Game Controllers is missing from System Settings
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Game Controllers is usually missing from System Settings because no controller is connected: on many Macs the item only appears once one has been, near the bottom of the sidebar, where Apple's guide notes you may need to scroll down. If a controller is paired and the item is still missing, the Mac is not treating that device as a game controller.
Connect a controller, then look again
- You: Pair a PlayStation, Xbox or Switch controller over Bluetooth, or plug it in, then open System Settings and scroll down the sidebar.
- macOS: Shows Game Controllers, which lists the controller and lights up buttons as you press them.
- Check: If it is still missing after a macOS update, the update may have dropped the Bluetooth pairing. Pair the controller again and look once more.
How to connect a controller has the pairing button for each one.
If it is in Bluetooth but not in Game Controllers
Then the Mac sees a Bluetooth device but not a game controller. The common causes:
- An 8BitDo pad in X mode. Instead of the mode 8BitDo lists for Apple devices, D on most models.
- A generic USB or Bluetooth pad. One that presents as a plain HID device.
- A controller macOS does not support. Such as the wired Xbox 360 pad.
Games will not see those, but InputConfig can still read many of them directly. See other controllers.
Know what the pane can do
Game Controllers remaps a controller's buttons to other controller buttons, per app, in games that already support controllers. It cannot send keys or move the mouse. More in what macOS can do on its own.
If your Mac is set to another language
Apple translates the names in System Settings, so on a Mac set to Spanish or Japanese there is no item called Game Controllers to look for. These are the names on macOS 26 Tahoe, read from the Mac's own settings files. Older versions of macOS may word them a little differently. The item sits in the same place in every language: the System Settings sidebar, near the bottom.
| Mac language | System Settings | Bluetooth | Game Controllers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish (Spain) | Ajustes del Sistema | Bluetooth | Mandos de videojuegos |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Configuración del Sistema | Bluetooth | Controles de videojuegos |
| Portuguese (Brazil) | Ajustes do Sistema | Bluetooth | Controles de Videogame |
| Portuguese (Portugal) | Definições do Sistema | Bluetooth | Comandos |
| French | Réglages Système | Bluetooth | Manettes de jeu |
| German | Systemeinstellungen | Bluetooth | Spielecontroller |
| Italian | Impostazioni di Sistema | Bluetooth | Controller |
| Japanese | システム設定 | Bluetooth | ゲームコントローラ |
| Korean | 시스템 설정 | Bluetooth | 게임 컨트롤러 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 系统设置 | 蓝牙 | 游戏控制器 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 系統設定 | 藍牙 | 遊戲控制器 |
So a Mac in Spanish pairs a controller in Ajustes del Sistema, Bluetooth, and checks it in Mandos de videojuegos. Everything else on this page applies unchanged.
The short version
- Nothing connected. The item hides. Connect a controller and scroll down the sidebar.
- Connected and still missing. The device is not a game controller to macOS. Check its mode.
- Another language. Use the table above for the name to look for.
The Game Controllers item only appears while macOS sees a game controller, so connect one before you look for it.
Questions
Where is Game Controllers in System Settings?
In the sidebar, near the bottom. It usually appears once a controller has been connected.
Why is my controller in Bluetooth but not in Game Controllers?
The Mac does not treat it as a game controller. Check the controller's mode, such as X mode on an 8BitDo pad, which should be D, or use a mapper that reads the device directly.
Game Controllers disappeared from System Settings after I updated macOS. Is it gone?
No. The item only appears while a controller is connected, so after an update that dropped the Bluetooth pairing it hides until you pair or plug in a controller again. Look near the bottom of the sidebar.
What is Game Controllers called on a Mac in Spanish, German or Japanese?
Mandos de videojuegos in Spanish (Controles de videojuegos in Latin American Spanish), Spielecontroller in German, Manettes de jeu in French, Controles de Videogame in Brazilian Portuguese, and ゲームコントローラ in Japanese. It sits in the System Settings sidebar, near the bottom, in every language.
Related
This page in other languages: Deutsch, 日本語, Русский, Türkçe, 繁體中文
Updated