Questions
Controller works in Steam but not in the game on a Mac
Big Picture and the Steam overlay respond to the controller, then the game ignores it. On a Mac this nearly always comes down to one of three things: the game's own Steam Input setting, a game that has no controller support on the Mac, or the game being launched outside Steam. Work through these in order.
Steps
- Change the game's Steam Input override in Properties, Controller.
- Check the game supports controllers on a Mac.
- Launch it from Steam.
- If it only reads keyboard and mouse, use a mapper.
1. Flip the game's Steam Input setting
In the Steam library, right-click the game, open Properties, then Controller, and change the override. If it says Enable Steam Input, try Disable Steam Input, and the other way round. Some games want Steam's translation, others want the raw controller, and the default guesses wrong often enough that this fixes most cases. Relaunch the game after each change.
2. Check that the game supports controllers on a Mac
A game's store page may list controller support for Windows only. If the Mac version has none, the game only listens to the keyboard and mouse, whatever Steam does. Look for a controller setting in the game's own options too; some games need it switched on.
3. Launch it from Steam
Steam Input only reaches games Steam launched. A game opened from the Finder or from another launcher does not get it. Non-Steam games can be added to Steam with Add a Non-Steam Game, but on a Mac that route is unreliable.
When the game only reads keyboard and mouse
Then the fix is outside Steam: a mapper sends the keys and mouse movement the game expects. InputConfig has ready layouts for 450+ games in its Smart Preset Maker. To avoid two apps translating the same pad, disable Steam Input for that game first.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
Big Picture works, the game and the desktop do not
This is a common report on recent macOS, not a setting you missed: Steam reads the pad while its own window is in front and loses it once a game or the desktop takes focus. An Apple Community thread from February 2026 shows it on macOS 26.3, and checking permissions and updating did not fix it for the poster. What helps, in order:
- Grant Steam Input Monitoring, and Accessibility if it asks, in System Settings, Privacy and Security. Quit Steam fully and open it again.
- Set the game's Steam Input override to Disabled, so the game reads the pad itself instead of through Steam.
- If the game has no controller support of its own on a Mac, map the pad to keys below Steam, where focus does not matter. InputConfig does this for free (I make it), and a preset can switch on by itself when the game comes to the front.
Questions
Why does my PS5 controller work in Steam but not in the game?
Usually the game's Steam Input override. Try Enable, then Disable, in the game's Properties, Controller. If the game has no Mac controller support, use a mapper.
Should Steam Input be on or off?
It depends on the game. Try both. With a mapper such as InputConfig, turn it off for that game so the two do not fight.
What if the game runs in Steam inside CrossOver?
Then it is Windows Steam in a Wine bottle, with its own settings, separate from Steam on the Mac. The checks are different; see Steam in CrossOver not detecting a controller.
The game worked with my controller before I updated macOS. What changed?
Usually the game or the layer it runs in, not macOS. Update the game and Steam, try the Steam Input override both ways, and read the version notes on the after a macOS update page.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.