Timberborn on a Mac with a controller
The Timberborn 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. Timberborn has no gamepad support. This layout sends the keyboard and mouse it expects.
Yes, Timberborn plays on a Mac with a controller, with this layout: it runs natively on the Mac and has no idea what a controller is, which is InputConfig's whole job. It is beavers building dams, and the droughts are the timer, so pause is the big button.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Pointer. The left stick moves the pointer at speed 16.
- Pan. The right stick pans with W, A, S and D.
- Click. The right trigger places and selects (left click), the left trigger cancels and rotates (right click).
- Zoom. The left bumper zooms out and the right zooms in, with the mouse wheel.
- Time. Pause on the bottom face button (Space), speeds one, two and three on the right, left and top (1, 2, 3). Menu on Start (Escape).
Pause on the big button, because a drought never waits.
Tune it
- Height. Timberborn is a 3D builder. The D-pad is empty. Put the layer up and down keys there.
- A slow pointer for the dam that has to be one tile wide. Duplicate the four left-stick rows, set While also holding to a spare button on the copies, and give them half the speed.
Layer keys on the D-pad make the third dimension one press away.
Check that it works
Timberborn has no controller support, so nothing doubles: this layout is the controller.
- You: Open a settlement, then press Activate on this preset.
- InputConfig: Sends the clicks, scrolls and keys in the table.
- Check: Push the left stick and the pointer moves. Press the bottom face button and the game pauses.
If the pointer moves and Space pauses, the layout is working.
Timberborn controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists no controller support for Timberborn, so it was made for a keyboard and mouse, and that is how it expects to be played. A controller still works: this layout sends the game's keys and mouse movement from the pad, so to the game you are simply typing and pointing. No controller support listed means the layout does the work, not the game.
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 Timberborn
When Timberborn 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 Timberborn. In Steam, open Timberborn, Properties, Controller, and change the Steam Input override. A controller that works in Steam but not in the game goes through each choice.
- Stop looking for a setting. Timberborn reads the keyboard and mouse here, so no option makes it see a pad. Activate this layout, and the controller sends the keys and mouse movement Timberborn already reads. The layout works without Timberborn ever seeing 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 Timberborn 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.
Timberborn controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Timberborn'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 | Place / select (left click) |
| Left trigger | Right click | Cancel / rotate (right click) |
| LB / L1 | Scroll down | Zoom out |
| RB / R1 | Scroll up | Zoom in |
| A / Cross | Space | Pause (Space) |
| B / Circle | 1 | Speed 1 |
| X / Square | 2 | Speed 2 |
| Y / Triangle | 3 | Speed 3 |
| 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 Timberborn run on a Mac?
Yes, natively on Steam. It has no controller support, so this layout is how a controller plays it.
Does Timberborn have controller support?
No. The Steam store lists no controller support, on the Mac or on Windows. This layout is how a controller plays it: the pointer on the left stick, pan on the right, place and cancel on the triggers.
Does Timberborn have controller support?
Not by itself. Steam lists no controller support for Timberborn. A controller still works through a layout like this one, which sends the game's keys.
Is Timberborn better with a controller or a keyboard?
It was made for a keyboard and mouse: Steam lists no controller support for Timberborn. A controller still works through this layout, which sends the game's own keys and mouse movement.
Why is my controller not working in Timberborn on a Mac?
Timberborn reads the keyboard and mouse on this route, so no setting makes it see a controller. Check the Mac sees the pad with the gamepad tester, then activate the Timberborn layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keys and mouse movement from the controller.
Can I play Timberborn on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Timberborn 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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