Don't Starve Together on a Mac with a controller
The Don't Starve Together 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. Use that first. This layout is the mouse game from a pad, for a controller the game does not see or for players who want to point.
Yes, Don't Starve Together runs natively on the Mac with full controller support, and Klei's scheme picks targets for you. That is great on a sofa and frustrating when you meant the sapling, not the berry bush next to it.
This layout is the mouse version from a pad, for people who want to point at exactly what they mean, and for controllers the game never lists. Movement stays on the left stick, and the right stick becomes a cursor.
On this page: 8 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Walk and point. The left stick walks (W, A, S and D). The right stick moves the cursor at 16.
- Act and inspect. The right trigger is the left mouse button, the do-everything action on whatever the cursor is over. The left trigger is the right mouse button, which inspects and runs the secondary action.
- Face buttons. The bottom one sends Space and the right one sends F. In the game's default keyboard controls, Space is the action key, which picks up and harvests whatever is nearest, and F attacks.
- Inventory and menu. The D-pad is inventory slots 1 to 4. Start opens the menu.
The labels the app shows on those two face-button rows have them the other way round. The keys are what count. If you would rather attack with the big button, Scan the two rows the other way. The trigger acts on exactly what the cursor is over, so nothing gets picked for you.
Tune it to how you play
- More slots. Put 5 to 8 on the D-pad behind a chord: four more rows with While holding set to the left bumper.
- Force attack. Control with F attacks anything, including followers. Put it on a chord so it never happens by accident.
- Map. Put Tab on Back or the touchpad press.
- Crafting. The crafting menu is all cursor work. Turn on Ramp-up on the cursor rows so small pushes land on small icons.
If the game sees your pad and you would rather have its auto-targeting, turn the preset off, so a press does not arrive twice. Ramp-up on the cursor rows makes the crafting menu easy.
Don't Starve Together controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Don't Starve Together, 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 Don't Starve Together.
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 Don't Starve Together
When Don't Starve Together 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 Don't Starve Together. In Steam, open Don't Starve Together, 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 Don't Starve Together still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Don't Starve Together 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 Don't Starve Together 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 Don't Starve Together 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.
Don't Starve Together controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Don't Starve Together'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 up (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Move down (S) |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 16) | Cursor right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 16) | Cursor left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 16) | Cursor down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 16) | Cursor up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Action / gather (left click) |
| Left trigger | Right click | Inspect (right click) |
| A / Cross | Space | Attack (Space) |
| B / Circle | F | Examine (F) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Inventory 1 |
| D-pad left | 2 | Inventory 2 |
| D-pad right | 3 | Inventory 3 |
| D-pad down | 4 | Inventory 4 |
| 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
Why does Don't Starve Together pick the wrong thing with a controller?
Its own controller scheme targets whatever is nearest. This layout plays the mouse version instead, where the right stick moves a cursor and the right trigger acts on whatever is under it.
Does Don't Starve Together on Mac support controllers?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for the Mac version, with auto-targeting. This layout is the mouse game from a pad instead, and works with pads the game does not see.
Does Don't Starve Together have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Don't Starve Together, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Don't Starve Together better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Don't Starve Together, 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 Don't Starve Together on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Don't Starve Together still ignores it, change the game's Steam Input override in its Steam Properties, and if that does not help, activate the Don't Starve Together layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Don't Starve Together on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Don't Starve Together 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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