Questions
How to connect a controller to a Mac
Every modern controller connects to a Mac in one of two ways: plug in a USB cable, or put the pad in pairing mode and pick it in System Settings, Bluetooth. No drivers, no app. The steps below cover both, then the part the other guides skip: what to do when the Mac sees the controller and a game still ignores it.
Steps
- Put the controller in pairing mode (see the table), or plug in a USB cable.
- Open System Settings, Bluetooth, and click Connect next to the controller.
- Open System Settings, General, Game Controllers and press a button to confirm it is live.
- Open the game. If it does not respond, map the controller to the keyboard with InputConfig.
Over Bluetooth
Put the controller into pairing mode, then on the Mac open System Settings, Bluetooth, wait for it under Nearby Devices, and click Connect. The pairing button is the only part that differs:
| Controller | Pairing mode |
|---|---|
| PS5 DualSense, DualSense Edge | Hold PS and Create together until the light bar flashes |
| PS4 DualShock 4 | Hold PS and Share together until the light bar flashes |
| Xbox Series, Xbox One (Bluetooth models), Elite 2 | Hold the small pairing button on the top edge until the Xbox button blinks fast |
| Switch Pro Controller | Hold the Sync button next to the USB-C port until the player lights run |
| Joy-Cons | Hold the Sync button on the rail; pair each one on its own |
| 8BitDo | Set the mode switch to A, then hold the pairing button |
A controller pairs with one device at a time. If it is still paired to a console or a phone, unpair it there first or it will keep jumping back.
Over USB
Plug it in. A DualSense, DualShock 4, Xbox Series or One pad, and most 8BitDo pads work the moment the cable is in, and charge while they are there. Plug into the Mac directly if you can; some USB hubs drop controllers.
Check the Mac sees it
On macOS 13 and later, System Settings, General, Game Controllers lists every connected pad and lets you press buttons to watch them light up. If the controller is there, the Mac side is done. If it is not, the pairing did not finish: forget the device in Bluetooth, restart the controller, and pair again.
When a game still ignores it
This is the part nobody warns you about. The Mac seeing a controller does not mean a game will. Native Mac games that use Apple's controller framework just work. Everything else, which is a lot: older games, keyboard-only games, browser games, apps that were never games, and Windows games running through CrossOver or a streaming service that does not pass the pad through, sees nothing. For those, InputConfig reads the controller and sends the keys and mouse movements the game expects, so the game thinks you are on a keyboard. It is free and open source, and it ships with layouts for more than 450 games and apps.
Questions
Do I need a driver to use a controller on a Mac?
No. Every current PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and MFi controller is supported by macOS itself. The one exception is the wired Xbox 360 pad, which uses a protocol macOS does not speak.
Why does my controller show up in Bluetooth but not in the game?
The game does not support controllers, or does not support yours. Check the game's settings first. If there is no option, map the controller to the keyboard with InputConfig.
Can I connect two controllers to one Mac?
Yes. Pair each one; the Mac and InputConfig number them from 0, and each preset can hold a layout per controller.
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