Warframe on a Mac with a controller
The Warframe 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 through GeForce NOW, which normally hands a controller to the game's own scheme. This layout is for browsers that do not see the pad.
You can play Warframe on a Mac with a controller through GeForce NOW, which usually passes the pad to the game's own scheme. There is no Mac version. When the stream does not see the pad, this layout is the keyboard game from a controller, with the movement chain placed where a thumb can hit it mid-air.
Warframe is a movement game before it is a shooter: the bullet jump, slide and roll chain wants buttons under both thumbs.
On this page: 8 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and aim. The sticks. Sprint is the left stick click.
- Shoot. The right trigger fires, the left trigger aims.
- Movement chain. Jump and bullet jump on the bottom face button, crouch and slide (Ctrl) on the right, so a slide-jump is a thumb rolling across two buttons.
- Face buttons. Reload on the left, X to use on the top.
- Bumpers. Melee (E) on the left, roll (V) on the right.
- Abilities and menus. The D-pad is abilities 1 to 4. Tab for the gear wheel on Create, Escape on Options.
Jump and slide sit side by side, so the slide-jump is one rolling thumb.
Tune it to how you move
- Bullet jump on one press. It is a macro: Ctrl, wait 40 ms, Space. Put it on the jump row's double-tap action, so a double tap does the whole chain.
- Aim glide. Hold aim in the air. Nothing to change.
- Transference. Put 5 on the touchpad press.
- Weapon swap. Put F on the right stick click.
- Melee combos. Set the melee bumper to Repeats while held at a moderate rate, for stance combos that are just mashing.
If the stream sees your pad, use the native scheme and turn this preset off, so a press does not arrive twice. The bullet jump macro is the one addition that changes how the game feels.
Warframe controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Warframe, 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 Warframe.
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 Warframe
When Warframe 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 Warframe, then press any button.
- Play it from keys. If Warframe still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Warframe 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 Warframe 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 Warframe 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.
Warframe controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Warframe'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 |
| Left trigger | Right click | Aim |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump / bullet jump |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | Crouch / slide (Ctrl) |
| X / Square | R | Reload |
| Y / Triangle | X | Use / interact (X) |
| LB / L1 | E | Melee (E) |
| RB / R1 | V | Roll (V) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Sprint (Shift) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Ability 1 |
| D-pad left | 2 | Ability 2 |
| D-pad right | 3 | Ability 3 |
| D-pad down | 4 | Ability 4 |
| Back / Share / Select | Tab | Gear wheel (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 Warframe run on a Mac?
Warframe does not run natively on a Mac. GeForce NOW streams it and normally passes the controller to the game's own scheme. This layout is the fallback.
Does Warframe have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Warframe, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Warframe better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Warframe, 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 Warframe on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Warframe still ignores it, activate the Warframe layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Warframe on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Warframe 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