Using a controller with GeForce NOW on a Mac
InputConfig is completely free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
GeForce NOW takes a controller on a Mac, in its Mac app and in the browser. For the Mac, NVIDIA lists Xbox controllers and the PS5 DualSense and PS4 DualShock 4. Pair the pad with the Mac, start the game, press a button, and it should just work with the game's own controller layout. When it does not, the fixes below are in the order I would try them, and the last part covers the pads GeForce NOW does not know at all.
On this page
Set it up
- Pair the controller in System Settings, Bluetooth, or plug it in. Step by step: PS5, Xbox, PS4.
- Open the GeForce NOW app, or play.geforcenow.com in Safari 16.4 or later.
- Start the game, then press a button on the controller.
- If the game asks, choose controller input in its own settings.
A browser does not hand a gamepad to a page until it has been touched, and it costs nothing to do the same in the app.
If the controller is not detected
Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Press a button after the stream starts. Most "not detected" reports end here.
- Reconnect, then reload. A pad that drops and reconnects mid-session is often gone from the stream until the page reloads or the app restarts.
- Try the other client. The Mac app and a browser read controllers separately, so a pad one misses the other sometimes picks up. If Safari misses it, try Chrome, and the other way round.
- Use one controller at a time. Players on NVIDIA's forums report a second connected pad stopping input in some games. Turn off the ones you are not using.
- Make sure the Mac sees it. If it is not listed in Bluetooth settings or in a gamepad tester, the problem is on the Mac, not in GeForce NOW: controller not recognized on a Mac.
If GeForce NOW does not list your pad
A Switch Pro Controller, Joy-Cons, the Steam Controller, an 8BitDo in X or D mode, a PlayStation Access Controller, an arcade stick or a generic USB pad may or may not be picked up. NVIDIA does not promise them on the Mac. But every game on GeForce NOW is the PC version, and almost every PC game takes a keyboard and mouse. The reliable fallback is to have the controller type and move the mouse.
That is what InputConfig does, free. It reads the pad on the Mac side, including pads Apple's controller framework does not know, which it reads as raw HID devices, and sends keys, clicks and mouse movement. The stream sees a keyboard and mouse player. The Smart Preset Maker has ready layouts for more than 450 games and apps, so you rarely start from nothing. The Fortnite layout is one.
- Switch Pro. See Switch Pro.
- Steam Controller. See Steam Controller.
- 8BitDo. See 8BitDo.
- Everything else. See other controllers.
Do not run both at once
InputConfig does not hide the controller from other apps. If GeForce NOW already sees the pad and a keyboard preset is running too, the game gets both, and many games flip their button prompts back and forth.
- Use the keyboard route only when the stream does not see the pad. Stop the preset from the menu bar before you play with the pad directly.
- A gamepad-only game needs the real pad. InputConfig does not emulate a controller, so a game that only accepts a gamepad needs GeForce NOW to see the real one.
Make the layout switch on by itself
Add the GeForce NOW app to the preset's app list and turn on automatic switching in Settings, Advanced. The preset activates when the app comes to the front, and your desktop preset takes over when you leave (auto-switch).
- In a browser. Keep one browser just for streaming, say Chrome, so the game layout does not take over Safari while you read.
- A windowed stream. Mouse-look game layouts from the Smart Preset Maker keep the pointer off the screen edges, which stops the cursor drifting out of the window.
- A way out. Hold the controller's Back and Start buttons together for three seconds: the emergency stop lets go of every key.
Cut the lag
A Bluetooth pad adds a little delay and the stream adds more. A cable for the controller and a wired or strong 5 GHz connection for the Mac do the most good. The rest is in controller input lag on a Mac. If you play Fortnite this way, Fortnite on a Mac with a controller covers the game itself.
The short version
- Listed pads. Xbox, DualSense and DualShock 4: pair, start the game, press a button.
- Not detected. Press a button, reconnect and reload, then try the other client.
- Unlisted pads. Map them to keyboard and mouse with InputConfig, and never run both routes at once.
Every GeForce NOW game is a PC game, and a PC game almost always takes a keyboard.
Questions
Does GeForce NOW work with a PS5 controller on a Mac?
Yes. NVIDIA lists the DualSense and the DualShock 4 as supported on macOS. Pair it in Bluetooth settings, start the game, and press a button.
Why is my Xbox controller not working on GeForce NOW on my Mac?
Check that the Mac sees it, press a button after the game loads, then reconnect and reload. If the app misses it, try Safari or Chrome. If nothing sees it, map it to keyboard and mouse with InputConfig. The PC version of the game takes those.
Can I use a Steam Controller with GeForce NOW on a Mac?
It is not on NVIDIA's Mac list. InputConfig reads the original Steam Controller, wired or through its dongle, and can play GeForce NOW games as keyboard and mouse from it, trackpads included. Quit Steam first. The two fight over the controller.
Can I remap controller buttons for GeForce NOW?
Try the game's own controller settings first. Most PC games let you rebind. For a layout the game will not allow, or a pad it cannot see, map the controller to keys with InputConfig.
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