PS5 controller not vibrating on a Mac
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A DualSense that connects to a Mac and works in a game but never vibrates is almost always fine. macOS supports its rumble motors, but a game only vibrates the controller if its developer asked macOS to, and many Mac games and ports never did. Test the motors first, so you know which of the two you are dealing with.
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Steps
- Open System Settings, Game Controllers, select the DualSense and click Identify.
- Or activate InputConfig's Haptic Feedback preset and press the four face buttons.
- If nothing buzzes, connect a USB-C cable and test again.
- If it buzzes on the cable only, forget and re-pair the controller over Bluetooth.
Test the motors
Two ways, both in a minute:
- System Settings. Open Game Controllers in the sidebar, select the DualSense and click Identify. On a pad that supports it, that plays a haptic pattern.
- Four strengths. Install InputConfig, free on the Mac App Store, activate its Haptic Feedback preset, click into a text field and press Cross, Circle, Square and Triangle. Each types a letter and vibrates, from 30 percent on Cross to 100 on Triangle.
Then read the result:
- It buzzes. The controller, the connection and the Mac are fine, and the game is the reason.
- It does not. Connect the controller with a USB-C cable and try again.
- Still nothing on a cable. The fault is in the controller.
Every case, controller by controller, is on how to test controller vibration on a Mac.
Know why a game stays still
Rumble is something a game has to send. On the Mac it goes through Apple's controller framework, and a game that never wrote that code gets buttons and sticks but no vibration.
- Windows games in a compatibility layer. Hit and miss for the same reason. The CrossOver page covers that case.
- Steam games. Steam Input sits between the game and the controller, so turning Steam Input on or off for that one game in its controller settings is worth one try each way.
None of that is something a controller app can fix from outside the game.
If it buzzes on a cable but not over Bluetooth
Then the wireless link is the problem, not the motors.
- You: Forget the controller in System Settings, Bluetooth, then hold PS and Create until the light bar flashes, and connect it again.
- macOS: Pairs it fresh.
- Check: Run the motor test again over Bluetooth.
If it also drops out now and then, PS5 controller keeps disconnecting has the fixes.
What a Mac does not do
What you get on a Mac is rumble: the motors, stronger or weaker. The textured haptic effects of PS5 games are not part of it, and InputConfig does not add them. The adaptive triggers are another matter. Since 1.8, InputConfig can give L2 and R2 a steady Light, Medium or Firm resistance while a preset runs, but the effects a PS5 game scripts into them, like a bow drawing tighter, come only from games that program them. If a Mac game feels flatter than the same game on a PS5, that is the difference.
Add vibration to what you press
What InputConfig can do is make the controller vibrate when one of your own bindings fires.
- You: In a row's Options, under Feedback, tick Vibrate and set Strength, 10 to 100 percent, and Duration, from a tap to two seconds.
- InputConfig: Vibrates the controller each time that row fires.
- Check: Press the control and feel the buzz.
I would use it on rows whose result you cannot see, like a macro or a hidden shortcut, so you can feel it went through. It works on the DualSense, DualSense Edge and DualShock 4 over Bluetooth and USB, and on Xbox controllers through macOS. It does not pass a game's own rumble through or add rumble to a game's explosions. Step by step: how to make a controller vibrate on a Mac.
The short version
- Test first. Use Identify in Game Controllers, or the Haptic Feedback preset.
- It buzzes. The game simply does not send rumble.
- It buzzes only on a cable. Re-pair it over Bluetooth.
A still controller in a Mac game is usually a quiet game, not a broken pad.
Questions
Does a PS5 controller vibrate on a Mac?
Yes. The motors work on a Mac, in games that send rumble and in apps like InputConfig. Many Mac games do not send it, which is why the controller can feel dead.
Does rumble work over Bluetooth on a Mac?
Yes. Games that use rumble can use it over Bluetooth, and InputConfig vibrates the DualSense, DualSense Edge and DualShock 4 over Bluetooth and over USB.
Can I test DualSense vibration on a Mac without a PS5?
Yes. Click Identify for the controller in System Settings, Game Controllers, or activate InputConfig's Haptic Feedback preset and press the four face buttons. Each rumbles at a different strength.
Do the adaptive triggers work on a Mac?
Only as far as a game or InputConfig sets them. InputConfig gives each trigger a steady Light, Medium or Firm resistance while a preset runs. Effects that change with the game have to come from the game itself.
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