Game

The Last of Us Part I on a Mac with a controller

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreThe The Last of Us Part I 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 can stream to a Mac from a Windows PC you own, or from a cloud service such as GeForce NOW if it carries the game. The stream normally passes a controller to the game's native scheme. This layout is for streams that do not see the pad. It starts from the Silent Hill 2 template, so change the knife and quick-turn rows' outputs to Listen Mode and the flashlight.

Yes, The Last of Us Part I plays on a Mac with a controller, streamed from a Windows PC or a service such as GeForce NOW if it carries the game. This layout is for a stream that misses your pad, and the survival horror template it starts from has the right bones: aim on the left trigger, fire on the right, four weapons on the D-pad. Slow and careful is how the game wants to be played, and a stream does not mind that.

On this page: 9 sections
  1. The layout, control by control
  2. How the layout thinks
  3. Tune it
  4. If the game sees the pad
  5. The Last of Us Part I controller support: controller or keyboard
  6. If your controller is not working in The Last of Us Part I
  7. Get it in two clicks
  8. The Last of Us Part I controls: every button and the key it sends
  9. Questions

The layout, control by control

Click a control. Labels:

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 16.
  • Aim and fire. The left trigger aims (right click), the right trigger fires or swings (left click). Reload on the left face button (R).
  • Face buttons. Interact on the bottom (F), crouch and evade on the right (E). The top sends Space, labeled ready knife and parry from the template.
  • Shoulders. The left bumper sends Q, labeled quick-turn. The backpack on the right bumper (Tab). Run on the left stick click (Shift).
  • Weapons and menus. Four weapon slots on the D-pad (1 to 4). The map on Back (M), pause on Start (Escape).

Two rows differ from the game, and they are the two worth fixing.

Tune it

  • Listen Mode and flashlight. Set the quick-turn and knife rows' outputs to the game's Listen Mode and flashlight keys.
  • Camera. Lower Pointer speed on the preset's page for a slower, steadier look.
  • A buzz on the shiv. Turn on Vibrate in that row's Options.

Listen Mode on a bumper is the change that makes the layout feel like the game.

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.

The Last of Us Part I was made for a pad, so try the passed-through one before this layout.

The Last of Us Part I controller support: controller or keyboard

Steam's store page lists full controller support for The Last of Us Part I, 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 The Last of Us Part I.

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 Last of Us Part I

When The Last of Us Part I does not react to your controller on a Mac, climb this ladder, smallest step first:

  1. 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.
  2. 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 Last of Us Part I, 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.
  3. Play it from keys. If The Last of Us Part I still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls The Last of Us Part I 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 Last of Us Part I ever sees the controller.

Get it in two clicks

  1. Get InputConfig free on the Mac App Store, open it, and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
  2. Search for The Last of Us Part I and pick it. The layout is created as a preset in your sidebar, named and ready.
  3. 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 Last of Us Part I controls: every button and the key it sends

The Sends column is The Last of Us Part I'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.

The The Last of Us Part I preset in InputConfig, drawn on a DualSense Edge with each control labeled with the key or action it sends.
Figure 1. The The Last of Us Part I preset drawn on a DualSense Edge in InputConfig's Live Visualizer. For example, Right trigger is labeled Fire / attack (LMB), and Left trigger is labeled Aim weapon (RMB). Any other controller shows the same layout on its own drawing.
ControllerSendsWhat it does
Left stick leftAMove left (A)
Left stick rightDMove right (D)
Left stick upWMove forward (W)
Left stick downSMove back (S)
Right stick rightMouse motion right (speed 16)Look right
Right stick leftMouse motion left (speed 16)Look left
Right stick downMouse motion down (speed 16)Look down
Right stick upMouse motion up (speed 16)Look up
Right triggerLeft clickFire / attack (LMB)
Left triggerRight clickAim weapon (RMB)
RB / R1TabInventory (Tab)
X / SquareRReload (R)
A / CrossFAction / interact (F)
Y / TriangleSpaceReady knife / parry (Space)
B / CircleECrouch / evade (E)
LB / L1QQuick-turn 180 (Q)
L3 (left stick click)Shift (Left)Run / sprint (Shift)
D-pad up1Equip weapon slot 1
D-pad down2Equip weapon slot 2
D-pad left3Equip weapon slot 3
D-pad right4Equip weapon slot 4
Back / Share / SelectMMap (M)
Start / OptionsEscapePause 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 Last of Us Part I run on a Mac?

The Last of Us Part I does not run natively on a Mac. It streams from a Windows PC, or from a cloud service if one carries it, and the stream usually passes a controller through. This layout covers a stream that does not see the pad.

Does The Last of Us Part I have controller support?

Yes. Steam lists full controller support for The Last of Us Part I, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.

Is The Last of Us Part I better with a controller or a keyboard?

Both work. Steam lists full controller support for The Last of Us Part I, 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 The Last of Us Part I on a Mac?

First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and The Last of Us Part I still ignores it, activate the The Last of Us Part I layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.

Can I play The Last of Us Part I on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?

Yes, through a stream. The Last of Us Part I 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.

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreCompletely 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