The Forest on a Mac with a controller
The The Forest 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. It streams to a Mac from a Windows PC you own. The stream normally passes a controller to the game's native scheme. This layout is for streams that do not see the pad.
Yes, The Forest plays on a Mac with a controller, streamed from a Windows PC you own. This layout is for a stream that misses your pad. The Forest is chopping and building and then the cannibals, and the layout is built for the first two: the axe on the right trigger, block on the left, rotate a structure on the bumpers.
On this page: 9 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.
- Act. The right trigger attacks, chops and places (left click). The left trigger blocks or toggles place mode (right click).
- Face buttons. Jump on the bottom (Space), crouch on the right (Ctrl), take on the left (E), inventory on the top (I).
- Build. Rotate a structure left on the left bumper (Q) and right on the right bumper (R). Cancel a structure on D-pad left (X).
- Survive. Lighter on D-pad down (L), drop the held item on up (G), the map on right (M).
- Menus. Sprint on the left stick click (Shift), the survival guide on Back (B), menu on Start (Escape).
The axe is the right trigger, and so is every placement.
Tune it
- A slow pointer for the inventory. The inventory is a 3D mat on the ground, which is pointer work. Duplicate the four right-stick rows, set While also holding to a button on the copies, and give them a low speed.
- A buzz on the take. Turn on Vibrate in the take row's Options.
Set up the slow pointer on day one.
If the game sees the pad
A stream normally passes your controller to the game's own scheme. Try that first with the preset off. Press Activate only if the game ignores the pad, and Deactivate if one press does two things.
In The Forest, a doubled press means both are running, so press Deactivate.
The Forest controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists partial controller support for The Forest: 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 The Forest
When The Forest 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 The Forest, 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 The Forest still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls The Forest 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 The Forest 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 The Forest 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.
The Forest controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is The Forest'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 up | W | Move forward (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Move backward (S) |
| Left stick left | A | Move left (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Move right (D) |
| 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 |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump (Space) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Sprint (Left Shift / left-stick click) |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | Crouch (Left Ctrl) |
| Right trigger | Left click | Attack / chop / place element (left click) |
| Left trigger | Right click | Block / toggle place mode (right click) |
| X / Square | E | Take / pick up (E) |
| Y / Triangle | I | Open inventory (I) |
| RB / R1 | R | Rotate structure right while building (R) |
| LB / L1 | Q | Rotate structure left (Q) |
| D-pad down | L | Lighter / flashlight (L) |
| D-pad up | G | Drop held item (G) |
| D-pad right | M | Open GPS tracker / map (M) |
| D-pad left | X | Cancel structure (X) |
| Back / Share / Select | B | Open guide book (B) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Pause / 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 The Forest run on a Mac?
The Forest does not run natively on a Mac. It streams from a Windows PC you own, and the stream usually passes a controller through. This layout covers a stream that does not see the pad.
Does The Forest have controller support?
Partly. Steam lists partial controller support for The Forest: it plays on a controller, but some screens still expect a keyboard or mouse.
Is The Forest better with a controller or a keyboard?
A controller works for most of it. Steam lists partial controller support for The Forest, 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 The Forest on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and The Forest still ignores it, activate the The Forest layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play The Forest on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. The Forest 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