Questions

How to find a controller's Bluetooth address on a Mac

Open System Information and click Bluetooth: every Bluetooth device the Mac knows is listed there with a line named Address. That is the controller's Bluetooth address, which many people call its MAC address, and it is the same for a PS5, PS4, Xbox, Switch or 8BitDo controller. Nothing needs installing, and it takes about a minute once the controller is paired.

I make InputConfig, a free Mac app for controllers. It does not show this address, so this page uses what macOS already has.

On this page: 9 sections
  1. Steps
  2. Read it in System Information
  3. Or print it in Terminal
  4. Know the name to look for
  5. What the report shows beside the address
  6. Where the address does not appear
  7. If the controller is not in the list
  8. The short version
  9. Questions

Steps

  1. Pair the controller with the Mac over Bluetooth.
  2. Hold the Option key, open the Apple menu and choose System Information.
  3. Click Bluetooth in the sidebar.
  4. Find the controller by name under Connected or Not Connected.
  5. Read the line named Address under that name.

Read it in System Information

  • You: Pair the controller first; how to connect a controller to a Mac has the steps for each brand. Then hold the Option key, open the Apple menu, choose System Information, and click Bluetooth in the sidebar.
  • macOS: Shows the report in groups named Connected and Not Connected, with each device under its name.
  • Check: Under the controller's name is a line named Address, six pairs of letters and digits.

Apple's guide gives a second way in: System Settings, General, About, then System Report. The Address line under the controller's name is the one to copy.

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreInputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.

Or print it in Terminal

The same report prints as text, which is easier to copy from. Open Terminal and run:

system_profiler SPBluetoothDataType

The first block is headed Bluetooth Controller. That is the Mac's own Bluetooth radio, with the Mac's address. Your game controller comes after it, under its own name. The entry named Bluetooth Controller is the Mac, not the controller in your hands.

Know the name to look for

The report uses the name the controller gives the Mac, the same one that appears in System Settings, Bluetooth:

  • PS5. DualSense Wireless Controller, or Wireless Controller.
  • PS4. DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controller.
  • Xbox. Xbox Wireless Controller.
  • Others. Whatever name the pad showed when you clicked Connect.

Two controllers of the same model share a name, so switch one off and see which entry moves to Not Connected.

What the report shows beside the address

System Information has more lines for a Bluetooth device, and which ones appear depends on the device:

  • Vendor ID and Product ID. The numbers that say who made the pad and which model it is. The controller ID lookup turns them into a name.
  • Firmware Version. Useful before and after an update.
  • Battery Level. Listed for devices that report one.
  • RSSI. The signal strength of the connection.

The address identifies one controller, and the vendor and product numbers identify the model.

Where the address does not appear

  • A browser. A web page, the gamepad tester on this site included, gets a controller's name and its buttons and sticks. A browser does not hand a page the Bluetooth address.
  • InputConfig. The app does not display it.
  • A Mac with Bluetooth off. On my Mac with Bluetooth turned off, the report showed the Mac's radio with its state as Off and no devices at all.

Turn Bluetooth on and pair the controller before you open the report.

If the controller is not in the list

Climb this ladder, smallest step first:

  1. Turn Bluetooth on. System Settings, Bluetooth.
  2. Pair the controller. A pad connected only by a cable was never introduced to the Mac over Bluetooth.
  3. Open the report again. Close System Information and open it after pairing, so it reads the list fresh.
  4. Fix the pairing. If the pad will not pair at all, controller connected but not working on a Mac and the page for your brand go through it.

A controller the Mac has never paired with has no entry to read.

The short version

  • Where. System Information, Bluetooth, the Address line under the controller's name.
  • Faster to copy. system_profiler SPBluetoothDataType in Terminal.
  • Not it. The Bluetooth Controller entry at the top, which is the Mac itself.

Pair first, then read the Address line.

Questions

How do I find a PS5 controller's MAC address on a Mac?

Pair the DualSense, hold Option, open the Apple menu and choose System Information, then click Bluetooth. The Address line under DualSense Wireless Controller is its Bluetooth address.

How do I find an Xbox controller's Bluetooth address on a Mac?

Pair it, open System Information and click Bluetooth. Look for Xbox Wireless Controller under Connected or Not Connected and read the Address line below the name.

Is a Bluetooth address the same as a MAC address?

For this purpose, yes. People call a Bluetooth device's address its MAC address, and macOS labels it Address in the Bluetooth report.

Can a website show my controller's MAC address?

No. A browser gives a page the controller's name, buttons and sticks, and not its Bluetooth address. Use System Information on the Mac instead.

Can I change a controller's Bluetooth address on a Mac?

macOS has no setting for it, and InputConfig does not do it.

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreFree. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.