How to use a Logitech controller 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.
Slide the small X/D switch to D and plug it in. In D mode the Mac reads a Logitech F310, F510 or F710 as a standard USB gamepad, with no driver, on Apple silicon and Intel alike. In X mode the Mac cannot read it at all, which is why most people think it is broken. It is not a game controller as far as macOS is concerned, so a native Mac game may not see it. Steam and emulators can, and for everything else InputConfig picks it up on its own and maps it to keys and the mouse. I make InputConfig, so weigh that.
On this page
Steps
- Slide the X/D switch to D.
- Plug in the pad, or the F710's USB receiver.
- Check System Information, USB if nothing happens.
- Pick a preset in InputConfig, or map rows with Scan.
Set the X/D switch to D
Logitech's F-series pads have two modes. X is XInput, the Xbox 360 protocol, which macOS has never supported. D is DirectInput, a plain USB HID gamepad that the Mac reads with nothing installed.
- F310, wired. The switch is on the back, next to the cable. Slide it to D, then plug in.
- F510, wired with rumble. The same switch and the same answer. Rumble is not driven on a Mac.
- F710, wireless. Plug its small USB receiver into the Mac, slide the switch to D, and press a button to wake it. It uses its own receiver, not Bluetooth, so it never appears in Bluetooth settings.
- You: Open System Information and look under USB.
- macOS: Lists the pad if it can read it.
- Check: If you moved the switch while it was plugged in and nothing changed, unplug it and plug it back in. In X mode, InputConfig's Devices menu lists the pad with a note that macOS cannot read it, which is the hint to slide the switch.
For most people, the X/D switch is the fix.
Know what is different in D mode
- The triggers are buttons. In D mode LT and RT are on or off, not analog, so a racing game's throttle is all or nothing.
- Mode swaps the left stick and the D-pad. If the stick moves in steps, or the D-pad moves like a stick, press Mode once. Its light shows which way round it is.
- The Logitech button does nothing. Logitech's own guide says it has no function in DirectInput mode.
- A stick can run backward. If up moves down, tick Invert in that row's Options.
If it does not show up on a USB-C MacBook
Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Add an adapter. A MacBook Air or MacBook Pro needs a USB-A to USB-C adapter, or a hub with a USB-A port.
- Check System Information. Look under USB with the switch on D.
- Hold the Logitech button while plugging in. Some owners report that this, with the switch on D, gets an F310 recognized on a USB-C port, and that the same trick helps the F710's receiver.
The last rung is a fix other people report, not something InputConfig controls, but it costs nothing to try.
Skip the driver downloads
D mode needs nothing installed. Be wary of sites offering an F310 Mac driver download. The only driver that ever made X mode work on a Mac was 360Controller, a kernel extension that is unmaintained and does not load on current macOS. See controller drivers on a Mac for the rest of the old hardware.
Use it in games, Steam and emulators
Because macOS does not list the pad under Game Controllers in System Settings, a game that only uses Apple's controller support will not see it. Steam and many emulators read USB gamepads themselves, so try the game's own controller settings first. When a game ignores the pad, or has no controller support at all, InputConfig reads it directly.
Since 1.6, InputConfig reads an F310, F510 or F710 in D mode with its buttons named and placed like any other controller, from the community SDL GameControllerDB: A, B, X and Y, the bumpers, the sticks and the D-pad land where an Xbox pad's do. The built-in presets line up on those controls without rescanning, and the Live Visualizer draws the pad itself.
- Install InputConfig from the Mac App Store and allow Accessibility access.
- Set the switch to D and plug the pad in.
- Pick a preset, or search the Smart Preset Maker for the game or app.
- To change a row, press Scan and then the button you want there. On an empty device, Automatically insert available inputs adds a row for every control the pad has.
- Activate. The menu bar icon and the emergency stop turn it off instantly.
If you made rows on the pad in 1.5, when its buttons were numbered in the pad's own order, InputConfig offers to update the presets it can tell were made on it the first time the pad connects.
Logitech flight sticks and wheels
Logitech's sticks and wheels are HID devices too, and the Mac reads them with no driver. Each has its own page: the Extreme 3D Pro, the G29 and G923, and the G27, G25 and Driving Force GT. The X52 and X56 are covered on the flight stick and HOTAS page.
The short version
- Slide the switch to D. X mode is the Xbox 360 protocol, which macOS cannot read.
- Expect button triggers. D mode makes LT and RT on or off.
- Map it where games ignore it. InputConfig reads it directly and names its buttons like an Xbox pad's.
It takes no driver and no download, only one switch.
Questions
Does the Logitech F310 work on a Mac?
Yes, with the switch on the back set to D. The Mac reads it with no driver. Games that only use Apple's controller support will not see it, but Steam, emulators and InputConfig can.
Why does my F310 do nothing on my Mac?
It is almost always in X mode. Unplug it, slide the switch on the back to D, and plug it in again. On a USB-C Mac, check the adapter, and look for it under USB in System Information.
Does the Logitech F710 work over Bluetooth?
No. It has no Bluetooth. It uses its own USB receiver: plug the receiver into the Mac and set the controller's switch to D.
Are the F310's triggers analog on a Mac?
Not in D mode, where they are buttons. Analog triggers need X mode, which the Mac cannot read.
Do InputConfig's presets work on an F310?
Mostly. Since 1.6 its face buttons, bumpers, sticks and D-pad are named and placed like an Xbox pad's in D mode, so the built-in presets line up there. The triggers are buttons in D mode, so rows that expect analog triggers need a rescan.
Is there a Logitech F310 driver for macOS?
No, and D mode does not need one. The old 360Controller driver for X mode does not load on current macOS.
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