Do Hori controllers work on a Mac?
Many do, as plain USB controllers that a mapper reads, and the mode matters. Hori makes its pads and sticks for consoles and says several are also compatible with a PC through X-Input. X-Input is the mode a Mac does not read from most third-party controllers. In a console mode, a Hori pad or stick reaches a Mac as an ordinary USB device, and InputConfig, the free Mac app I make, already carries the button layouts for a long list of them.
What Hori says comes from its own pages, read on October 7, 2026. The list of models comes from the controller database InputConfig bundles. I have not tested a Hori controller myself.
On this page: 8 sections
Check the list of models InputConfig knows
- Horipad. Horipad 4 in its PS4 and PS3 modes, the Horipad Mini 4 and FPS Plus 4, and the Horipad for Nintendo Switch.
- Fight pads. Fighting Commander 3 Pro, Fighting Commander 4 in PS4 and PS3 modes, and the Pokken Tournament DX Pro pad.
- Arcade sticks. Fighting Stick Mini, Fighting Stick mini 4 in PS4 and PS3 modes, and the Real Arcade Pro for Nintendo Switch.
- Switch grips. The Split Pad Pro and the Split Pad Fit, where they connect by USB.
These have Mac entries in the list, which comes from a community database, so their buttons are named and placed correctly. A model that is not listed can still be read as an unnamed gamepad. A listed model gets its real button names with no setup. The controller ID lookup searches the same list.
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.
Pick the mode before you plug in
- A console mode. PS4 or PS3 on a model with a platform switch, or the mode a Switch pad starts in. In these modes it is an ordinary USB controller, and that is what the listed entries are for.
- PC mode. Hori describes its PC support as X-Input on the pages I read. Most third-party X-Input devices cannot be read on a Mac, by macOS or by an app from the Mac App Store.
On a Hori switch, the PC position is the one to avoid on a Mac. InputConfig lists a pad it cannot read grayed out in its Devices menu, with the reason, so a wrong mode is easy to spot.
Check yours in a minute
- Connect the controller the way you plan to use it: Bluetooth, its dongle, or a cable that carries data.
- Open the gamepad tester in a browser and press a button.
- If nothing draws, open InputConfig and look in its Devices menu.
- Read what it says: listed to tick means readable, and grayed out means it is not, with the reason.
If the Devices menu grays the pad out, change its mode and plug it in again.
Map it to keys and mouse
A Hori pad read this way is not a game controller as far as macOS is concerned, so games with controller support of their own may ignore it. Mapping gets around that: InputConfig turns the buttons and sticks into keys, mouse movement, clicks and macros, in any game or app. For a fight pad or stick, that means every button on a key the game or the emulator expects. Mapped to keys, a fight pad works in any game that takes a keyboard. Arcade sticks on a Mac covers sticks in more depth.
Know where the Wireless Horipad for Steam stands
Hori sells the Wireless Horipad for Steam for Windows 11 and 10 and the Steam Deck. Its FAQ says X-Input mode needs a cable and is not available over Bluetooth, and that Hori's Device Manager app works only in X-Input mode on a cable. Hori's pages do not mention a Mac. Over Bluetooth it is not in X-Input, which is the only encouraging sign for a Mac, and I have not tested it. Pair it and check the gamepad tester before you count on it.
Mind the Switch button letters
A Switch-style Hori pad prints B at the bottom and A on the right. InputConfig binds by position, so a layout made for an Xbox controller keeps each action under the same thumb. To bind a row to one particular button, press Scan and press it. Go by where a button is, not by the letter printed on it. The Switch Pro Controller on a Mac explains the swapped letters.
The short version
- Mode. A console mode, not PC.
- Read by. InputConfig, as a plain USB controller, with names for the listed models.
- Test. The gamepad tester, then the Devices menu.
A Hori pad in a console mode is one of the easier third-party controllers to use on a Mac.
Questions
Do Hori controllers work on a Mac?
Many reach a Mac as plain USB controllers in a console mode such as PS4, PS3 or Switch, and InputConfig, a free Mac app, has button layouts for a long list of Hori pads and sticks. Hori's PC mode is X-Input, which a Mac does not read from most third-party controllers.
Which mode should a Hori fight stick be in on a Mac?
A console mode, PS4 or PS3 on most sticks. Avoid the PC position, which Hori describes as X-Input.
Does the Hori Split Pad Pro work on a Mac?
Attached to a Switch it talks only to the Switch. Hori sells an attachment set that connects it by USB and lists a Nintendo Switch and a PC through X-Input for it. InputConfig's list has a Mac entry for the Split Pad Pro, and I have not tested one.
Will Mac games see a Hori controller?
Games with controller support of their own may not, when macOS does not list the pad under Game Controllers. Mapping its buttons to keys and mouse makes it work in any game.
Does the Wireless Horipad for Steam work on a Mac?
Hori lists Windows 11 and 10 and the Steam Deck, and does not mention a Mac. I have not tested it.
Related
Completely free. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon. Open source on GitHub.
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