Mass Effect Legendary Edition on a Mac with a controller
The Mass Effect Legendary Edition 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. Xbox Cloud Gaming carries it in its US library (checked September 2026) and plays in a browser on the Mac. It also streams from a Windows PC you own. Both normally pass a controller to the game's own scheme. This layout is for streams that do not see the pad.
Yes, Mass Effect Legendary Edition plays on a Mac with a controller, through Xbox Cloud Gaming in a browser or a stream from a Windows PC. This layout is for a stream that misses your pad, and it covers all three games, because BioWare kept the scheme: aim on the left trigger, fire on the right, cover on the big button. The power wheel pauses the game, which is where a stream's latency stops mattering.
On this page: 9 sections
- The layout, control by control
- How the layout thinks
- Tune it
- If the game sees the pad
- Mass Effect Legendary Edition controller support: controller or keyboard
- If your controller is not working in Mass Effect Legendary Edition
- Get it in two clicks
- Mass Effect Legendary Edition controls: every button and the key it sends
- Questions
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and aim. The left stick walks on W, A, S and D. The right stick aims with the mouse at speed 16.
- Shoot. The right trigger fires and the left trigger aims down sights. Reload on the left face button (R).
- Cover and climb. Cover, vault and roll on the bottom face button (Space), climb and vault on the right (Ctrl).
- Powers. Skill 1 on the left bumper (Q), skill 2 on the right (E).
- Weapons. Primary on D-pad left (1), secondary on right (2), sidearm on down (3), and the top face button sends 4. A grenade on D-pad up (G).
- The rest. Sprint on the left stick click (Shift), a consumable on the right stick click (V), menu on Start (Escape).
Cover is the big button, because the whole trilogy is played from behind something.
Tune it
- More powers. Put the power wheel key on a chord row. It pauses the game.
- Squad. Put the squad commands on chord rows on the D-pad.
- Camera. Pointer speed on the preset's page scales all four aim rows together.
The power wheel on a chord is the change that makes the rest of the powers reachable.
If the game sees the pad
Xbox Cloud Gaming normally passes your controller to Mass Effect Legendary Edition's own scheme, which is the better way to play. Use that, with this preset off, and keep this layout for the stream that misses the pad. With both running, every press does two things.
The passed-through pad comes first, and this layout is the backup.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Mass Effect Legendary Edition, 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 Mass Effect Legendary Edition.
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 Mass Effect Legendary Edition
When Mass Effect Legendary Edition 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 Mass Effect Legendary Edition, 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 Mass Effect Legendary Edition still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Mass Effect Legendary Edition 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 Mass Effect Legendary Edition 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 Mass Effect Legendary Edition 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.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Mass Effect Legendary Edition'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 up | W | Move forward (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Move back (S) |
| Left stick left | A | Move left (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Move right (D) |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 16) | Aim right (mouse) |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 16) | Aim left (mouse) |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 16) | Aim down (mouse) |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 16) | Aim up (mouse) |
| Right trigger | Left click | Fire (Left Click) |
| Left trigger | Right click | Aim down sights (Right Click) |
| X / Square | R | Reload (R) |
| A / Cross | Space | Cover / vault / roll (Space) |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | Climb / vault (Ctrl) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Sprint (Shift) |
| LB / L1 | Q | Skill 1 (Q) |
| RB / R1 | E | Skill 2 (E) |
| Y / Triangle | 4 | Weapon 4 (4) |
| R3 (right stick click) | V | Use consumable (V) |
| D-pad left | 1 | Primary weapon (1) |
| D-pad right | 2 | Secondary weapon (2) |
| D-pad down | 3 | Sidearm (3) |
| D-pad up | G | Throw grenade (G) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Pause / 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 Mass Effect Legendary Edition run on a Mac?
Mass Effect Legendary Edition does not run natively on a Mac. Xbox Cloud Gaming carries it in a Mac browser, and it also streams from a Windows PC you own. This layout covers a stream that does not see the pad.
Does Mass Effect Legendary Edition have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Mass Effect Legendary Edition, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Mass Effect Legendary Edition better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Mass Effect Legendary Edition, 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 Mass Effect Legendary Edition on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Mass Effect Legendary Edition still ignores it, activate the Mass Effect Legendary Edition layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Mass Effect Legendary Edition on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Mass Effect Legendary Edition 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 Mass Effect Legendary Edition run in CrossOver on a Mac?
I have not tested Mass Effect Legendary Edition 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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