Kerbal Space Program on a Mac with a controller
The Kerbal Space Program 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: On Steam for Mac as an Intel app, which runs on Apple silicon through Rosetta 2. KSP has joystick support of its own that is fiddly to set up. This layout sends the keyboard flight keys, which always work.
Yes, you can fly Kerbal Space Program on a Mac from a controller, and this layout is the simplest way. Kerbal has joystick support that has confused people for a decade, and most of them give up and fly with the keyboard. This is the keyboard flight from a pad: pitch and roll on one stick, yaw and throttle on the other, staging on the big button. It is digital, like the keys, so a small push is a full deflection, and the tuning is about making that gentle.
On this page: 9 sections
- The layout, control by control
- How the layout thinks
- Tune it for orbit
- The keyboard keys this layout sends
- Kerbal Space Program controller support: controller or keyboard
- If your controller is not working in Kerbal Space Program
- Get it in two clicks
- Kerbal Space Program controls: every button and the key it sends
- Questions
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Attitude. The left stick pitches (W and S) and rolls (Q and E). The right stick yaws (A and D).
- Throttle. The right stick's up and down raise and lower it (Shift and Ctrl). The left bumper cuts it (X) and the right bumper sets it full (Z).
- Systems. Stage on the bottom face button, RCS (R) on the right, SAS (T) on the left, and landing gear (G) on the top. The left stick click fires action group 1.
- Parts and camera. The left trigger is left click, to interact, and the right trigger right click, for part actions and dragging the camera.
- Time and views. D-pad right and left step time warp up and down. Options opens the map (M) and Back the pause menu.
Stage is the big button, which is exactly where you want it at launch.
Tune it for orbit
- Fine controls. Caps Lock switches KSP's fine control mode, which makes the digital keys gentle. Bind it to the touchpad press and leave it on for docking.
- Deadzone. Raise the Deadzone on the four attitude rows, so a resting stick does not keep the SAS fighting.
- Action groups. Add 2 to 9 as chords on the D-pad and face buttons.
- Quicksave. F5 saves and F9, held, loads. The right stick click is free for F5. Revert to launch is a menu. The map key gets you there.
Fine control on one button turns the digital keys into something you can dock with.
The keyboard keys this layout sends
KSP's default flight keys are the same on a Mac keyboard:
- Attitude. Pitch W and S, yaw A and D, roll Q and E.
- Throttle. Up and down Shift and Control, full Z, cut X.
- Systems. Stage Space, SAS T, RCS R, landing gear G, brakes B, lights U.
- Views and time. Map view M. Time warp is period to speed up and comma to slow down.
- Extras. Fine controls Caps Lock, action groups 1 to 0, abort Backspace, quicksave F5, quickload hold F9.
On a MacBook the F keys need the fn key unless they are set as standard function keys in System Settings. A controller row that sends F5 sends the key itself, so fn does not come into it. The keyboard keys need no setup in the game, which is why I fly KSP this way.
Kerbal Space Program controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists partial controller support for Kerbal Space Program: 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 Kerbal Space Program
When Kerbal Space Program 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 Kerbal Space Program still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Kerbal Space Program already reads. The layout works whether or not Kerbal Space Program 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 Kerbal Space Program 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.
Kerbal Space Program controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Kerbal Space Program'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 | Q | Left stick left: roll left (Q) |
| Left stick right | E | Left stick right: roll right (E) |
| Left stick up | W | Left stick up: pitch down / nose down (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Left stick down: pitch up / nose up (S) |
| Right stick left | A | Right stick left: yaw left (A) |
| Right stick right | D | Right stick right: yaw right (D) |
| Right stick up | Shift (Left) | Right stick up: throttle up (Shift) |
| Right stick down | Ctrl (Left) | Right stick down: throttle down (Ctrl) |
| A / Cross | Space | A: stage / launch (Space) |
| B / Circle | R | B: toggle RCS (R) |
| X / Square | T | X: toggle SAS (T) |
| Y / Triangle | G | Y: toggle landing gear (G) |
| LB / L1 | X | LB: cut throttle (X) |
| RB / R1 | Z | RB: full throttle (Z) |
| Right trigger | Right click | Right trigger: right-click (part action / camera drag) |
| Left trigger | Left click | Left trigger: left click (interact) |
| Start / Options | M | Start: toggle map view (M) |
| Back / Share / Select | Escape | Back: pause menu (Esc) |
| D-pad right | . | D-pad right: increase time warp (Period/.) |
| D-pad left | , | D-pad left: decrease time warp (Comma/,) |
| L3 (left stick click) | 1 | L3: action group 1 (1) |
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 Kerbal support controllers natively?
It has joystick support that many people find hard to configure. This layout sends the keyboard keys instead, which need no setup, and KSP's fine control mode makes them gentle.
What about KSP 2?
It has no Mac version, so on a Mac it would be a stream from a PC you own. There is no separate KSP 2 layout in the Smart Preset Maker.
Does Kerbal Space Program have controller support?
Partly. Steam lists partial controller support for Kerbal Space Program: it plays on a controller, but some screens still expect a keyboard or mouse.
Is Kerbal Space Program better with a controller or a keyboard?
A controller works for most of it. Steam lists partial controller support for Kerbal Space Program, 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 Kerbal Space Program on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Kerbal Space Program still ignores it, activate the Kerbal Space Program layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
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