Zoom from a game controller
The Zoom 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: Zoom for Mac takes these shortcuts while it is the front app. Tick Enable Global Shortcut next to mute in Zoom's keyboard settings for it to work from anywhere.
Yes, a game controller makes a physical Zoom mute button for your Mac: the bottom face button sends Command Shift A to mute and unmute. Video, share and leave sit on the other three face buttons, and the stick is a pointer for whatever Zoom has put on screen this week. Everyone wants a mute button they can find without looking, and this one is big and always in the same place.
On this page: 7 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Mute. Command Shift A on the bottom face button, under your thumb.
- Video and share. Video on and off (Command Shift V) on the right, share screen (Command Shift S) on the left.
- Leave. Command W on the top, far from the others on purpose.
- Point and click. The left stick is a pointer and the right trigger clicks.
Leaving by accident is worse than an open mic. Mute is closest to your thumb and Leave is farthest from it.
Make mute work from any app
Zoom takes these shortcuts only while it is the front app, unless you make mute global.
- You: In Zoom's settings, Keyboard Shortcuts, tick Enable Global Shortcut next to Mute/Unmute My Audio.
- InputConfig: Keeps sending Command Shift A from the bottom button, whatever app is in front.
- Check: Join a test meeting, switch to another app, press the button, and Zoom's mute icon changes.
Do this once and the button works while you take notes elsewhere. Tick Enable Global Shortcut, or mute works only with Zoom in front.
Tune it for calls
- Push to talk. Zoom lets you hold Space to talk while muted. Bind Space to a trigger and it is held as long as the trigger is.
- Raise hand. Put Option Y on a bumper.
- Feel the toggle. Turn on Vibrate under Feedback in the mute row's Options, and you feel each press the way you would feel a mute switch.
- The DualSense mute button. Every DualSense has a microphone button under the PS button, and InputConfig can bind it. Put Command Shift A there and the button finally does what it looks like it should.
The same idea for Teams, Meet, Slack and Discord is on the physical mute button page. A pulse on the mute row turns a shortcut into a switch you can feel.
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 Zoom 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.
Every binding, as a table
| Controller | Sends | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| A / Cross | Command (Left), Shift (Left), A | Mute / unmute (Cmd+Shift+A) |
| B / Circle | Command (Left), Shift (Left), V | Start / stop video (Cmd+Shift+V) |
| X / Square | Command (Left), Shift (Left), S | Share screen (Cmd+Shift+S) |
| Y / Triangle | Command (Left), W | Leave / end (Cmd+W) |
| 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 trigger | Left click | Click |
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
What is the Zoom mute shortcut on a Mac?
Command Shift A mutes and unmutes, and Command Shift V turns video on and off. They work while Zoom is the front app, or from any app once the global option is ticked in Zoom's keyboard shortcut settings.
Can a game controller be a physical mute button for Zoom?
Yes. Any controller macOS sees works, wired or Bluetooth. Add a short vibration to the mute row and you feel each press.
Does it work with Teams or Google Meet?
Teams has its own entry with its shortcuts. Meet in a browser uses Command D for the microphone and Command E for the camera. Scan two rows and set them.
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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