Questions

Does a SteelSeries 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. The software is the weak point. SteelSeries' support pages say its GG app is not fully supported on Macs with Apple silicon, M1 through M5, and that it no longer offers full support for macOS versions from High Sierra to Tahoe, so some features may not work. The side buttons are a separate matter, and that one is macOS: a Mac hands them to the app in front, and most apps do nothing with them.

What I say about GG comes from two SteelSeries support articles, which 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: 8 sections
  1. Steps
  2. Know where GG stands on a Mac
  3. Know what works with nothing installed
  4. Make the side buttons do something
  5. Set it up once on a PC, if you can
  6. If the mouse does not work at all
  7. The short version
  8. Questions

Steps

  1. Plug in the mouse or its receiver. The pointer, clicks and scrolling work at once.
  2. Set tracking speed in System Settings, Mouse.
  3. Open InputConfig, add a row, press Scan, and press a side button.
  4. Choose what the button sends: Back, Forward, a shortcut or a macro.

Know where GG stands on a Mac

  • Apple silicon. SteelSeries says GG on Macs with M1 to M5 chips is not fully supported, and that some features might not work perfectly.
  • macOS versions. A second article says it cannot offer full support for macOS from High Sierra through Tahoe any more.
  • What that means. GG may install and may see your mouse, and SteelSeries does not promise that every setting works.

I would treat GG on a Mac as a maybe, because that is how SteelSeries itself describes it.

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreInputConfig 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. A SteelSeries mouse is a standard mouse to a Mac.
  • Speed. System Settings, Mouse sets tracking speed. The mouse's own CPI button changes sensitivity 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.

The mouse does not need GG to work, so GG only matters when you want to change its settings.

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 reads the buttons macOS already receives, so it needs nothing from the maker. A row can also hold back the button's own action, so a browser that does use Button 4 does not go back twice. The side buttons need an app on a Mac, and it does not have to be GG. Mouse side buttons on a Mac has the full setup, and mouse back button not working explains the cause.

Set it up once on a PC, if you can

If GG will not hold a setting on your Mac, a Windows PC is the dependable place to change sensitivity steps, lighting and button assignments. I have not checked which SteelSeries models keep those settings in the mouse, so look for onboard memory on your model's page before counting on it. Settings saved inside the mouse travel with it, while settings that live in GG stay behind on that computer.

If the mouse does not work at all

  1. Try another port. Plug the cable or receiver into the Mac directly, not a hub.
  2. Check the mode switch. A mouse with both a receiver and Bluetooth only talks to the one it is set to.
  3. Pair it again. For Bluetooth, remove it in System Settings, Bluetooth and pair it fresh.
  4. Charge it. A flat battery looks like a dead mouse.

A pointer that moves tells you the mouse is fine, so anything else comes down to settings. The mouse tester shows every button the Mac receives, in a browser.

The short version

  • Works. The pointer, clicks and scrolling all work on any Mac.
  • GG. SteelSeries' own pages say it is not fully supported on Apple silicon or current macOS.
  • Side buttons. Bind them in a mapper.

A SteelSeries mouse is a fine Mac mouse, as long as you let an app other than GG handle the side buttons.

Questions

Do SteelSeries mice work on a Mac?

Yes. The pointer, main buttons and scroll wheel work with nothing installed. The GG app that changes their settings is not fully supported on Apple silicon Macs, by SteelSeries' own support page.

Does SteelSeries GG work on Apple silicon?

SteelSeries says GG on Macs with M1, M2, M3, M4 or M5 chips is not fully supported, and that some features might not work perfectly.

How do I use SteelSeries 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.

Can I change the CPI of a SteelSeries mouse on a Mac?

The CPI button on the mouse steps through the levels stored in it. Changing those levels needs GG, which SteelSeries does not fully support on current Macs.

Is there a SteelSeries driver for Mac?

No driver is needed for the mouse to work. GG is the settings app, and SteelSeries says it is not fully supported on current macOS.

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreCompletely 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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