DOOM Eternal on a Mac with a controller
The DOOM Eternal 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 or a cloud service that carries it, which normally passes a controller to the game's native scheme. This layout is the keyboard-and-mouse DOOM sent from a pad, for streams that ignore the controller.
You can play DOOM Eternal on a Mac with a controller through a stream, from your own Windows PC or a cloud service that carries it, and the native scheme is the one to use when the stream hands your pad to the game, which it usually does. This layout is the keyboard game from a controller, for streams that ignore the pad and for keyboard players who want the quick-swap rhythm on a pad.
It holds up well, because DOOM's keyboard binds were designed for people who never take their hands off WASD.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. W, A, S and D on the left stick, mouse look on the right.
- Shoot. Fire on the right trigger, weapon mod on the left.
- Dash. Shift on the left stick click, where your thumb is when you need it.
- Face buttons. Jump, the equipment launcher (Ctrl, for grenades and the ice bomb), glory kill and melee (E), and switch equipment (G).
- Bumpers. Flame belch (R) on the left, the Crucible (V) on the right.
- Weapons. Weapons 1 to 4 on the D-pad. Escape on Options.
Quick swapping is the point of this layout. On a keyboard, weapons are number keys and good players swap after every shot. Four weapons are on the D-pad, and the rest are a chord away.
Tune it to how you play
- All eight weapons. Add D-pad rows with While holding set to L1 for 5 to 8: ballista, chaingun, rocket launcher and the BFG on a hold and a tap.
- Last weapon. Q swaps to the previous weapon, and it is the single most useful bind in the game. Put it on the right stick click.
- Chainsaw. Put C on the touchpad press.
- Blood punch. It is F. Give the melee row a double-tap action that sends F, so a tap is a glory kill and a double tap is the punch.
- Look. DOOM wants fast turns: the Aggressive curve, more speed, and a small Deadzone from Adjust live. This is the one shooter where I would leave Aggressive on even over a stream.
Last weapon on the right stick click is the bind I would add first.
If the stream already sees your pad
Use the native scheme and turn this preset off. With the layout the game loses aim assist and its own button glyphs, and gains number-key weapon swapping, which is faster than the weapon wheel. Running both sends every press twice. DOOM (2016) streams the same way and has its own layout.
The choice comes down to aim assist or quick swaps.
DOOM Eternal controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists partial controller support for DOOM Eternal: it plays on a controller, but some parts, such as a launcher, text entry or a menu, still expect a keyboard or a mouse. This layout sends keys and mouse movement from the pad, which can cover the parts the game's own support leaves out. With partial support, a layout fills the gaps the game leaves.
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 DOOM Eternal
When DOOM Eternal 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 DOOM Eternal, 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 DOOM Eternal still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls DOOM Eternal 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 DOOM Eternal 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 DOOM Eternal 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.
DOOM Eternal controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is DOOM Eternal'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 22) | Look right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 22) | Look left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 16) | Look down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 16) | Look up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Fire |
| Left trigger | Right click | Weapon mod / alt fire |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | Equipment launcher / throw (Ctrl) |
| X / Square | E | Glory kill / melee (E) |
| Y / Triangle | G | Switch equipment (G) |
| LB / L1 | R | Flame belch (R) |
| RB / R1 | V | Crucible (V) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Dash (Shift) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Weapon 1 |
| D-pad left | 2 | Weapon 2 |
| D-pad right | 3 | Weapon 3 |
| D-pad down | 4 | Weapon 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
Does DOOM Eternal run on a Mac?
DOOM Eternal does not run natively on a Mac. A cloud service that carries it, or a stream from your own Windows PC, usually passes a controller straight through. This layout is for when it does not.
Does the keyboard layout lose anything?
Aim assist and the game's own glyphs. It gains number-key weapon swapping, which is faster than the weapon wheel.
Does DOOM Eternal have controller support?
Partly. Steam lists partial controller support for DOOM Eternal: it plays on a controller, but some screens still expect a keyboard or mouse.
Is DOOM Eternal better with a controller or a keyboard?
A controller works for most of it. Steam lists partial controller support for DOOM Eternal, so some screens still expect a keyboard or a mouse, and a layout like this one can put those on the pad.
Why is my controller not working in DOOM Eternal on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and DOOM Eternal still ignores it, activate the DOOM Eternal layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play DOOM Eternal on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. DOOM Eternal 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 DOOM Eternal run in CrossOver on a Mac?
I have not tested DOOM Eternal 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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