RimWorld on a Mac with a controller
The RimWorld 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: Native on macOS through Steam, built for a mouse; Steam lists only partial controller support. This layout is the mouse game from a pad.
Yes, you can play RimWorld on a Mac with a controller through this layout. The game runs natively and was built for a mouse. Steam lists only partial controller support. RimWorld is pausing, pointing at a colonist, and telling them to do something they will regret, which is three controls: pause, a pointer and a click.
On this page: 8 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Pointer and map. The left stick is the pointer, the right stick pans the map. Zoom on the bumpers.
- Select and command. The right trigger selects. The left trigger commands (right click). Selecting a pawn and right clicking a task is how you run a colonist.
- Time. Pause on the bottom face button, speeds 1, 2 and 3 on the other three.
- Menu. Escape on Options.
The real rhythm of a colony is pause, look, act, speed three, disaster, pause, and it is all on the face buttons.
Tune it to how you play
- Draft. R drafts the selected colonist. Put it on the touchpad press.
- Architect and work tabs. The bottom bar is pointer work, but the tabs have keys (F1 through F12 in the game). A chord on the D-pad reaches the four you use.
- Select all colonists. A double click on a pawn selects them all, and two quick pulls of the select trigger are a double click.
- Slow pointer. Colonists are small. Add a half-speed pointer behind a held bumper.
- Screenshots for the story. The Screenshot and Recording layout has the keys.
Draft on the touchpad press is the change I would make first.
RimWorld controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists partial controller support for RimWorld: it plays on a controller, but some parts, such as a launcher, text entry or a menu, still expect a keyboard or a mouse. This layout sends keys and mouse movement from the pad, which can cover the parts the game's own support leaves out. With partial support, a layout fills the gaps the game leaves.
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 RimWorld
When RimWorld 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.
- Check the Steam Input setting for RimWorld. In Steam, open RimWorld, Properties, Controller, and change the Steam Input override. A controller that works in Steam but not in the game goes through each choice.
- Play it from keys. If RimWorld still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls RimWorld 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 RimWorld 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 RimWorld 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.
RimWorld controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is RimWorld'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 | 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 left | A | Pan left (A) |
| Right stick right | D | Pan right (D) |
| Right stick up | W | Pan up (W) |
| Right stick down | S | Pan down (S) |
| Right trigger | Left click | Select (left click) |
| Left trigger | Right click | Command (right click) |
| A / Cross | Space | Pause (Space) |
| B / Circle | 1 | Normal speed (1) |
| X / Square | 2 | Fast (2) |
| Y / Triangle | 3 | Superfast (3) |
| LB / L1 | Scroll down | Zoom out |
| RB / R1 | Scroll up | Zoom in |
| 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 RimWorld support controllers?
Steam lists only partial controller support, and the game was built for a mouse. This layout gives it a pad through the mouse and keyboard.
How do you right click in RimWorld on a Mac?
On a trackpad, click with two fingers (Secondary click, in System Settings, Trackpad). A mouse's right button works as it is. With this layout the left trigger is the right click, so select a colonist with the right trigger and give the order with the left.
Does RimWorld have controller support?
Partly. Steam lists partial controller support for RimWorld: it plays on a controller, but some screens still expect a keyboard or mouse.
Is RimWorld better with a controller or a keyboard?
A controller works for most of it. Steam lists partial controller support for RimWorld, so some screens still expect a keyboard or a mouse, and a layout like this one can put those on the pad.
Why is my controller not working in RimWorld on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and RimWorld still ignores it, change the game's Steam Input override in its Steam Properties, and if that does not help, activate the RimWorld layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play RimWorld on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
RimWorld has a native Mac version, and its minimum requirements are listed on its Steam store page, so check your Mac against that list. I have not tested it on each Mac. The controller layout itself works the same on any Mac that runs InputConfig.
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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