7 Days to Die on a Mac with a controller
The 7 Days to Die 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 Mac version on Steam. 7 Days to Die has gamepad support of its own. Use it when it sees your controller. This layout is for pads it does not recognize and for the keyboard-style binds people prefer for building.
Yes, 7 Days to Die runs natively on the Mac and has gamepad support of its own, so try that first. This layout is the fallback and the building layout: the keyboard scheme on a pad, with four hotbar slots on the D-pad and the flashlight on a bumper, which matters more on the seventh night than anything else.
On this page: 8 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. The left stick walks on W, A, S and D. The right stick moves the mouse at speed 20 across and 14 up and down.
- Fight and use. The right trigger fires or uses (left click). The left trigger aims (right click).
- Face buttons. Jump on the bottom (Space), duck on the right (Ctrl), reload on the left (R), use on the top (E).
- Shoulders. Flashlight on the right bumper (F). The left bumper repeats reload (R).
- Hotbar and menus. Hotbar 1 to 4 on the D-pad. Sprint on the left stick click (Shift), inventory on Back (Tab), menu on Start (Escape).
In the crafting menus the right stick moves the pointer and the right trigger clicks. The flashlight is one bumper away, which is the row you will thank on night seven.
Tune it
- Slots 5 to 8. Add chord rows on the D-pad for 5 to 8. The left bumper makes a good chord button once you clear its output, since it only repeats reload, and a held button otherwise keeps its own job.
- A pointer preset for menus. Give a spare button the App Action Next preset, and switch to a pointer preset while you craft.
Clear the duplicate reload on the left bumper, and you have a chord button for a second hotbar.
If the game sees the pad
The game has controller support, so most of the time it should see your pad on its own. Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Check macOS. Game Controllers in System Settings should list the pad.
- Check Steam Input. Steam can hide a controller from a game. This fix covers it.
- Activate the layout. If the game still ignores the pad, press Activate, and the pad sends keys the game always reads.
Use the game's own controls or this layout, never both, or every press does two things.
7 Days to Die controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for 7 Days to Die, 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 7 Days to Die.
From Steam's listing, checked in October 2026. Every game's listing is in Mac games with controller support.
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 7 Days to Die 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.
7 Days to Die controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is 7 Days to Die'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 | Fire / use |
| Left trigger | Right click | Aim / alt |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | Duck (Ctrl) |
| X / Square | R | Reload |
| Y / Triangle | E | Use (E) |
| LB / L1 | R | Reload |
| RB / R1 | F | Flashlight (F) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Sprint (Shift) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Hotbar 1 |
| D-pad left | 2 | Hotbar 2 |
| D-pad right | 3 | Hotbar 3 |
| D-pad down | 4 | Hotbar 4 |
| Back / Share / Select | Tab | Inventory (Tab) |
| 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 7 Days to Die run on a Mac?
Yes, natively on Steam, with gamepad support of its own. This layout is for pads it does not see, or for the keyboard binds.
Why is my controller not working in 7 Days to Die on Mac?
First check that the Mac lists the pad under Game Controllers in System Settings, then check Steam Input for the game (this fix). If the game still ignores it, this layout sends keyboard keys from the pad, which the game always reads.
Does 7 Days to Die have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for 7 Days to Die, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is 7 Days to Die better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for 7 Days to Die, so it was made to be played on a controller, and a keyboard and mouse work as well.
Can I play 7 Days to Die on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
7 Days to Die 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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