Questions

How to use an 8BitDo Pro 3 on a Mac

Slide the mode switch to D, the position 8BitDo gives for Apple devices, then hold Pair for three seconds and click Connect in System Settings, Bluetooth. In that mode the Mac lists the Pro 3 as a game controller, and games with controller support see it. The Pro 3 has four more buttons than a standard pad, L4 and R4 on the top edge and two paddles on the back, and how those reach the Mac depends on how they are set up.

I make InputConfig, a free Mac app with a profile for the Pro 3 that reads those four buttons as buttons of their own. This page is built from 8BitDo's own pages and from that profile.

On this page: 8 sections
  1. Steps
  2. Set D mode and pair it
  3. Know the buttons a Pro 2 does not have
  4. Use L4, R4 and the paddles
  5. Map it for games without controller support
  6. What I have not checked
  7. The short version
  8. Questions

Steps

  1. Slide the mode switch to D.
  2. Hold Pair for three seconds, until the light blinks fast.
  3. Open System Settings, Bluetooth, and click Connect.
  4. Open System Settings, Game Controllers, and press a button to check it is live.
  5. In InputConfig, press Scan on a row and press L4, R4 or a paddle to give it a job.

Set D mode and pair it

  • You: Slide the switch to D, hold Pair for three seconds, then click Connect next to the pad in System Settings, Bluetooth.
  • macOS: Lists it under Game Controllers in the sidebar.
  • Check: Press a few buttons there and watch them light.

8BitDo's page for Apple devices lists macOS 26 or later for the Pro 3, pairs it under the name 8BitDo Pro 3, and gives the same D position for a USB cable, on a Mac with USB-C ports. D is the position 8BitDo lists for Apple devices, so set it before you pair.

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreInputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.

Know the buttons a Pro 2 does not have

  • L4 and R4. Beside the bumpers on the top edge.
  • Two back paddles. Inside the grips on the back.
  • Trigger switches. A switch on the back turns each trigger between Hall effect and tactile.
  • Swappable face buttons. They are magnetic and can be rearranged between the Nintendo and the Xbox order. The Mac reads them by position, so swapping the caps does not change what a position sends.

The letters on the caps are yours to move, and the positions are what the Mac sees.

Use L4, R4 and the paddles

Each of the four arrives one of two ways. As a button of its own, InputConfig reads it and a row can give it any job. If 8BitDo's software or the controller itself maps it to another button, the Mac receives that button instead.

  • You: Press Scan on a row and press L4, R4 or a paddle.
  • InputConfig: Binds the row to whatever arrives.
  • Check: If the row fills with a back button, it is a button of its own. If it fills with A, or another standard button, the pad is copying that button.

8BitDo back buttons on a Mac covers both cases. Scan tells you in one press which of the two ways a back button is set up.

Map it for games without controller support

For a game that already supports controllers, macOS is enough: pair in D mode and play. For everything else, InputConfig turns the buttons, sticks and triggers into keys, mouse movement, clicks, scrolling, macros and Mac shortcuts. With four extra buttons, a Pro 3 has room for a second layer: set a paddle as the second control on a row, and each face button gains another job while that paddle is held. Chords explains that setup. Four spare buttons are four shortcuts, or one shift layer for the whole pad.

What I have not checked

  • Real hardware. I have not tested a Pro 3 myself. The drawing InputConfig shows for it borrows the Pro 2's outline, since the two share a shell.
  • Rumble and motion. 8BitDo says rumble and motion control are not supported on Apple devices for the moment.
  • The headphone jack. The Pro 3 has a 3.5 mm jack. I do not know whether audio through it works on a Mac.
  • 8BitDo's software on a Mac. 8BitDo publishes Ultimate Software V2 for its newer controllers on macOS 13 or later. Check its own page for what it sets on a Pro 3.

Tell me if your Pro 3 behaves differently, and I will correct this page.

The short version

  • Mode. D, then Pair for three seconds.
  • Extra buttons. L4, R4 and two paddles, read as their own buttons unless the pad copies another one onto them.
  • Mapping. Scan each one in InputConfig.

In D mode a Pro 3 is a normal Mac controller with four buttons to spare.

Questions

Does the 8BitDo Pro 3 work on a Mac?

Yes, on macOS 26 or later, according to 8BitDo. In D mode, the position it gives for Apple devices, macOS lists the Pro 3 as a game controller over Bluetooth or a USB-C cable, and games with controller support see it.

Which mode does the 8BitDo Pro 3 need on a Mac?

D. Slide the switch to D before you pair. It is the position 8BitDo gives for Apple devices.

Do the Pro 3 back paddles work on a Mac?

Yes. InputConfig reads L4, R4 and the two paddles as buttons of their own. If 8BitDo's software or the controller maps one to another button, the Mac receives that button instead.

Can I use macros with an 8BitDo Pro 3 on a Mac?

In InputConfig any button, a paddle included, can run a timed chain of keys and clicks. Those macros send keyboard and mouse input, so they work in apps and in games played with keyboard and mouse.

Can I swap the Pro 3 face buttons to the Xbox layout on a Mac?

The caps are magnetic and can be rearranged. The Mac reads the buttons by position, so the letters you see change and what each position sends does not.

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreFree. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.