Questions
OpenEmu controller not working on a Mac
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 say below exactly where one helps and where it does not.
First, prove the Mac sees the controller
Open System Settings and click Game Controllers in the sidebar. If your pad is listed and the buttons light up as you press them, the Mac has it and 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.
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 to "OpenEmu keyboard not working". System Settings, Privacy and Security, Input Monitoring, turn OpenEmu on.
- Bluetooth. Since macOS Monterey, wireless controllers need it. 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
Open OpenEmu's settings and go to Controls. Choose the console at the top, then choose your controller in the input menu under the picture of the pad, and the player number. A pad OpenEmu recognises fills in by itself; otherwise 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.
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 is the common one: with Steam open, its controller layer can send its own keys at the same time. Quit it and test again. The same goes for 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.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
Where a mapper does help
Three cases. If OpenEmu will not take a particular pad no matter what, 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.
Second, 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. Third, the same pad can move the Mac pointer around the game library and hand over to OpenEmu when a game opens.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store for macOS 14 or later. If OpenEmu reads your pad after the permission fix, you do not need it for this.
Questions
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.
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.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.