Mortal Kombat 1 on a Mac with a controller
The Mortal Kombat 1 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, and it also streams from a Windows PC you own. Both normally pass a controller to the game.
Yes, Mortal Kombat 1 plays on a Mac with a controller, through Xbox Cloud Gaming in a browser or a stream from your own PC. When the stream cannot see your pad, this layout sends the keyboard defaults. Mortal Kombat is the fighting game with a block button, and the block is on both triggers here so either finger can hold it.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Attacks. Square is front punch (J), Triangle back punch (I), Cross front kick (K), and Circle back kick (L).
- Block. Both triggers hold the game's block key, O.
- Throw and Kameo. Throw (Space) is L1, and the Kameo assist (semicolon) R1.
- Movement. The D-pad and the left stick move with the arrows. The left stick click taps forward twice for a forward dash.
- Stance and menus. Back flips stance (Tab), and Escape is on Options.
Block is on both triggers, so whichever finger is free can hold it.
Tune it
- Amplify. Put its key on the right stick click, which is free.
- Interact. On a PlayStation pad, the touchpad press is a free home for it.
- Fatalities. They are motions from the D-pad. There is nothing to macro, and please do not.
Do the fatality yourself, because that is the point of it.
If the stream passes your controller
Xbox Cloud Gaming usually hands the game your pad, and then the game's own scheme is the one to use. Keep this preset off in that case, or every press lands twice. Using a controller with browser games covers the browser side. Press a button in the browser before you activate anything, because a fighter that moves needs no layout.
Mortal Kombat 1 controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Mortal Kombat 1, 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 Mortal Kombat 1.
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 Mortal Kombat 1
When Mortal Kombat 1 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 Mortal Kombat 1, 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 Mortal Kombat 1 still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Mortal Kombat 1 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 Mortal Kombat 1 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 Mortal Kombat 1 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.
Mortal Kombat 1 controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Mortal Kombat 1'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 |
|---|---|---|
| D-pad up | Up | Jump / up (Up arrow) |
| D-pad down | Down | Crouch / down (Down arrow) |
| D-pad left | Left | Move left (Left arrow) |
| D-pad right | Right | Move right (Right arrow) |
| Left stick left | Left | Left stick left (Left arrow) |
| Left stick right | Right | Left stick right (Right arrow) |
| Left stick up | Up | Left stick up = jump (Up arrow) |
| Left stick down | Down | Left stick down = crouch (Down arrow) |
| X / Square | J | Square = Front Punch / 1 (default J) |
| Y / Triangle | I | Triangle = Back Punch / 2 (default I) |
| A / Cross | K | Cross = Front Kick / 3 (default K) |
| B / Circle | L | Circle = Back Kick / 4 (default L) |
| Right trigger | O | RT = Block (R2 default, key O) |
| Left trigger | O | LT = Block (alt, key O) |
| LB / L1 | Space | L1 = Throw / Grab (default Space) |
| RB / R1 | ; | R1 = Kameo assist (default ;) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Right; sent 2 times | L3 = forward dash (tap forward twice) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Start = pause (Esc) |
| Back / Share / Select | Tab | Back = flip stance / select (Tab) |
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 Mortal Kombat 1 run on a Mac?
Mortal Kombat 1 does not run natively on a Mac. Xbox Cloud Gaming streams it in a Mac browser, and a Windows PC you own can stream it too. This layout is for a stream that does not see the pad.
Does Mortal Kombat 1 have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Mortal Kombat 1, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Mortal Kombat 1 better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Mortal Kombat 1, 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 Mortal Kombat 1 on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Mortal Kombat 1 still ignores it, activate the Mortal Kombat 1 layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Mortal Kombat 1 on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Mortal Kombat 1 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.
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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