How to use a controller on Minecraft Education 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.
Use a mapper. Minecraft Education is built for keyboard and mouse or touch, its own support site has said it does not support controllers, and a pad the Mac can see still does nothing in the world. So the way to play it with a controller on a Mac is from outside the game: an app that turns the controller into the keyboard and mouse Minecraft Education already understands. InputConfig does that, free on the Mac App Store. If the version your school runs does respond to your controller, use that. You need nothing else. If you are playing regular Minecraft (Java Edition), not Education, follow how to play Minecraft with a controller on a Mac instead.
Set it up
- Pair the controller: a PS5, PS4, Xbox or Switch Pro pad all work.
- Install InputConfig and grant the Accessibility permission when it asks.
- Find the built-in Minecraft preset and Duplicate it, so the original stays as it is. Rename the copy Minecraft Education.
- You: In the copy, open Automation & Gaming Utilities. The built-in preset opens the Minecraft app when it activates. Pick Minecraft Education there instead, or clear the field. Add Minecraft Education to the app list too.
- InputConfig: Switches the preset on by itself when the game is in front.
- Check: Press Activate, open your world, and walk with the left stick.
Know the layout
Minecraft Education keeps the standard Minecraft keyboard controls, so the Minecraft preset is the place to start. I test it with Java. The keys it sends are the ordinary Minecraft defaults.
| Control | Does | Sends |
|---|---|---|
| Left stick | Walk | W, A, S, D |
| Right stick | Look | Mouse movement |
| Right trigger | Mine and attack | Left click |
| Left trigger | Place and use | Right click |
| A / Cross | Jump | Space |
| B / Circle | Sneak | Shift |
| X / Square | Inventory | E |
| Y / Triangle | Drop | Q |
| Bumpers | Scroll the hotbar | Scroll wheel |
| D-pad | Hotbar slots 1 to 4 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Left stick click | Sprint | Control |
| Left stick all the way forward | Sprint | Control |
The keyboard keeps working alongside the controller, which matters in Minecraft Education: Code Builder, chat and signs all need typing.
Make it feel right
- The view creeps. If it moves when nobody touches the right stick, raise the deadzone on the right stick rows.
- Turning is too slow or too fast. Change the Speed value on those rows.
- The camera stops at the screen edge. It should not: the preset keeps the pointer off the screen edges while it runs.
The deadzones page explains both settings.
Ask first on a school Mac
Installing an app from the Mac App Store and granting it Accessibility, in System Settings, Privacy & Security, can need an administrator on a Mac the school manages. InputConfig has no account, no analytics and no network access, which is worth telling whoever looks after the Macs. At home on a family Mac, you can do it yourself in a few minutes.
The short version
- No built-in support. Minecraft Education takes keyboard and mouse or touch.
- A copy of the Minecraft preset. Point it at Minecraft Education, and it uses the same keys.
- At school. An administrator may need to install it.
Duplicate first, so the original Minecraft preset stays as it was.
Questions
Does Minecraft Education support controllers?
Its support site has said no. It is built for keyboard and mouse or touch. On a Mac, InputConfig turns a controller into the keyboard and mouse input it expects.
Can I use a PS4 or PS5 controller on Minecraft Education?
Yes, through a mapper. Pair the controller with the Mac, activate a copy of InputConfig's Minecraft preset, and the game sees keyboard and mouse input.
Is using a mapper allowed at school?
It sends ordinary keyboard and mouse input and changes nothing in the game. Whether you may install apps on a school Mac is the school's decision.
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