Questions
Do the Nintendo Switch Online controllers work on a Mac?
Yes, over Bluetooth. The Nintendo 64, Super NES and SEGA Genesis controllers that Nintendo sells for Switch Online pair with a Mac the way a Switch Pro Controller does: hold SYNC on the controller, then click Connect in System Settings, Bluetooth. macOS 13 and later lists them as game controllers. The USB-C port is for charging.
I make InputConfig, a free Mac app that draws all three in its Live Visualizer, names their buttons as Nintendo prints them, and maps them to keys and mouse for emulators and games that want a keyboard. This page says what the app reads from each one, and where I have not confirmed something.
On this page: 10 sections
Steps
- Charge the controller with its USB-C cable, then unplug it.
- Hold the SYNC button until the player lights flash.
- On the Mac, open System Settings, Bluetooth, and click Connect beside the controller.
- Open InputConfig, and tick the controller under InputConfig, Devices if it is not at the top of the sidebar.
- Activate a preset, or press Scan on a row and press a button to bind it.
Pair one over Bluetooth
- You: Hold SYNC until the player lights flash, then open System Settings, Bluetooth and click Connect beside the controller. The Nintendo 64 pad appears as N64 Controller.
- macOS: Pairs it, and on macOS 13 or later lists it under System Settings, Game Controllers.
- Check: InputConfig's Live Visualizer draws the controller and lights each button you press.
SYNC sits in a different place on each one:
- Nintendo 64 controller. On the top edge, beside the USB-C port.
- Super NES controller. On the front, below SELECT and START.
- SEGA Genesis Control Pad. On the underside.
Hold SYNC, click Connect, and the controller is a Bluetooth game controller like any other.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
Know what each controller sends
| Controller | What InputConfig reads | What it does not have |
|---|---|---|
| Nintendo 64 | A, B, the four C buttons, L, R, Z, ZR, START, HOME, Capture, the Control Stick and the D-pad | A second stick |
| Super NES | A, B, X, Y, L, R, ZL, ZR, SELECT, START and the D-pad | Sticks, HOME, Capture, motion and rumble |
| SEGA Genesis | A, B, C, START, MODE, HOME, Capture and the D-pad. The six-button model sold in Japan adds X, Y and Z | Sticks |
- Printed letters. On the Super NES pad A is on the right and B at the bottom, the reverse of an Xbox pad, so a game's on-screen prompts may not match the letter under your thumb.
- The small extra buttons. ZR on the Nintendo 64 pad and ZL and ZR on the Super NES pad are the ones Nintendo added for the Switch. They are ordinary buttons you can bind.
Press Scan on a row and press the button, and the printed letter stops mattering.
Bind the N64 controller's C buttons
The four yellow C buttons are the part of this controller that differs most between programs.
- Read by InputConfig directly. They are four separate buttons, C-Up, C-Left, C-Down and C-Right, and each takes its own binding.
- Read through macOS. I have not confirmed how Apple's controller support places the C buttons, or A and B, for this pad. In a game or emulator, check them in its controller settings before you play.
- In either case. Scan in InputConfig binds whatever arrives when you press the button, so you do not need to know the number.
If a C button does the wrong thing, rebind it with Scan; do not trust a default for this pad.
Use them for emulators and Mac games
- Console emulators. OpenEmu, RetroArch and others read a paired controller themselves, and you assign the buttons in their controller screen. The emulators and retro games guide says where each keeps it, and covers DOSBox and ScummVM, which want keys.
- Games with controller support. A pad macOS lists shows up in the game. A game that expects two sticks and four shoulder buttons will be short of inputs on these pads.
- Games and apps that take keys. InputConfig turns the D-pad into arrow keys or WASD and each button into a key, a click or a shortcut.
A controller with a D-pad and six buttons suits the games it was made for and little else, so pick it for those.
Leave the cable for charging
InputConfig reads these three controllers over Bluetooth only. Over USB-C a Switch controller waits for a start command before it reports anything, and InputConfig does not send one to these pads. The same is true of the Switch Pro Controller, which a Mac also reads only over Bluetooth.
Plug the cable in to charge, and unplug it to play.
If it does not connect
Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Charge it. A controller that has sat in a drawer may be flat. Give it a few minutes on the cable, then unplug it.
- Hold SYNC again. The player lights should flash while it looks for a computer.
- Forget it and pair again. In System Settings, Bluetooth, click the i beside the controller, choose Forget This Device, and pair from the start. A controller last used with a Switch often needs this.
- Check your macOS. macOS 13 Ventura is the first version that lists these controllers under Game Controllers.
- Tick it in the Devices menu. If the Mac shows it as connected and InputConfig does not, tick it under InputConfig, Devices in the menu bar.
More fixes are on Switch Pro Controller not working on a Mac, which pairs the same way. If it is connected in Bluetooth settings and lights the Live Visualizer, the rest is binding.
What InputConfig does not read
- SYNC. The controller uses it for pairing and it never reaches the Mac.
- The lights. InputConfig does not read or set the player lights, and the recharge light belongs to the controller.
- The cable. Bluetooth only, as above.
Every button you play with is read; the pairing button and the lights are not.
The short version
- Pair. Hold SYNC, then Connect in System Settings, Bluetooth.
- Check. Game Controllers on macOS 13 or later, or the Live Visualizer.
- Bind. Scan each button, and check the N64 pad's C buttons before you trust them.
- Charge. The cable charges; it does not connect.
Nintendo's Switch Online controllers are Bluetooth controllers, and a Mac treats them as such.
Questions
Does the Nintendo Switch Online N64 controller work on a Mac?
Yes, over Bluetooth. Hold SYNC on the top edge until the player lights flash, then connect N64 Controller in System Settings, Bluetooth. macOS 13 and later lists it as a game controller, and InputConfig reads every button, the Control Stick and the four C buttons.
Do the Switch Online SNES and Genesis controllers work on a Mac?
Yes, the same way: hold SYNC, then connect in System Settings, Bluetooth. InputConfig draws both and reads all of their buttons and the D-pad. Neither has sticks.
Can I use a Switch Online controller on a Mac with the USB-C cable?
Not for input. InputConfig reads these controllers over Bluetooth only, and the cable charges them.
Which macOS version do the Switch Online controllers need?
macOS 13 Ventura or later for macOS to list them under Game Controllers.
How do I map the N64 controller's C buttons on a Mac?
In InputConfig, press Scan on a row and press the C button, then pick the key or click it should send. Read directly, the four C buttons are four separate buttons. I have not confirmed how macOS's own controller support places them, so check them in a game's settings.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.