OpenEmu controller not working on a Mac
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When OpenEmu ignores a controller that the Mac itself can see, the cause is nearly always one of two macOS permissions, Input Monitoring and Bluetooth, or a pad that is connected but not picked in OpenEmu's Controls screen. Both take a minute to check. OpenEmu reads controllers directly, so it does not need a mapper, and I will show you below exactly where one helps and where it does not.
On this page
- Steps
- OpenEmu not recognizing the controller, or its controls not working
- Prove the Mac sees the controller
- Turn on the two permissions OpenEmu needs
- Pick the controller in Controls
- Check your pad: PS5, PS4, Xbox, Switch Pro and 8BitDo
- Close the apps that fight over input
- Where a mapper does help
- The short version
- Questions
Steps
- Check that the controller lights up in System Settings, Game Controllers.
- Turn on OpenEmu in Privacy and Security, Input Monitoring and Bluetooth.
- Quit OpenEmu fully and open it again.
- In OpenEmu's Controls, choose the console, your controller and the player.
- Quit Steam and any input changers, then test again.
OpenEmu not recognizing the controller, or its controls not working
Climb this ladder, smallest step first. Each rung has its own section below:
- Check the Mac sees the pad. System Settings, Game Controllers.
- Turn on Input Monitoring and Bluetooth. Both are under Privacy and Security, and wireless pads need the Bluetooth one.
- Toggle each off and on, then quit and reopen OpenEmu. A permission can stop applying after an update.
- Pick the pad in Controls. Choose the console, the controller and the player.
- Quit Steam and input changers. Then reconnect the pad.
If it is the keyboard that OpenEmu ignores, OpenEmu keyboard not working on a Mac has that ladder. A pad that shows in Controls can still be silent without the Bluetooth permission.
Prove the Mac sees the controller
- You: Open System Settings, click Game Controllers in the sidebar, and press some buttons.
- macOS: Lists the pad and lights each button.
- Check: If it lights up, the problem is inside OpenEmu. If it is not listed, fix the connection first: how to connect a controller to a Mac, or the controller test if you want to see every button live.
Turn on the two permissions OpenEmu needs
OpenEmu reads input devices directly, and macOS puts that behind permissions. OpenEmu's own troubleshooting page lists both:
- Input Monitoring. Needed for the keyboard, and the usual answer when the keyboard does not work in OpenEmu. System Settings, Privacy and Security, Input Monitoring, turn OpenEmu on.
- Bluetooth. Since macOS Monterey, wireless controllers need it, and OpenEmu's page says a pad can still appear in Controls without it but may not work. System Settings, Privacy and Security, Bluetooth, turn OpenEmu on.
Quit OpenEmu fully and open it again after changing either one. If OpenEmu is already on the list and still gets nothing, turn it off and on again. A permission granted to an older copy of the app can stop applying after an update.
Pick the controller in Controls
- You: Open OpenEmu's settings and go to Controls. Choose the console at the top, then your controller in the input menu under the picture of the pad, and the player number.
- OpenEmu: Fills in a pad it recognizes by itself.
- Check: If it does not fill in, click each button on the picture and press the matching button on your controller.
Mappings are per console, so a pad set up for the SNES still needs setting up for the Genesis. If the sticks drift or feel too sensitive, OpenEmu's guide says to rotate each stick a full circle before you start playing, which lets its automatic calibration find the edges.
Check your pad: PS5, PS4, Xbox, Switch Pro and 8BitDo
OpenEmu's controller database, as of its latest release (2.4.1, December 2023), has automatic layouts for the DualSense, the DualShock 4, the Xbox One S and Series X|S wireless controllers, the Switch Pro Controller, the 8BitDo Pro 2 and the Wii Remote. So a PS5 or Xbox pad that is not working is almost never unsupported. Go back to the permissions.
- PS3 controller. The DualShock 3 is in the database too, but on current macOS it is far more reliable over USB than over Bluetooth.
- Xbox 360 controller. macOS has no support for the wired Xbox 360 pad, so neither OpenEmu nor any mapper can read it. A newer Xbox pad or any Bluetooth pad is the fix.
- 8BitDo. If the Mac does not list it under Game Controllers, try another mode on the controller's switch. The 8BitDo page says which.
Close the apps that fight over input
OpenEmu's troubleshooting page names apps that interfere with its input: Chrome, Steam, DOSBox and Terminal, and input changers such as Karabiner, USB Overdrive and ControllerMate.
- Steam. The common one: with Steam open, its controller layer can send its own keys at the same time. Quit it and test again.
- InputConfig. While a preset that maps your pad is active, OpenEmu gets the pad and the keys. Deactivate the preset, or give OpenEmu a preset of its own with auto-switch.
Where a mapper does help
If OpenEmu reads your pad after the permission fix, you do not need a mapper for this. Three cases where InputConfig, free for macOS 14 or later, does help:
- A pad OpenEmu will not take. InputConfig can often still read it, because it also opens controllers as raw HID devices. Set OpenEmu's input for that player to the keyboard, assign the keys you like, and map the pad to those keys. OpenEmu's source code accepts key presses sent by other apps, so this works while OpenEmu is the front window. The Emulator / Arcade layout is a starting point: arrows, Z, X, A, S, Q, W, Enter and Shift.
- Menu commands on spare buttons. The commands in OpenEmu's menu bar, such as save and load state, show their keyboard shortcut beside them, and InputConfig can put any shortcut on a button OpenEmu leaves unbound, such as a DualSense Edge paddle or the touchpad click.
- The library. The same pad can move the Mac pointer around the game library and hand over to OpenEmu when a game opens.
The short version
- Permissions. Allow Input Monitoring for the keyboard and Bluetooth for wireless pads, then reopen OpenEmu.
- Controls. Pick the controller per console and per player.
- Interference. Quit Steam and input changers while you test.
Most OpenEmu controller problems are a permission switch.
Questions
Why is my PS5 controller not working in OpenEmu?
The DualSense has an automatic layout in OpenEmu, so it is rarely unsupported. Turn on OpenEmu in Privacy and Security, Input Monitoring and Bluetooth, toggle each off and on if it is already listed, quit and reopen OpenEmu, then pick the pad in Controls for the console.
Does OpenEmu support the PS5 controller?
Yes. The DualSense is in OpenEmu's controller database with an automatic layout. If it does nothing, check the Input Monitoring and Bluetooth permissions for OpenEmu in Privacy and Security, then pick it in Controls.
Why is my keyboard not working in OpenEmu on a Mac?
OpenEmu needs Input Monitoring permission for the keyboard. Turn it on in System Settings, Privacy and Security, Input Monitoring, then quit and reopen OpenEmu. The keyboard has a page of its own, with the apps that block it.
How do I change controls in OpenEmu?
Open OpenEmu's settings, go to Controls, choose the console and your controller, then click each button on the picture and press the button you want. Each console has its own mapping.
Does OpenEmu work with an Xbox 360 controller?
Not the wired one on current macOS, because macOS itself does not support it. Xbox One and Series controllers work over Bluetooth.
Is OpenEmu still updated?
Its latest release is 2.4.1, from December 2023. It still runs on current macOS for most people, which is why the permission steps matter more than the version.
Why is OpenEmu not recognizing my controller on a Mac?
First check System Settings, Game Controllers, because a pad the Mac cannot see is a connection problem. If it is listed there, the cause is nearly always a missing Bluetooth or Input Monitoring permission for OpenEmu, or no pad chosen in Controls for that console.
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