What is lizard mode on a Steam Controller?
Lizard mode is the mouse and keyboard emulation built into the Steam Controller. When nothing on the computer is driving the controller, it presents itself as a mouse and a keyboard: the right trackpad moves the pointer, the shoulder buttons click, and A and B send Enter and Escape. It is why a Steam Controller moves the pointer the moment you plug it in, and why a game that expects a gamepad may see only a mouse.
The description comes from the Steam Controller driver in the Linux kernel, which Valve contributes to. I make InputConfig, a free Mac app that maps the Steam Controller, and it has to switch lizard mode off to do it, so the Mac details below come from that work.
On this page: 9 sections
Steps
- Decide what should drive the controller: Steam, a game on Linux, or a mapper.
- With Steam open, let Steam take the controller. Lizard mode stops while Steam drives it.
- On a Mac without Steam, quit Steam, open InputConfig and activate a preset. The app switches lizard mode off while the preset runs.
- On Linux, start the game. The kernel driver switches lizard mode off when a program opens the controller.
- To get the built-in mouse back, stop the preset or close the game.
Know what lizard mode does
- The right trackpad. Moves the pointer.
- The shoulder buttons. Mouse buttons.
- A and B. Enter and Escape.
- Arrow keys. The driver's notes list the cursor keys with Escape and Enter as the keys lizard mode sends.
These arrive as a real mouse and a real keyboard, on extra interfaces the controller adds beside its gamepad one. In lizard mode the computer sees a mouse and a keyboard, not a game controller. The driver's notes explain the name as a joke about lizards who like to use the computer from the couch, with no proper mouse and keyboard.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
See when it is on and when it is off
| Situation | Lizard mode |
|---|---|
| Nothing is driving the controller | On. The controller is a basic mouse and a few keys |
| Steam is running | Off. Steam drives the controller itself |
| A program on Linux opens the controller | Off while it is open, and back on when it closes. The kernel driver does this by itself |
| An InputConfig preset is running on a Mac | Off while the preset runs, and back on when it stops or the app quits |
| A Steam Deck | Switched by hand: the Linux driver says holding the Options button toggles it |
The controller turns lizard mode back on by itself when it stops hearing from whatever switched it off. That is why software that wants it off has to keep saying so.
Turn lizard mode off on a Mac
macOS has no setting for it. Two things switch it off.
- You: Run Steam, or quit Steam and activate a preset in InputConfig.
- Steam: Takes the controller over while it is open, in Big Picture and in the games it launches.
- InputConfig: Switches lizard mode off while the preset runs and repeats the command, every 800 milliseconds on the original controller and every 2 seconds on the 2026 model.
- Check: The right trackpad stops moving the pointer by itself, and every button does what the preset says.
Steam and a mapper cannot both drive the controller, so close one before you use the other. If bindings come and go or the pointer flickers, Steam is still running. Steam Controller on a Mac has the full setup for both models.
Turn lizard mode off on Linux
The kernel's own driver handles it. It switches lizard mode off when a program opens the controller as a gamepad and switches it back on when that program closes, so the desktop keeps its mouse and the game gets a gamepad.
- The lizard_mode parameter. A setting on the driver, described as enabling mouse and keyboard emulation when the gamepad is not in use.
- With the Steam client running. The driver notices and steps aside, sending the controller nothing, so the two do not both act on one press.
On Linux you rarely switch lizard mode off by hand, because opening the controller does it.
Use lizard mode on purpose
It is useful as it is. With nothing installed, a Steam Controller is a couch mouse for a Mac or a PC: point with the right trackpad, click with the shoulder buttons, confirm with A and back out with B.
What it cannot do is change. Lizard mode is one fixed layout, so anything beyond pointing and a few keys needs Steam or a mapper. The Steam Controller trackpad as a mouse on a Mac covers the version you can tune: speed, taps, scrolling and both pads.
Know how the 2026 Steam Controller differs
The 2026 model has lizard mode too. InputConfig 1.6 reads that controller as an experimental feature, on a cable, over Bluetooth or through its Puck, and switches lizard mode off the same way while a preset runs.
Over Bluetooth there is one more thing to know. macOS can present the controller together with its lizard-mode keyboard, and InputConfig reads that only when Input Monitoring is already allowed for it. If the 2026 controller does not appear over Bluetooth, use the cable or the Puck. The new Steam Controller on a Mac has the rest.
The short version
- What it is. The controller's own mouse and keyboard emulation, for when nothing drives it.
- Off under Steam. Steam takes the controller while it runs.
- Off on a Mac without Steam. A running InputConfig preset.
- Off on Linux. Automatic, when a program opens the controller.
If a Steam Controller acts like a mouse when you wanted a gamepad, lizard mode is still on.
Questions
What is lizard mode on a Steam Controller?
It is the mouse and keyboard emulation built into the controller. When no software is driving it, the right trackpad moves the pointer, the shoulder buttons are mouse buttons, and A and B send Enter and Escape.
Why is it called lizard mode?
The notes in the Linux driver for the controller explain it as a joke: lizards like to use the computer from the couch, without a proper mouse and keyboard.
How do I turn off lizard mode?
Let something drive the controller. Steam switches it off while Steam runs. On Linux the kernel driver switches it off when a program opens the controller. On a Mac without Steam, a running InputConfig preset switches it off.
Why does my Steam Controller act like a mouse?
Because lizard mode is on, which is what the controller does when nothing is driving it. Start Steam or a mapper and it becomes a controller again.
Does the Steam Deck have lizard mode?
Yes. The Linux driver that handles both says that on the Steam Deck it is toggled by hand, by holding the Options button, instead of automatically.
How do I turn lizard mode back on?
Stop whatever switched it off. Quit Steam, stop the InputConfig preset or close the game, and the controller's own mouse and keys return.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.
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