Back buttons and paddles on a Mac
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Back paddles work on a Mac, but not all of them in the same way. On a DualSense Edge and on both Steam Controllers they arrive as buttons of their own. On an Xbox Elite set to a profile, Sony's Back Button Attachment and most clip-on paddles, a paddle is only a copy of another button. 8BitDo pads can do either, depending on the mode and the profile. Which kind you have decides what you can do with it, and it takes ten seconds to find out.
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Know the two kinds of back button
Every back button on a game controller works in one of two ways, and that decides everything about using it on a Mac.
- Its own input. The controller reports the paddle as a button of its own. Nothing else fires when you press it, so it can have any job you like. The DualSense Edge's two paddles and two FN buttons work this way, as do the grip buttons on the original Steam Controller and the four back buttons on the 2026 model. Apple's controller framework also lists the four Xbox Elite Series 2 paddles as buttons of their own, but only while the Elite is on its default profile.
- A copy of another button. The controller turns the paddle into a second A, or a second R3, before the Mac hears anything. The Mac cannot tell the paddle from the button it copies. The Elite on profiles 1 to 3, Sony's Back Button Attachment for the DualShock 4, the Backbone Pro's M1 and M2, and most clip-on paddle attachments work this way. You choose what the paddle copies on the controller or in the maker's app.
- Either, on 8BitDo. P1 and P2 sit between the two: in the mode for a Mac with no profile changing them, they can arrive as their own buttons, and a profile can make them copy another.
Most Mac games only read the standard buttons, so even a paddle that is its own input often does nothing in a game. A mapper fixes that by turning the paddle into a key, a click, or a shortcut.
Look up your controller
| Controller | Back buttons | What the Mac receives | Where you set them |
|---|---|---|---|
| DualSense Edge | Two paddles (lever or half dome), FN left and right | Their own inputs. InputConfig reads them over Bluetooth and USB-C, and with two PlayStation controllers each keeps its own paddles. Most games ignore them | InputConfig on the Mac. Sony's profiles on a PS5, which InputConfig lists over USB-C |
| Xbox Elite Series 2, and the Core with the paddles fitted | Four paddles, P1 to P4 | Default profile: their own buttons, per Apple. Profiles 1 to 3: a copy of the button the profile assigns | Xbox Accessories app on an Xbox or a Windows PC. There is no Mac version |
| Steam Controller (2026) | L4, R4, L5, R5 | Their own inputs, read by InputConfig on a cable, over Bluetooth or through the Puck (experimental) | InputConfig, with Steam quit |
| Steam Controller (the original) | Two grip buttons | Their own inputs, read by InputConfig wired or through the dongle | InputConfig, with Steam quit |
| 8BitDo Pro 2 and Ultimate | P1 and P2 | In the mode for a Mac: their own buttons, which InputConfig names P1 and P2. With a profile: a copy of the assigned button | 8BitDo's Ultimate Software |
| 8BitDo Ultimate 2C | L4 and R4, small bumpers on the top edge, not on the back | Over Bluetooth: their own buttons. In X mode: nothing of their own | On the controller |
| DualShock 4 with Sony's Back Button Attachment | Two | A copy of the button you assign | The attachment's own screen |
| Standard DualSense, Xbox Series, Switch Pro | None | Nothing to map. A chord gives any button a second job instead |
Find out which kind you have in ten seconds
- You: In InputConfig, press Scan on any row and press the back button.
- InputConfig: Fills the row with whatever the controller sent.
- Check: If the row fills with a paddle, a back button or an FN button, it arrived as its own input. If it fills with A, or R3, or anything else, the controller is copying that button, and binding the row would bind the real button too.
The Live Visualizer shows the same thing without binding anything. It draws the DualSense Edge, the Xbox Elite Series 2 and the 8BitDo Pro 2 with their back buttons where they really are, and lights the control that arrives. If nothing lights at all, the Mac is not receiving the paddle in this mode, and the controller's own settings are the place to look.
For a first check with no app at all, System Settings, Game Controllers in the sidebar lights each button as you press it. A paddle that shows up as itself can do anything, but one that shows up as A can only ever be A.
Make a copying paddle useful
A paddle that copies a button can still be useful.
- You: On the controller, set the paddle to copy a button you can spare in what you are doing, such as a stick click or a D-pad direction you never press. Then bind that button in InputConfig.
- InputConfig: Runs the row whenever that button arrives, from the paddle or from the real button.
- Check: Pressing the real button does the same thing, so make sure it is one your hand does not reach for.
I would not use the View or Share button: held with Start for three seconds, it is InputConfig's emergency stop by default.
On an Xbox Elite, the cleaner route is the default profile, with the profile light off. That is the one setting where Apple's framework reports the paddles as buttons of their own.
Give a back button a job
Back buttons sit under fingers that are otherwise idle, which makes them the best place for anything you want without letting go of the sticks:
- A chord modifier. Hold the paddle and every other button gets a second job, a whole extra layout from one finger. See chords.
- A keyboard key. For a game that only reads the keyboard: jump, reload, a push-to-talk key for voice chat, the map.
- A macro, turbo or toggle. See macros, turbo and toggle, or a hold, a double tap and a triple tap, so one paddle does four things.
- A system function. A screenshot, volume, Mission Control, a Siri Shortcut. See system functions.
- An app action. Emergency Stop, Next Preset, or Pause Motion While Held, which freezes gyro aim while you re-center the controller.
The Smart Preset Maker can fill the back buttons for you on a DualSense Edge, an Xbox Elite or a Steam Controller: it makes them repeat face buttons, so a game layout uses them from the start. On other pads, add the rows with Scan. InputConfig is free and open source, needs macOS 14 or later, and asks for no account.
If a game already supports the controller
A game with controller support reads the controller through Apple's framework, so it sees the standard buttons and, at best, the Elite's paddles on the default profile.
- The game ignores a paddle. Bind the paddle to the keyboard key the game uses for that action, and InputConfig sends the key alongside the controller.
- You want standard buttons swapped. System Settings, Game Controllers is the simpler tool. Where controller mappings live on macOS explains the layers.
The short version
- Own input. The back buttons are their own input on the DualSense Edge, both Steam Controllers, the Elite on its default profile, and 8BitDo in the mode for a Mac with no profile.
- A copy. They copy another button on the Elite on a profile, Sony's Back Button Attachment, the Backbone Pro's M1 and M2, and most clip-on paddles.
- The test. Press Scan and press the paddle.
Ten seconds with Scan tells you what a paddle can do on a Mac.
Questions
Do controller back paddles work on a Mac?
Yes, but how depends on the controller. The DualSense Edge paddles and FN buttons, and the back buttons on both Steam Controllers, reach the Mac as their own inputs in InputConfig. 8BitDo's P1 and P2 can arrive either way. The Xbox Elite's paddles on a profile, and most clip-on paddles, send a copy of another button.
Can I map controller paddles to keyboard keys on a Mac?
Yes, with a mapper. In InputConfig, press Scan on a row, press the paddle, and pick a key, a shortcut, a click or a macro. A paddle that copies another button binds as that button, so give it a button you can spare first.
Is there a Mac app for the Xbox Elite or DualSense Edge?
Neither Microsoft nor Sony makes one. Elite profiles are made in the Xbox Accessories app on an Xbox or Windows, and Edge profiles on a PS5. Both are stored in the controller and travel to the Mac. InputConfig maps the back buttons on the Mac itself, free, and lists an Edge's four stored profiles over USB-C.
Why does my paddle press two buttons at once?
The controller is copying a button onto it. On a DualSense Edge, a paddle assigned to another button on a PS5 sends both. Clear the assignment on the controller, or bind the copied button to nothing.
Which controller with back buttons suits a Mac best?
For mapping, the DualSense Edge: its paddles and FN buttons arrive as their own inputs over Bluetooth and USB-C, and InputConfig also uses its touchpad, gyroscope, light bar and rumble. The 2026 Steam Controller's four back buttons are their own inputs too, though its support is still experimental. Pads whose back buttons copy another button work, with the limits above.
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