8BitDo controller not working on a Mac
InputConfig is completely 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.
It is almost always the mode. On a Mac, 8BitDo supports one mode per model, and in any other mode the pad can show up in Bluetooth and still be ignored by every game.
- D on the switch. Pro 2, Pro 3, Lite 2, Lite SE and Ultimate 2.4G.
- B and Start held while turning on. SN30 Pro, SN30 Pro+ and N30 Pro 2.
- BT. Ultimate 2 Wireless.
Forget the pad in System Settings, Bluetooth, set the right mode, hold Pair for three seconds, and connect again. If it is paired correctly and a game still ignores it, the game has no controller support, and a mapper fixes that.
On this page
- Steps
- Find out which problem you have
- Set the mode for a Mac
- If it will not pair
- If it connects but does nothing after macOS 15.4
- If Steam ignores it
- If the buttons feel swapped
- If the back buttons do nothing
- What these pads cannot do on a Mac
- If the game has no controller support
- The short version
- Sources
- Questions
Steps
- In System Settings, Bluetooth, click the info button next to the pad and choose Forget This Device.
- Turn the pad off and set the mode for a Mac: D on the switch, or hold B and Start on an SN30 Pro, SN30 Pro+ or N30 Pro 2.
- Hold Pair for three seconds until the lights move fast.
- Click Connect when the pad appears in Bluetooth.
- Open System Settings, Game Controllers and press a few buttons to see them light up.
Find out which problem you have
Open System Settings and look in two places, Bluetooth and Game Controllers. What you see tells you which part of this page to read:
| What you see | What it means | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Not in Bluetooth at all | It never paired | If it will not pair |
| In Bluetooth, but no Game Controllers item in the sidebar, or the pad is not in it | Wrong mode, or a model 8BitDo does not list for Apple | Set the mode for a Mac |
| In Game Controllers, and the buttons light up there, but a game ignores it | The Mac is fine. The game or Steam is not reading it | Steam, or games with no controller support |
Game Controllers lists each paired pad and lights up each button as you press it, which makes it the quickest test there is.
Set the mode for a Mac
This is the usual cause, because the advice changed. Older guides, and an earlier version of this site, said to use the A position. 8BitDo's own Apple instructions and the current Pro 2 manual say D.
- X. The Windows mode. macOS does not treat it as a game controller.
- S. Makes the pad a Switch controller with A and B swapped. macOS 13 and later can read it, but it is not what 8BitDo lists for a Mac.
Pair it again in the right mode:
- You: In System Settings, Bluetooth, click the info button next to the pad and choose Forget This Device. Turn the pad off, set D on the switch (or hold B and Start on an SN30 Pro, SN30 Pro+ or N30 Pro 2), and hold Pair for three seconds until the lights move fast.
- macOS: Shows the pad in Bluetooth with a Connect button.
- Check: Click Connect, then open Game Controllers. The pad is listed there and its buttons light up as you press them.
If InputConfig is open, it spots this for you. An 8BitDo pad in a mode macOS cannot read gets a note in the main window, such as 8BitDo controller detected in XInput mode, with the fix for that model and a Help button. The full per-model list is on 8BitDo controllers on a Mac.
Wrong mode first, everything else second: it is the fix most people need.
If it will not pair
Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Pull it away from its last device. A pad reconnects to the last device it paired with. Turn off Bluetooth on the Switch, PC or phone it was last used with, or hold Pair for three seconds to pair fresh.
- Charge it. A pad that blinks red may pair and then drop. Charge it for a while and try again.
- Skip the 2.4G adapter. 8BitDo says the Ultimate 2.4G is not supported on Apple devices through its adapter. Pair it over Bluetooth in D mode with the star button, or use a cable.
- Check the macOS version. Apple support for the Pro 2, SN30 Pro, Lite 2 and similar pads needs macOS 13.2 or later. The Ultimate 2 Wireless and the Pro 3 need macOS 26.
- Update the firmware. An older pad may need it, and 8BitDo's Upgrade Tool runs on a Mac.
If it connects but does nothing after macOS 15.4
After macOS Sequoia 15.4, owners of the Pro 2, the Ultimate and the Ultimate 2.4G reported on Apple's forums that the pad showed as connected but did nothing in games, over Bluetooth and over a cable.
- You: Turn the pad off, open Game Controllers in System Settings, click the pad while it is disconnected, then reconnect it.
- macOS: Reconnects the pad.
- Check: Press a button in Game Controllers and in the game.
That sequence fixed it for one owner. Updating the firmware did not help the person who started the thread. If you are on 15.4 or later and nothing above works, try that sequence, and keep the Mac up to date.
If Steam ignores it
Steam reads controllers through its own layer. Open Steam, Settings, Controller and check that the pad is listed. Then try Steam Input on or off for the game in its Properties, Controller. The general fixes are on controller works on a Mac but not in Steam.
If the buttons feel swapped
8BitDo's retro-style pads, such as the Pro 2, SN30 Pro and Lite 2, follow Nintendo's layout: A on the right, B at the bottom. Games go by position, so the bottom button is the game's A even though the pad says B.
- In games. System Settings, Game Controllers can swap buttons for games that read controllers.
- In InputConfig. It does not matter. Press Scan on a row, press the button you want, and it is bound by what you pressed, not by its letter.
If the back buttons do nothing
P1 and P2 on a Pro 2 or Ultimate reach the Mac as buttons of their own in the mode for a Mac, unless a profile from 8BitDo's software makes them copy another button. In X-input mode the Ultimate sends nothing for them.
If they worked in an older InputConfig and stopped after updating to 1.6, the app now reads them as back buttons rather than as a DualSense Edge's Fn buttons. Accept its offer to move those rows, or click Check Older Presets Again in Settings, Advanced. 8BitDo back buttons on a Mac has the details per model.
What these pads cannot do on a Mac
No rumble and no motion, and that is expected. 8BitDo says rumble and motion controls are not supported on Apple devices, so neither games nor InputConfig can use them on these pads. Everything else works.
If the game has no controller support
If the pad works in Game Controllers and the game still ignores it, the game only takes keyboard and mouse. That is where InputConfig comes in. It is free and open source on the Mac App Store, and it turns the pad's buttons and sticks into keys, mouse movement, clicks and scrolling. It has ready layouts for more than 450 games and apps, including an FPS layout built for 8BitDo pads.
- Pads macOS ignores. It reads some of them, such as the Ultimate 2C Wired over a cable.
- A Pro 2 on a cable. Since 1.6 it reads it correctly, back buttons included.
- Raw HID. A pad read this way is listed in its Settings as detected over raw HID. If one does not appear there, tick it under InputConfig, Devices in the menu bar. If it still does not respond, switch the pad to the mode for a Mac.
The short version
- Check the mode. It is D on most pads, B and Start on the SN30 Pro family, and BT on the Ultimate 2 Wireless.
- Test in Game Controllers. If the buttons light up there, the Mac is fine.
- Blame the game, not the pad. A game with no controller support needs a mapper such as InputConfig.
Set the right mode and pair fresh before you try anything else.
Sources
Every fact about the controller on this page comes from 8BitDo's own pages, read on the date shown. What InputConfig does with it comes from the app itself.
- 8BitDo. 8BitDo's page for Apple devices says to put the controller in D-Input mode to pair with Apple devices, names macOS 13.2 or later, and gives the steps for each supported model, including the hold of B and Start on the SN30 Pro, SN30 Pro+ and N30 Pro 2 and the BT position on the Ultimate 2 Wireless. Read October 7, 2026.
Questions
Why is my 8BitDo connected but not working on my Mac?
Usually the mode. In X mode, or A on a Pro 2, the Mac can list the pad in Bluetooth without treating it as a game controller. Forget it, set D (or hold B and Start on an SN30 Pro), and pair again. If it lights up in Game Controllers but a game ignores it, the game has no controller support.
Why won't my 8BitDo Ultimate 2C work on my Mac?
8BitDo sells the Ultimate 2C for Windows and Android, and it is not on 8BitDo's list of controllers for Apple devices, so macOS does not treat it as a game controller. InputConfig can still read the Wired model over a USB cable and map it to keys and mouse.
Why do my 8BitDo back buttons not work on my Mac?
Check the mode and the profile. In the mode for a Mac, P1 and P2 arrive as their own buttons unless a profile assigns them to another button, and in X-input mode the Ultimate sends nothing for them. Press Scan in InputConfig and press the back button to see what arrives.
Why is the 8BitDo firmware updater not working on my Mac?
Check you have the right tool for your model: 8BitDo's Upgrade Tool, Ultimate Software V2 (macOS 13 or later) for newer controllers, or the original Ultimate Software for older ones. Connect with a USB cable that carries data. For the Ultimate 2.4G, 8BitDo says to set D mode before updating.
Does the 8BitDo Pro 2 still work on a Mac?
Yes. Slide the switch to D, press Start, hold Pair for three seconds, and connect it in System Settings, Bluetooth. It needs macOS 13.2 or later.
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