Does a Razer Kishi work on a Mac?
The Kishi Ultra does, over a cable: Razer announced on October 15, 2024 that a firmware update adds wired connections with Mac devices. Razer sells the Kishi V3 line as phone controllers that also work as PC controllers over USB-C, and its pages do not name the Mac for those. The older Kishi V2 with a USB-C plug can reach a Mac, and the Lightning model cannot.
The facts about each Kishi come from Razer's own pages, read on October 7, 2026. I make InputConfig, a free Mac app that maps a controller to keys and mouse and recognizes the Kishi V2 by name. I have not tested a Kishi myself.
On this page: 9 sections
Know which Kishi you have
| Model | What Razer says | On a Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Kishi Ultra | For iPhone 15 and 16, the iPad mini and Android 12 or later, and a controller for PC or iPad over USB-C | Wired, after the firmware update Razer announced in October 2024 |
| Kishi V3, V3 Pro, V3 Pro XL | For phones and small tablets, and a wired controller for PCs over a USB-C cable, sold separately | Not named by Razer. Worth a try over the same cable |
| Kishi V2, USB-C | For USB-C phones | InputConfig expects it as a standard gamepad and draws it by name. Not tested |
| Kishi V2, Lightning | For older iPhones | Cannot plug into a Mac at all |
The Kishi Ultra is the one model Razer itself says works with a Mac.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
Connect a Kishi Ultra
- Update the Kishi Ultra's firmware first, since wired Mac support arrived in an update.
- Connect the controller to the Mac with a USB-C cable.
- Open System Settings and look for it under Game Controllers.
- Press a button in the gamepad tester to see what arrives.
Razer's announcement gives the fact and not the steps, so follow Razer's own instructions for the update and for wired use. An out-of-date Kishi Ultra is the first thing to rule out when a Mac ignores it.
Try a Kishi V3
Razer says a Kishi V3 can be connected over USB-C to work as a wired game controller for PCs, with the cable sold separately. It does not say the same about a Mac, so nothing here is promised by Razer. Connect it the way Razer describes for a PC, then check the gamepad tester and InputConfig's Devices menu. If either one shows the controller, it can be mapped. If neither does, the model does not present itself in a way a Mac reads.
Use a Kishi V2
- How it should arrive. InputConfig is written to read the USB-C Kishi V2 through macOS as a standard gamepad, with A, B, X and Y, both sticks, the triggers and the D-pad. I have not tested whether the grip appears on a Mac.
- What InputConfig adds. It recognizes the Kishi V2 by name and draws it in the Live Visualizer, so each press lights on a picture of the grip.
- What does not arrive. L4 and R4 are set up in Razer's Nexus app and never reach the Mac as buttons of their own.
- The plug. The grip's USB-C plug is made for a phone, so reaching a Mac needs a USB-C extension cable with a socket on one end.
A phone grip on a Mac is a small standard gamepad once the cable is sorted out. The Backbone One on a Mac is the same idea from another maker.
Map it to keys and mouse
In Mac games that support controllers, a Kishi that macOS lists works by itself. For everything else, InputConfig turns the sticks, triggers and buttons into keys, mouse movement, clicks, scrolling and macros, with ready layouts for more than 450 games and apps. A mapper is what makes a small grip useful outside the handful of games that support controllers. Your first preset has the steps.
Know what stays on the phone
- Razer Nexus. Razer's app for the Kishi runs on the phone. Settings made there do not follow the controller to a Mac as separate inputs.
- Haptics and audio. Razer describes haptic vibration and 3.5 mm audio for PC use on the Kishi Ultra. Its Mac announcement mentions the wired connection only.
- Wireless. Razer describes a direct USB-C connection for the Kishi line, and its pages mention no Bluetooth.
Expect the buttons and sticks on a Mac, and count anything more as a bonus.
If the Mac does not see it
Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Look in System Settings. Bluetooth for a wireless pad, and Game Controllers in the sidebar for one macOS accepts.
- Open the gamepad tester. The gamepad tester draws whatever a browser receives from the pad, with nothing to install.
- Open the Devices menu. In InputConfig, Devices, a pad the Mac can read is listed to tick, and one it cannot is grayed out with the reason.
- Check the cable. It has to carry data, not only power. Plug into the Mac directly, not through a hub.
A cable that only charges is the most common reason a wired grip stays invisible. Controller not recognized on a Mac goes further.
The short version
- Kishi Ultra. Wired, after a firmware update, per Razer.
- Kishi V3 line. A PC controller over USB-C. The Mac is not named.
- Kishi V2. USB-C model only, as a standard gamepad.
Update the firmware, use a data cable, and let the gamepad tester tell you what arrives.
Questions
Does the Razer Kishi Ultra work on a Mac?
Yes, over a cable. Razer announced in October 2024 that a firmware update adds wired connections with Mac devices. Update the firmware, then connect it with a USB-C cable.
Does the Razer Kishi V3 work on a Mac?
Razer says the Kishi V3 line works as a PC controller over a USB-C cable and does not name the Mac. I have not tested one, so connect it and check a gamepad tester.
Does the Razer Kishi V2 work on a Mac?
The USB-C model is the one to try: InputConfig is written to read it as a standard gamepad and draws it by name, though its plug needs an extension cable to reach a Mac and I have not tested it. The Lightning model cannot plug into a Mac.
Do the Kishi's extra buttons work on a Mac?
On the Kishi V2, L4 and R4 are set up in Razer's Nexus app and do not reach the Mac as buttons of their own.
Can I map a Razer Kishi to keyboard keys on a Mac?
Yes. Once macOS or InputConfig can read it, InputConfig maps its buttons, sticks and triggers to keys, mouse movement, clicks and macros.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.
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