Notion from a game controller
The Notion 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: The Notion app and Notion in a browser both take these shortcuts from this layout. Nothing to enable.
Yes, you can get around Notion from a game controller on a Mac, and Quick Find is how: Command P on a button, say a page name, Return. Notion is a place you read more than you write, so the rest is scrolling and the occasional edit. The Notion app and Notion in a browser take the same keys.
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Find a page. Quick Find (Command P) on the bottom face button.
- Edit a little. Copy, Paste and Undo on the other face buttons.
- Read. The left stick is a pointer, the right stick scrolls, and the right trigger clicks.
- Close things. Escape on Options closes a menu or a page preview.
A workspace can be read and tidied from a chair. Quick Find on a button gets you to any page in Notion.
Tune it for Notion
- Dictation. Put it on a bumper. Quick Find then dictation is navigation. A page then dictation is writing.
- Sidebar. Command Backslash toggles it, on the other bumper.
- Back and forward. Put Command Left Bracket and Command Right Bracket on D-pad left and right.
- Tick a to-do. Command Return toggles the checkbox under the cursor, on a stick click.
- Open the result. A Return row on the touchpad press opens the Quick Find result.
In a browser, the browser's own shortcuts still apply around Notion. Quick Find, dictation and Return take you to any page in three presses.
The short version
- Add dictation and Return. They complete Quick Find.
- Add back and forward. Put them on the D-pad.
- Write by voice. The controller moves, selects and formats.
Obsidian and Craft have their own entries if you keep notes there. Most of Notion is finding and reading, and both are on the pad.
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 Notion 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.
Every binding, as a table
| Controller | Sends | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Left stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 16) | Cursor left |
| Left stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 16) | Cursor right |
| Left stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 16) | Cursor up |
| Left stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 16) | Cursor down |
| Right stick down | Scroll down | Scroll down |
| Right stick up | Scroll up | Scroll up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Click |
| A / Cross | Command (Left), P | Quick find (Cmd+P) |
| B / Circle | Command (Left), C | Copy |
| X / Square | Command (Left), V | Paste |
| Y / Triangle | Command (Left), Z | Undo |
| Start / Options | Escape | Close / 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 it work in the browser version?
Yes. The shortcuts are the same. In a browser, the browser's own shortcuts still apply around Notion.
Can I write pages with a controller?
With dictation, yes. The controller moves, selects and formats. The words are spoken.
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