Does a Razer mouse work on a Mac?
Yes, as a mouse: the pointer, both main buttons and the scroll wheel work on any Mac with nothing installed. What varies is the software. Razer Synapse for Mac supports a short list of mice, thirteen when I read it, and a model that is not on the list gets no Synapse settings on a Mac. The side buttons are the usual complaint, and that one is macOS, not Razer: a Mac hands them to the app in front, and most apps do nothing with them.
The supported list is from Razer's support page for Synapse for Mac, which Razer updated on August 21, 2026 and I read on October 7, 2026. I make InputConfig, a free Mac app that reads any mouse's extra buttons and gives each one a job, with no vendor app.
On this page: 9 sections
Steps
- Plug in the mouse or its dongle. The pointer, clicks and scrolling work at once.
- Check Razer's Synapse for Mac list for your model.
- If it is listed, install Synapse for Mac to set DPI, lighting and buttons.
- If it is not, bind the side buttons in InputConfig: press Scan on a row, then press the button.
See which mice Synapse for Mac supports
| Family | Models on Razer's list |
|---|---|
| Basilisk | Basilisk Mobile, Basilisk V3 35K, Basilisk V3 Pro, Basilisk V3 Pro 35K |
| Cobra | Cobra Pro |
| DeathAdder | DeathAdder V3 Pro, DeathAdder V4 Pro |
| Naga | Naga V2 Pro |
| Pro Click | Pro Click V2, Pro Click V2 Vertical Edition |
| Viper | Viper V3 Pro, Viper V3 Pro SE, Viper V4 Pro |
Razer says support also depends on the macOS version and the Mac itself, and the list changes, so check its page before buying. If your model is not in this table, Synapse on a Mac will not configure it.
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.
Know what works with nothing installed
- Pointer, clicks and scroll. Every Razer mouse is a standard mouse to a Mac.
- Speed. System Settings, Mouse sets tracking speed. The mouse's own DPI button still steps through its stored DPI levels, inside the mouse.
- Side buttons. They reach the Mac as Button 4 and Button 5. Whether anything happens is up to the app in front.
- Lighting. Without Synapse there is no way to change it from the Mac.
The mouse itself works out of the box, so software only matters for the extras.
Make the side buttons do something
- You: Open InputConfig, add a row, press Scan, and press a side button.
- InputConfig: Shows the row as Button 4 or Button 5.
- Check: Choose what it sends: Back, Forward, a shortcut, Mission Control, a macro.
It works with any Razer mouse, on Synapse's list or not, because it reads the buttons macOS already receives. A row can also hold back the button's own action, so a browser that does use Button 4 does not go back twice. On a Mac the side buttons need an app to give them a job, and that app does not have to be Razer's. Mouse side buttons on a Mac has the full setup, and mouse back button not working explains the cause.
Handle a Naga's thumb grid
A mouse with a grid of thumb buttons often sends keyboard keys from them, such as the number row, not mouse buttons. A Mac then sees typing. InputConfig listens to the keyboard; it does not block or remap the key itself, so a grid that types 1 still types 1. The fix is in the mouse: set the grid to keys nothing else uses, F13 to F20, in Razer's software, and bind those. The Naga V2 Pro is on Synapse for Mac's list. For an older Naga that stores its profile in the mouse, that means setting it up once in Synapse on a Windows PC. Give the thumb grid keys that type nothing, and every button becomes free to assign. How to map extra mouse buttons on a Mac walks through it.
Use a Razer keyboard or keypad
The same support page lists keyboards from the BlackWidow V4 and Huntsman V3 Pro families, and no Tartarus keypad. A keyboard or keypad that Synapse for Mac does not list still types on a Mac with its default keys. An unlisted Razer keyboard still types normally, and the only thing you lose is its custom layers. Keys and mouse buttons as inputs covers what a Mac app can add on top.
If the mouse does not work at all
- Try another port. Plug the cable or dongle into the Mac directly, not a hub.
- Check the mode switch. Many wireless Razer mice have a switch between the dongle and Bluetooth, and the mouse only talks to the one it is set to.
- Pair it again. For Bluetooth, remove it in System Settings, Bluetooth and pair it fresh.
- Charge it. A flat battery looks like a dead mouse.
If the pointer moves, the mouse itself is fine, and whatever is left is a setting. The mouse tester shows every button the Mac receives, in a browser.
The short version
- Works. The pointer, the clicks and the scroll wheel work on any Mac.
- Synapse for Mac. Razer's list had thirteen mice on it as of August 2026.
- Side buttons. Bind them in a mapper, listed model or not.
I think a Razer mouse makes a good Mac mouse, and its side buttons work as soon as an app gives them a job.
Questions
Do Razer mice work on a Mac?
Yes. The pointer, main buttons and scroll wheel work with nothing installed. Razer Synapse for Mac, for DPI, lighting and button settings, supports only the models on Razer's list.
Is there Razer Synapse for Mac?
Yes. Razer publishes Synapse for Mac and a list of supported devices, which had thirteen mice when it was updated on August 21, 2026.
How do I use Razer mouse side buttons on a Mac?
Give them a job with an app. macOS passes Button 4 and Button 5 to the app in front, and many apps ignore them. InputConfig reads them from any mouse and can send Back, Forward or any shortcut.
Does the Razer Naga work on a Mac?
As a mouse, yes. The Naga V2 Pro is on Razer's Synapse for Mac list. On other models the thumb grid sends whatever keys the mouse has stored.
Does the Razer Tartarus work with Synapse on a Mac?
No Tartarus keypad is on Razer's Synapse for Mac list. It still types its default keys on a Mac.
Related
Completely free. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon. Open source on GitHub.
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