A presentation clicker on a Mac: setup, and what to do when it does nothing
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.
Most presentation clickers work on a Mac with no driver, because they show up as a small keyboard: each button sends a key, usually Right arrow or Page Down for next, Left arrow or Page Up for back, and something for start and black screen. That is also why almost every problem is one of three things: the slideshow is not the app in front, the button sends a key your app does not use, or the receiver is not getting through.
On this page
Set one up
- Plug the USB receiver straight into the Mac, or into a plain USB-C to USB-A adapter. For a Bluetooth clicker, pair it in System Settings, Bluetooth.
- If a Keyboard Setup Assistant window opens, that is macOS meeting a new keyboard. Close it, or follow it. Either is fine.
- You: Start the slideshow and click the Keynote, PowerPoint, or browser window once so it is the app in front. Then press next.
- macOS: Sends the clicker's key to the slideshow.
- Check: The slide advances.
The maker's own app, where there is one, adds extras such as an on-screen highlight. Next and back work without it.
If it will not advance
Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Bring the show to the front. Keys go to the front app. If a notification, a second screen, or your notes window has focus, the slideshow never sees the press. Click the slide once.
- Start the show. The arrow keys only change slides while the slideshow is running: Option Command P in Keynote, Command Shift Return in PowerPoint.
- Get the receiver through. Try another port, take it off a hub or dock, and replace the battery. A receiver behind the laptop and a wall of people is a weak link.
- Check the key. The button may send a key the app ignores. See what it actually sends, below.
See exactly what each button sends
Open TextEdit and press the buttons: arrows move the cursor, Page Down scrolls, B types a b. For the key's name, InputConfig's Scan does it directly.
- You: Add a keyboard row, press Scan, and press the clicker button.
- InputConfig: Shows the key it sent in the row.
- Check: Compare it with the app's own shortcut list.
If the start button does nothing in PowerPoint
Many clickers send F5 from the start button, sometimes alternating with Escape. F5 starts a show in PowerPoint on Windows. Microsoft's shortcut list for PowerPoint on a Mac uses Command Shift Return instead, and Keynote uses Option Command P.
- You: Make a row in InputConfig with F5 as the input and Command Shift Return as the output, and add PowerPoint to the preset's auto-switch list so it only runs there.
- InputConfig: Sends Command Shift Return whenever F5 arrives in PowerPoint.
- Check: Press the start button and the show begins.
There are two limits you should know about. The app listens alongside macOS, so F5 itself still arrives too. And every keyboard reports to it as one device, so it cannot tell the clicker from your Mac's keyboard, and fn F5 on the laptop will start the show as well.
If a clicker is not the right tool
Two buttons are not enough for some talks, and some hands cannot work a small remote.
- A game controller. Over Bluetooth it gives you next and back under every finger, a stick for the pointer, and room for black screen and jump to a slide. The presentation remote layout sets that up.
- A foot. A USB MIDI keyboard's sustain pedal can turn slides.
- A knock. A double knock on a MacBook's palm rest can too, with Tap the Mac. It was tested on M4 MacBooks; it did not work on an M1 Pro in our testing; the calibrator's status chip tells you whether yours listens.
The short version
- No driver. A clicker is a small keyboard.
- Most failures. The show is not in front, not playing, or the receiver is blocked.
- A start button that fails in PowerPoint. It sends F5. Map it to Command Shift Return.
Click the slide once before you start talking.
Questions
Do presentation clickers work with a Mac?
Most do, with no driver. A clicker that acts as a keyboard works in Keynote, PowerPoint, and Google Slides as soon as the slideshow is playing and in front.
Why does my clicker work in one app but not another?
Each app listens for its own keys. Find out what the button sends (TextEdit, or Scan in InputConfig) and check that app's shortcut list. If the key is missing there, a row in InputConfig can send the key the app wants whenever that button is pressed.
Can I remap the buttons on my clicker?
Partly. InputConfig can add an action to any key a clicker sends, but it cannot stop the original key, and it cannot tell the clicker apart from the Mac's own keyboard. For a clicker that sends ordinary keys like the arrows, that is usually fine.
Can I use a PS5 or Xbox controller as a clicker instead?
Yes. Pair it over Bluetooth and activate the Presentation Remote layout in InputConfig. It works in Keynote, PowerPoint, and Google Slides.
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