Portal 2 on a Mac with a controller
The Portal 2 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 current Mac version: Steam lists Portal 2 for Windows and Linux only. It can stream from a Windows PC you own, which normally passes a controller to the game's own support. This layout sends the keyboard and mouse for a stream that does not see the pad.
You can play Portal 2 on a Mac with a controller as a stream from a Windows PC you own, because Steam now lists it for Windows and Linux only. The game has full controller support of its own, which a stream usually passes through.
When it does not, this is the keyboard game from a pad, with the blue portal on the right trigger and the orange on the left.
On this page: 8 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. The sticks.
- Portals. The right trigger fires the blue portal and the left trigger the orange, the only sensible arrangement and the one the console version uses.
- Face buttons. Jump on the bottom, crouch on the right, E to pick up and use on the top.
- Menu. Escape on Options.
It takes five buttons and a stick, and the rest of the game is thinking.
Tune it to how you play
- Zoom. F zooms the view for a far portal. Put it on the touchpad press.
- Ping in co-op. It uses Tab and the gesture wheel. Put Tab on the right stick click.
- Look speed. Portal wants precise, slow aim for a portal on a distant wall and fast turns for a fling. The Aggressive curve does both.
- Split-screen co-op. The layout also suits a second player's pad that the game does not see.
If the stream sees your pad, use the game's own support and turn this preset off, so a press does not arrive twice. The Aggressive curve gives you both the careful shot and the fast fling.
Portal 2 controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Portal 2, 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 Portal 2.
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 Portal 2
When Portal 2 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 Portal 2, 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 Portal 2 still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Portal 2 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 Portal 2 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 Portal 2 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.
Portal 2 controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Portal 2'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 | Strafe left (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Strafe right (D) |
| Left stick up | W | Move forward (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Move back (S) |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 20) | Look right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 20) | Look left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 14) | Look down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 14) | Look up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Blue portal |
| Left trigger | Right click | Orange portal |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | Crouch (Ctrl) |
| Y / Triangle | E | Use / pick up (E) |
| Start / Options | Escape | 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 Portal 2 support controllers?
Yes, it has full controller support of its own, which a stream usually passes through. This layout is for pads the stream does not see, and for the second player in split-screen co-op.
Does Portal 2 have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Portal 2, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Portal 2 better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Portal 2, 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 Portal 2 on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Portal 2 still ignores it, activate the Portal 2 layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Portal 2 on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Portal 2 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