Mortal Shell on a Mac with a controller
The Mortal Shell 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. GeForce NOW carries the Steam and Epic releases (checked September 2026), and it also streams from a Windows PC you own. Either one normally passes a controller to the game's own scheme. This layout is for streams that do not see the pad. It starts from the Souls template, so give the harden and parry rows the game's keys.
Yes, Mortal Shell plays on a Mac with a controller, through GeForce NOW or a stream from a Windows PC. Its one idea is harden, which turns you to stone mid-swing and eats a hit, and it is the best idea a Souls-like has had for a stream: it forgives latency by design. This layout is the Souls layout for a stream that misses your pad. Short game, good idea, plays fine from a chair.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Right hand. R1 is a left click for the light attack, R2 Shift plus left click for the heavy.
- Left hand. L1 is a right click, labeled block, and L2 Shift plus right click, labeled parry.
- Move and look. The left stick walks on W, A, S and D. The right stick moves the mouse at speed 18. Lock on with the left stick click (middle click).
- Face buttons. Roll and sprint on the bottom (Space), interact on the right (E), the healing item on the top (R), the left sends F.
- D-pad and menus. The arrow keys, labeled weapon, spell and item swaps. Menu on Start (Escape), inventory on Back (Tab).
Harden goes on the left trigger, once that row has the game's key.
Tune it
- Harden and parry. Set the left bumper and left trigger rows' outputs to harden and parry, as the game's controls menu lists them.
- Harden timing. Press it a hair early on a stream; it lasts.
- Camera. Pointer speed on the preset's page scales all four camera rows together.
Harden a little early, and the stream never catches you.
If the game sees the pad
GeForce NOW or a PC stream normally passes your controller to the game's own scheme. Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Try the stream on its own. Leave the preset off and push the left stick. If you move, use the game's own scheme.
- Activate the layout. If nothing moves, press Activate, and the pad sends the keys and clicks above.
- Turn one off if presses double. If one press does two things, the game reads the pad and the preset at once. Press Deactivate.
If a dodge in Mortal Shell fires twice, the stream and the preset both have the pad.
Mortal Shell controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Mortal Shell, 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 Shell.
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 Shell
When Mortal Shell 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 Shell, 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 Shell still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Mortal Shell 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 Shell 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 Shell 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 Shell controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Mortal Shell'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 forward, W |
| Left stick down | S | Move back, S |
| RB / R1 | Left click | Right hand light attack, R1 to left click |
| Right trigger | Shift (Left), Left click | Right hand heavy attack, R2 to Shift plus left click |
| LB / L1 | Right click | Left hand attack or block, L1 to right click |
| Left trigger | Shift (Left), Right click | Left hand heavy or parry, L2 to Shift plus right click |
| A / Cross | Space | Roll, backstep, sprint, Space |
| B / Circle | E | Interact, pick up, E |
| Y / Triangle | R | Use item, heal, R |
| X / Square | F | Two hand weapon toggle, F |
| L3 (left stick click) | Middle click | Lock on, reset camera, middle click |
| D-pad right | Right | Switch right hand weapon, Right |
| D-pad left | Left | Switch left hand weapon, Left |
| D-pad up | Up | Switch spell, Up |
| D-pad down | Down | Switch quick item, Down |
| Start / Options | Escape | Pause, menu, Esc |
| Back / Share / Select | Tab | Inventory, equipment, Tab |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 18) | Camera right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 18) | Camera left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 18) | Camera down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 18) | Camera up |
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 Shell run on a Mac?
Mortal Shell does not run natively on a Mac. GeForce NOW carries the Steam and Epic releases, and it also streams from a Windows PC you own. This layout covers a stream that does not see the pad.
Does Mortal Shell have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Mortal Shell, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Mortal Shell better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Mortal Shell, 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 Shell on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Mortal Shell still ignores it, activate the Mortal Shell layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Mortal Shell on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Mortal Shell 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.
Updated