Dead by Daylight on a Mac with a controller
The Dead by Daylight 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 GeForce NOW or from a Windows PC you own, and the stream normally passes a controller to the game's own scheme.
Yes, Dead by Daylight plays on a Mac with a controller, as a stream. When the stream misses your pad, this layout handles skill checks, items, crouch and sprint. Dead by Daylight is holding a button on a generator and hitting a skill check, and the layout keeps those on two thumb buttons that never move: hold the bottom one, tap the left one.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. The left stick moves, the right stick looks, and the left stick click is sprint.
- Repair and escape. Interact and pick up (left click, held) are the bottom face button. Action, vault and the skill check (Space) are the left face button, and the left trigger sends Space too.
- Item and abilities. The right trigger uses the item and Active Ability 1 (right click). Active Ability 2 (F) is the right bumper, the secondary ability (E) the left bumper, and the event ability (Q) the top face button.
- Body. Crouch (Ctrl) is the right face button. Create drops the item (R).
- Talk to your team. D-pad up points (1) and down says follow me (2). Escape is on Options.
Hold the bottom button to repair and tap the left one for the skill check, and leave both where they are.
Tune it
- Killer. The attack is left click, on the bottom face button here, and most powers are right click, on the right trigger. To attack from a trigger, change the right trigger row's output to Left Click and the left trigger row's output to Right Click, and keep that as a second preset for killer.
- Look. Survivors want a fast 360. Try the Aggressive curve.
- Emotes. On a chord, for the teabag you will regret.
Keep a second preset for killer, with attack on a trigger.
If the stream passes your controller
When GeForce NOW or your PC stream hands the game your pad, use the game's own scheme. Turn the preset off for that session, or every skill check gets pressed twice. Tap through a skill check with the preset off first, and if it lands, you do not need the layout.
Dead by Daylight controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Dead by Daylight, 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 Dead by Daylight.
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 Dead by Daylight
When Dead by Daylight 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 Dead by Daylight, 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 Dead by Daylight still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Dead by Daylight 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 Dead by Daylight 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 Dead by Daylight 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.
Dead by Daylight controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Dead by Daylight'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 up | W | Move forward (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Move back (S) |
| Left stick left | A | Move left (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Move right (D) |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 16) | Look right (mouse) |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 16) | Look left (mouse) |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 16) | Look down (mouse) |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 16) | Look up (mouse) |
| A / Cross | Left click | Interact / pick up, hold (Left Click) |
| X / Square | Space | Action / vault / skill check (Space) |
| Right trigger | Right click | Use item / Active Ability 1 (Right Click) |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | Crouch (Ctrl) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Run / sprint (Shift) |
| LB / L1 | E | Ability / equip secondary (E) |
| RB / R1 | F | Active Ability 2 (F) |
| Y / Triangle | Q | Event ability (Q) |
| Back / Share / Select | R | Drop item (R) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Point at (1) |
| D-pad down | 2 | Follow me (2) |
| Left trigger | Space | Skill-check / secondary action mirror (Space) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Pause / 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 Dead by Daylight run on a Mac?
Dead by Daylight does not run natively on a Mac. GeForce NOW streams it with a controller passed through. This layout covers streams that do not see the pad.
Does Dead by Daylight have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Dead by Daylight, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Dead by Daylight better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Dead by Daylight, 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 Dead by Daylight on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Dead by Daylight still ignores it, activate the Dead by Daylight layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Dead by Daylight on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Dead by Daylight 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 Dead by Daylight run in CrossOver on a Mac?
I have not tested Dead by Daylight 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.
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