PS4 controller not working 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.
Most of the time the Mac sees the DualShock 4 fine and something else is wrong: it was paired back to a PS4, the cable only charges, or the game was never written to read controllers. Start at the top and stop at the first check that fails.
On this page
Steps
- Confirm the controller in Game Controllers in the System Settings sidebar.
- If it is missing, start with the pad off, hold PS and Share until the light bar flashes quickly, forget any old entry, and pair again, or use a data cable.
- In Steam, turn on PlayStation controller support and flip the game's Steam Input setting if needed.
- For games without controller support, activate a matching InputConfig preset.
Check whether the Mac sees it
- You: Open Game Controllers in the System Settings sidebar and press some buttons.
- macOS: Lists the DualShock 4 and lights the buttons in the picture.
- Check: If it lights up, the controller is working and the problem is in the app or game. Go to Steam or games with no controller support. If Game Controllers is missing or the pad is not listed, the Mac has not connected to it. Carry on below.
The missing Game Controllers page and testing a controller go further.
If it will not pair
Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Start from off. No cable plugged in and the light bar dark, which is how Sony's own steps begin.
- Hold PS and Share long enough. Keep holding until the light bar flashes quickly. Letting go at the first glow is the most common miss.
- Forget the old entry. If a DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controller entry is in System Settings, Bluetooth, forget it first, then pair again.
- Restart Bluetooth. Turn Bluetooth off and on, or restart the Mac, and try once more.
- Use a data cable. Apple says a cable that carries data pairs and connects it on its own, which also tells you whether the problem is Bluetooth or the pad.
If it connected once, then stopped
The DualShock 4 remembers one console or computer at a time. If it was plugged into a PS4 and PS was pressed, even just to charge it, it is paired to the PS4 again and the Mac cannot reach it. Pair it with the Mac again with PS and Share. Using it on both is easier with a cable on the Mac side.
If it keeps disconnecting
A worn battery, distance from a desktop Mac or a hub on the cable is the usual cause, so charge it, move closer, or plug it straight into the Mac. Every cause and fix is on PS4 controller keeps disconnecting from a Mac.
If the cable does nothing
If the light bar glows on the cable but the Mac shows no controller, the cable is almost always charge only. Try one you know carries data, such as a cable that syncs a phone or a camera. On a Mac with only USB-C ports, a micro-USB to USB-C cable is simplest.
If Steam ignores it
- You: In Steam's Settings, Controller, turn on PlayStation controller support and check the pad is listed. Launch the game from Steam, since Steam Input only reaches games Steam started.
- Steam: Passes the pad to the game, translated or raw depending on the game's Steam Input setting.
- Check: If a game still ignores it, or reacts twice to one press, change that game's own Steam Input setting (right-click it, Properties, Controller) and relaunch. Some games want Steam's translation and some want the raw controller.
Both directions are covered: works in Steam but not in the game and works on the Mac but not in Steam.
If the game has no controller support
Minecraft Java has no controller support on any computer, so a DualShock 4 does nothing in it until something translates. The Minecraft preset in InputConfig does that with no mod: the sticks become WASD and the mouse, the triggers mine and place. Roblox is on its own page.
For any other game or app that ignores the pad, the Smart Preset Maker has a ready layout for 450+ games and apps, and the play any game guide walks through it. Turn off Steam Input for that game first, so two apps are not translating the same pad.
If an emulator ignores it
Emulators such as PCSX2 and OpenEmu read the DualShock 4 themselves, so bind it in the emulator's own controller settings rather than with a mapper, and if a mapper is running, stop it while you play so each press only arrives once. A mapper helps most with the retro games that only ever knew a keyboard, such as DOS games in DOSBox and adventure games in ScummVM. The emulators and retro games guide has layouts for those.
If InputConfig shows it but nothing happens
Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Activate the preset. A preset does nothing until it is active.
- Watch the Live Visualizer. It should light up when you press a button.
- Check Accessibility. If the visualizer lights up and nothing reaches the app, the Accessibility permission for InputConfig, in System Settings, Privacy and Security, Accessibility, is the usual cause.
More on connected but not working.
The short version
- Not listed. Hold PS and Share until the light flashes quickly, forget old entries, or use a data cable.
- Listed, ignored in Steam. Turn on PlayStation support and flip the game's Steam Input.
- Listed, ignored in the game. Map it to keys with a preset.
Stop at the first check that fails, because that is where the fix is.
Questions
Why won't my PS4 controller connect to my Mac?
Usually it is not fully in pairing mode, an old Bluetooth entry is in the way, or it was paired back to a PS4. Start with the pad off, hold PS and Share until the light bar flashes quickly, forget any old entry, and pair again. A data cable connects it without pairing.
Why is my PS4 controller connected to my Mac but not working in a game?
The game does not read controllers on the Mac, or Steam Input is set the wrong way for it. Flip the game's Steam Input setting, or use a mapper so the game receives keyboard and mouse input.
Does a PS4 controller need a driver on a Mac?
No. macOS has supported the DualShock 4 since Catalina. There is nothing to install for pairing.
Related
Updated