Questions
How to connect Joy-Cons to a Mac
Slide the Joy-Con off the Switch, hold the small Sync button on its rail until the lights run back and forth, and click Connect next to Joy-Con (L) or Joy-Con (R) in System Settings, Bluetooth. Then do the same with the other one. Each Joy-Con is its own Bluetooth device, so the Mac sees two controllers. macOS 13 Ventura and later support them with no driver, on any Mac, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro included.
Step by step
- Detach the Joy-Cons from the Switch.
- On the Mac, open System Settings, Bluetooth.
- On the first Joy-Con, hold the Sync button, the small round button on the flat rail side between SL and SR, until the lights on the rail run back and forth.
- Click Connect next to Joy-Con (L) or Joy-Con (R) when it appears.
- Repeat for the other Joy-Con.
If the Switch is on nearby, a Joy-Con may go straight back to it. Turn the console off while you pair, or on the Switch open System Settings, Controllers and Sensors, Disconnect Controllers.
One controller from two Joy-Cons
Two paired Joy-Cons are two controllers to the Mac. With both connected, macOS 13 and later may also show a combined Joy-Con Pair that behaves like one full-size gamepad, which is what games expecting one controller want.
If an app sees them separately and you want them to act as one pad, InputConfig gives each Joy-Con its own slot in the same preset, so the left one can carry movement and the right one the actions. Bindings made on the combined pair do not carry over to a single Joy-Con, so pick one arrangement per preset.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
One Joy-Con held sideways
Turned sideways, a single Joy-Con is a small gamepad: a stick, four face buttons, and the SL and SR buttons on the rail. It is a good one-handed controller for reading, media and a pointer. Sideways, the stick is a quarter turn off, so bind directions with Scan by pushing the stick the way you want and they come out right. The one-handed Mac guide has a Joy-Con One Hand preset to download that makes it a complete mouse, and two people can use one Joy-Con each, since every Joy-Con has its own slot.
Games and apps that ignore them
Mac games with controller support see Joy-Cons through Apple's controller support, though many show Xbox letters on screen. In Steam, turn on the support for Nintendo controllers in Steam, Settings, Controller, then set Steam Input for the game from the controller icon on its page. For everything that only takes a keyboard and mouse, InputConfig maps Joy-Con buttons to keys, clicks and the pointer. Full game layouts from Smart Preset Maker want the buttons of both Joy-Cons; a single Joy-Con suits a pointer and short layouts. Emulators differ, so if yours does not list the Joy-Con, map it to the keys of the emulator's keyboard profile; the emulators guide shows how.
What does not come through
macOS passes the buttons and sticks through. It does not pass the IR camera, NFC, or the motion sensors, so a Joy-Con cannot be a tilt pointer or aim with gyro on a Mac. For motion on a Mac, use a DualSense, DualSense Edge or DualShock 4; see gyro aim on a Mac.
BetterJoy, Joy-Con Toolkit and JoyKeyMapper
BetterJoy and Joy-Con Toolkit are Windows programs, and there are no Mac versions. A Mac does not need BetterJoy to pair Joy-Cons, because macOS 13 reads them itself.
JoyKeyMapper is a small free Mac app, open source under MIT, that maps Nintendo controllers to keys; its last release, 1.2.0, is from August 2020. If you only ever use Joy-Cons, it may be all you need. I built InputConfig for the wider case: Joy-Cons, every other controller, MIDI gear and the Mac's own keyboard and mouse in one app, on macOS 14 or later.
Joy-Con 2
The Joy-Con 2 that come with the Switch 2 do not pair with macOS on their own as of September 2026. The details, and what the community projects do, are on Switch 2 Pro Controller and Joy-Con 2 on a Mac.
Questions
Can you connect Joy-Cons to a Mac?
Yes, on macOS 13 Ventura or later. Pair each Joy-Con on its own from the Sync button on its rail, in System Settings, Bluetooth.
How do I use two Joy-Cons as one controller on a Mac?
Pair both. On macOS 13 and later the Mac may offer a combined Joy-Con Pair that acts as one gamepad. If an app still sees two, InputConfig can put both in one preset, one slot each, so they work together as one pad.
Why is my Joy-Con not connecting to my Mac?
It is usually still attached to, or paired with, the Switch. Detach it, turn the console off, choose Forget This Device next to the Joy-Con in the Mac's Bluetooth settings if it was paired before, then hold the Sync button until the lights run and click Connect.
Do Joy-Cons work in Steam on a Mac?
Turn on Steam's support for Nintendo controllers in Steam, Settings, Controller, and set Steam Input for the game. If a Steam game still ignores them, see controller works on a Mac but not in Steam.
Can I use a Joy-Con for Anki on a Mac?
Yes. Four face buttons and the two rail buttons cover rate, undo and replay, which is the whole review loop in one hand. The Anki guide has the layout.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.