Factorio on a Mac with a controller
The Factorio 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 with a built-in controller mode since 1.1. This layout is the mouse-and-keyboard Factorio from a pad, for people who want a free cursor, and for controllers the game does not see.
Yes, Factorio runs natively on the Mac with its own controller mode, built in since 1.1, and it works. It is also a different game from the mouse version, with a cursor that snaps to entities and a different rhythm to placing belts. Some people love it.
This layout is for people with three thousand hours of mouse habits who want them on a pad, and for pads the game never sees: a free cursor on the right stick, mine, place, rotate and the toolbar.
On this page: 9 sections
- The layout, control by control
- How the layout thinks
- Tune it to how you build
- If you would rather use the game's controller mode
- Factorio controller support: controller or keyboard
- If your controller is not working in Factorio
- Get it in two clicks
- Factorio controls: every button and the key it sends
- Questions
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Walk and point. The left stick walks. The right stick is the mouse, so it moves the cursor over the world.
- Clicks. The right trigger is left click (mine, place, press a button). The left trigger is right click (pick up, interact, set a filter).
- Face buttons. E on the bottom opens whatever is under the cursor, or your inventory. R on the right rotates, Q on the left clears the cursor or picks the item under it, and F on the top toggles the filter.
- Toolbar and menus. The D-pad is toolbar 1 to 4. T for the tech tree on Create, M for the map on Home, Escape on Options.
Rotate is under the thumb, because you press it on nearly every belt.
Tune it to how you build
- More toolbar. Put slots 5 to 8 on D-pad rows with While holding set to L1. The bumpers on Scroll up and Scroll down step the toolbar row.
- Drag placing. Belts and poles place along a drag: hold the trigger and walk, and the game does the rest. Set the right trigger row to Toggles on and off for long belt runs.
- Slow cursor for inserters. Put a half-speed cursor behind a held bumper. Factory building is precise, and a stick at 16 misses by a tile.
- Blueprints. Put Alt B and the library on the touchpad press. Copy and paste (Command C, Command V) go on the stick clicks, and paste-drag works with the trigger held.
- Alt mode. Alt shows the contents overlay. Put it on a spare button set to Toggles on and off.
The slow cursor layer is what makes inserter placement possible with a stick.
If you would rather use the game's controller mode
Use it for exploring and menus, and this layout for mouse habits. You can switch by deactivating the preset. Run one at a time, so a press does one thing.
Both work on a Mac, so pick the one that matches your hands.
Factorio controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists partial controller support for Factorio: 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 Factorio
When Factorio 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.
- Play it from keys. If Factorio still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Factorio 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 Factorio 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 Factorio 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.
Factorio controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Factorio'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 | Mine / place (left click) |
| Left trigger | Right click | Pick up / interact (right click) |
| A / Cross | E | Open / inventory (E) |
| B / Circle | R | Rotate (R) |
| X / Square | Q | Clear cursor / pick (Q) |
| Y / Triangle | F | Toggle filter (F) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Toolbar 1 |
| D-pad left | 2 | Toolbar 2 |
| D-pad right | 3 | Toolbar 3 |
| D-pad down | 4 | Toolbar 4 |
| Back / Share / Select | T | Tech tree (T) |
| Home / PS / Guide | M | Map (M) |
| 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 Factorio have controller support on Mac?
Yes, a full mode since 1.1, with a snapping cursor. This layout is the mouse game from a pad instead, with a free cursor on the right stick.
Which is better, the controller mode or this layout?
The game's mode for exploring and menus. The mouse layout for people with mouse habits. Both work on a Mac, and you can switch by deactivating the preset.
Does Factorio have controller support?
Partly. Steam lists partial controller support for Factorio: it plays on a controller, but some screens still expect a keyboard or mouse.
Is Factorio better with a controller or a keyboard?
A controller works for most of it. Steam lists partial controller support for Factorio, 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 Factorio on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Factorio still ignores it, activate the Factorio layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Factorio on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Factorio 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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