click | Click |
| B / Circle | Escape | Back (Esc) |
| 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
Can I play Balatro one-handed on a Mac?
Yes. Everything in it is a click, so one stick and one trigger cover the whole game. Put the pointer and the click on the same half of the pad, and see the one-handed Mac guide for the rest of the setup.
Does Balatro on Mac support controllers?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for the Mac version. This layout is the mouse game from a pad with two cursor speeds, and works with pads the game does not see.
Does Balatro have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Balatro, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Balatro better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Balatro, 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 Balatro on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Balatro still ignores it, change the game's Steam Input override in its Steam Properties, and if that does not help, activate the Balatro layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Balatro on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Balatro has a native Mac version, and its minimum requirements are listed on its Steam store page, so check your Mac against that list. I have not tested it on each Mac. The controller layout itself works the same on any Mac that runs InputConfig.
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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