Questions

Can you update Xbox controller firmware on a Mac?

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No. Microsoft's controller updates run only on an Xbox console, or on a Windows 10 or 11 PC through the Xbox Accessories app, and there is no Mac version of that app. You rarely need one, it takes a few minutes on a borrowed machine, and the update stays in the controller, so the Mac benefits from then on.

On this page
  1. Check whether you need an update
  2. Update it on an Xbox console
  3. Update it on a Windows PC
  4. Update it on an Intel Mac with Boot Camp
  5. Pair it back to the Mac afterward
  6. Edit Elite Series 2 profiles in the same app
  7. The short version
  8. Questions

Check whether you need an update

Update if one of these is true:

  • The Mac asks for one. It shows a message that the controller needs a firmware update. Apple's own Xbox pairing article says to follow Microsoft's instructions when that happens.
  • It keeps dropping. The controller pairs and then drops within minutes, again and again, after you have ruled out batteries and an Xbox it is still paired with.
  • It never appears. It is missing from System Settings, Bluetooth, even with the Xbox button blinking fast in pairing mode.

If it pairs, stays connected, and responds in Game Controllers in the System Settings sidebar, there is no need to go looking for an update.

Update it on an Xbox console

  • You: Put fresh batteries in, or charge an Elite. Connect the controller to the console, wirelessly or with a USB cable, then go to Profile and system, Settings, Devices and connections, Accessories. Pick the controller, open the menu under the three dots, and choose the update.
  • Xbox: Installs it in a few minutes.
  • Check: The update finishes with the controller still connected.

Plugging it into the console with a cable often brings the update prompt up on its own.

Update it on a Windows PC

Install Xbox Accessories from the Microsoft Store on Windows 10 or 11 and connect the controller with a USB cable: USB-C for Series and Elite Series 2 pads, micro-USB for Xbox One pads. The app cannot update over Bluetooth, so bring a cable. It offers the update if one is waiting.

A friend's laptop, a family PC, or a work machine where you are allowed to install apps is enough. The controller keeps the update when it comes back to the Mac.

Update it on an Intel Mac with Boot Camp

An Intel Mac that already has Windows installed through Boot Camp can start up in Windows and use the Xbox Accessories app there, exactly as on a PC. Apple silicon Macs have no Boot Camp. I have not tested a Windows virtual machine for this, so I will not promise that route works.

Pair it back to the Mac afterward

An update through a console usually leaves the controller paired to that Xbox, and it will keep going back there.

  • You: Turn the console fully off, forget the old controller entry in the Mac's Bluetooth settings, then hold the pairing button on the top edge until the Xbox button blinks fast.
  • macOS: Lists the controller with a Connect button.
  • Check: Click Connect and press a button in Game Controllers.

The full steps are in how to connect an Xbox controller to a Mac, and Xbox controller will not connect covers the rest.

The popover for the Xbox Wireless Controller at the top of InputConfig's sidebar, listing its brand, type, buttons, axes and battery, with Refresh Controllers and Disconnect.
Figure 1. After the update, pair it again and look for it here. Thirteen buttons and six axes means it came back whole.
InputConfig's Live Visualizer with the Desktop Navigation preset and the Xbox Wireless Controller connected, its pressed controls lit.
Figure 2. Then press a few buttons. The Live Visualizer lights each one, which shows the update changed nothing about how the Mac reads it.

Edit Elite Series 2 profiles in the same app

The Xbox Accessories app is also where the Elite Series 2's button profiles are made. They are saved inside the controller, so a profile set up on an Xbox or a PC carries over to the Mac, where the profile button on the controller switches between them.

On the Mac itself, remapping happens in the game, in Steam, or system-wide with a mapper such as InputConfig, free on the Mac App Store, which never touches the controller's firmware. More in the Elite Series 2 on a Mac.

The short version

  • Not on a Mac. Updates need an Xbox or a Windows 10 or 11 PC.
  • Rarely needed. Only when the Mac asks, or the pad keeps dropping or never appears.
  • Pair again afterward. The console keeps the controller until you do.

Borrow a machine for a few minutes, and the update stays in the controller for good.

Questions

Is there an Xbox Accessories app for Mac?

No. Microsoft makes it for Windows 10 and 11 and for Xbox consoles only. To update a controller or edit Elite profiles, you need one of those for a few minutes.

Can I update an Xbox controller without an Xbox or a PC?

Not from a Mac. Borrow an Xbox or a Windows 10 or 11 PC for a few minutes, or use Boot Camp on an Intel Mac that already has Windows. The update stays in the controller afterward.

Does the Mac need the controller's firmware to be current?

Only if it is not working. If the controller pairs, stays connected and responds in Game Controllers in System Settings, leave it as it is.

Does InputConfig update controller firmware?

No. It reads the controller and turns its buttons and sticks into keys, clicks, mouse movement and other actions. It never writes firmware to the controller.

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