Questions
Back buttons and paddles on a Mac
Back paddles work on a Mac, but not all of them in the same way. On a DualSense Edge they arrive as buttons of their own. On most other controllers, including 8BitDo pads and an Xbox Elite on a profile, a paddle is only a copy of another button. Which kind you have decides what you can do with it, and it takes ten seconds to find out.
Two kinds of back button
Every back button on a game controller works in one of two ways, and it 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. 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, the back buttons on 8BitDo pads, Sony's Back Button Attachment for the DualShock 4, and most clip-on paddle attachments work this way. You choose what the paddle copies on the controller or in the maker's app.
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.
Controller by 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; most games ignore them | InputConfig on the Mac; Sony's profiles on a PS5 |
| 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 |
| 8BitDo Pro 2, Ultimate, Ultimate 2C and others | Two back buttons | A copy of the button you assign | On the controller, or 8BitDo's Ultimate Software |
| Steam Controller (the original) | Two grip buttons | Their own inputs, read by InputConfig wired or through the dongle | InputConfig, with Steam quit |
| 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
In InputConfig, press Scan on any row and press the back button. If the row fills with a paddle or an FN button, it arrived as its own input. If it fills with A, or R3, or whatever 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: press the paddle and watch which control lights. 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.
No app needed for a first check: System Settings, Game Controllers in the sidebar, lights each button as you press it.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
Making a copying paddle useful
A paddle that copies a button can still earn its place. On the controller, set it 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. Pressing the real button does the same thing, so pick one your hand does not reach for. I would not use the View or Share button: holding it for three seconds 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.
What to put on a back button
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.
- 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, or a hold and double-tap pair, so one paddle does three things.
- A system function: a screenshot, volume, Mission Control, a Siri Shortcut.
- An app action: Emergency Stop, Next Preset, or Pause Motion While Held, which freezes gyro aim while you re-centre the controller.
InputConfig is free and open source, needs macOS 14 or later, and asks for no account.
When 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. If 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. To swap standard buttons inside such a game, System Settings, Game Controllers, is the simpler tool; where controller mappings live on macOS explains the layers.
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 original Steam Controller's grips, reach the Mac as their own inputs in InputConfig. Most other back buttons, including 8BitDo's and the Xbox Elite's on a profile, 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.
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. Pads whose back buttons copy another button work too, with the limits above.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.