Conan Exiles on a Mac with a controller
The Conan Exiles 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 from 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, Conan Exiles plays on a Mac with a controller, streamed from a Windows PC you own. Steam lists full controller support, so a stream that passes the pad needs nothing else. This layout covers the stream that misses it: the right trigger attacks and gathers, the left blocks or aims, and three hotbar slots sit 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 18 across and 12 up and down.
- Fight and gather. The right trigger attacks and gathers (left click). The left trigger aims or blocks (right click).
- Face buttons. Jump on the bottom (Space), crouch on the right (C), reload on the left (R), use on the top (E).
- Shoulders. The thrall whistle on the right bumper (F). The left bumper repeats reload (R).
- Hotbar and menus. Hotbar 1 to 3 on D-pad up, left and right. Sprint on the left stick click (Shift), inventory on Back (I), menu on Start (Escape).
The crafting menus are pointer work, and the right stick is the pointer.
Tune it
- Hotbar 4. D-pad down is empty, so slot 4 goes there.
- A spare bumper. The left bumper sends the same R as the left face button, so it is free for another key.
- Kick. The right stick click is empty too. Its key fits there.
Three controls are spare before you change anything else.
If the game sees the pad
A stream normally passes your controller to Conan Exiles' own scheme. Try it with the preset off first, and press Activate only if the game ignores the pad. If a jump also crouches, both are running: press Deactivate.
Let the stream pass the pad when it can, and keep this layout for when it cannot.
Conan Exiles controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Conan Exiles, 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 Conan Exiles.
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 Conan Exiles
When Conan Exiles 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 Conan Exiles, 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 Conan Exiles still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Conan Exiles 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 Conan Exiles 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 Conan Exiles 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.
Conan Exiles controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Conan Exiles'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 18) | Look right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 18) | Look left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 12) | Look down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 12) | Look up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Attack / gather |
| Left trigger | Right click | Aim / alt |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump |
| B / Circle | C | Crouch (C) |
| X / Square | R | Reload |
| Y / Triangle | E | Use / access (E) |
| LB / L1 | R | Reload |
| RB / R1 | F | Whistle / use (F) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Sprint (Shift) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Hotbar 1 |
| D-pad left | 2 | Hotbar 2 |
| D-pad right | 3 | Hotbar 3 |
| Back / Share / Select | I | Inventory (I) |
| 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 Conan Exiles run on a Mac?
Conan Exiles does not run natively on a Mac. It streams from a Windows PC you own, and the stream usually passes a controller through. This layout plays it from a pad the stream does not see.
Does Conan Exiles have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Conan Exiles, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Conan Exiles better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Conan Exiles, 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 Conan Exiles on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Conan Exiles still ignores it, activate the Conan Exiles layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Conan Exiles on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Conan Exiles 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