Deadlock on a Mac with a controller
The Deadlock 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 plays on a Mac through a Windows PC you stream from, with Moonlight, Parsec, or Steam Link. Check the layout against Deadlock's key bindings before the first match: by default the abilities are 1 through 4, Shift dashes, Q is melee and F parries, so the rows labeled as abilities need their outputs changed.
Yes, Deadlock plays on a Mac with a controller, through a Windows PC you stream from, and this layout makes the keyboard and mouse the stream client sends. It is Valve's hero shooter MOBA, built for keyboard and mouse, so the ability rows need the game's keys first, as tune it explains. A MOBA on a stream is fine; a hero shooter on a stream is a handicap; Deadlock is both.
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 20 across and 14 up and down.
- Shoot. Primary fire on the right trigger (left click), secondary on the left (right click).
- Face buttons. Jump on the bottom (Space), crouch on the right (Ctrl), reload on the left (R). The top sends E, labeled ability 2.
- Shoulders. The left bumper sends Shift, labeled ability 1, and the right bumper Q, labeled ultimate.
- D-pad and menus. Comms wheel on up (C), melee on down (V). Scoreboard on Back (Tab), menu on Start (Escape).
By Deadlock's defaults, Shift dashes and Q is melee, so the two bumpers dash and melee as they stand. The abilities need 1 to 4 on free buttons before the first match.
Tune it
- Abilities 1 to 4. Set the top face button's output to 1, and add rows for 2, 3 and 4: both stick clicks are empty, and so are D-pad left and right.
- Keep the bumpers. They already dash and melee by the game's defaults, so leave them unless your binds differ.
- Shop. Put its key on a chord row, with a slow pointer chord for browsing it.
- Camera. Pointer speed on the preset's page scales all four camera rows together.
Four number keys on the right buttons make this a Deadlock layout.
Check that it works
- You: Start the stream with Moonlight, Parsec or Steam Link, then press Activate on this preset.
- InputConfig: Sends the keys and clicks in the table. The stream client carries them to the PC.
- Check: Push the left stick and you move. Press the top face button and the ability it now sends fires.
If the stick moves you and an ability fires, the layout is working.
Deadlock controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists no controller support for Deadlock, so it was made for a keyboard and mouse, and that is how it expects to be played. A controller still works: this layout sends the game's keys and mouse movement from the pad, so to the game you are simply typing and pointing. No controller support listed means the layout does the work, not the game.
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 Deadlock
When Deadlock 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 Deadlock, 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 Deadlock still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Deadlock already reads. The layout works whether or not Deadlock 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 Deadlock 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.
Deadlock controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Deadlock'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 | Primary fire |
| Left trigger | Right click | Secondary fire |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | Crouch |
| X / Square | R | Reload |
| Y / Triangle | E | Ability 2 (E) |
| LB / L1 | Shift (Left) | Ability 1 (Shift) |
| RB / R1 | Q | Ultimate (Q) |
| D-pad up | C | Comms wheel (C) |
| D-pad down | V | Melee (V) |
| Back / Share / Select | Tab | Scoreboard (Tab) |
| 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 Deadlock run on a Mac?
Deadlock does not run natively on a Mac. It plays through a Windows PC you stream from, with Moonlight, Parsec, or Steam Link. This layout sends the keyboard and mouse the game was built for, from a controller.
Does Deadlock have controller support?
Not by itself. Steam lists no controller support for Deadlock. A controller still works through a layout like this one, which sends the game's keys.
Is Deadlock better with a controller or a keyboard?
It was made for a keyboard and mouse: Steam lists no controller support for Deadlock. A controller still works through this layout, which sends the game's own keys and mouse movement.
Why is my controller not working in Deadlock on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Deadlock still ignores it, activate the Deadlock layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Deadlock on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Deadlock 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