How do I use a SteelSeries Rival mouse on a Mac?
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.
Plug it in or pair it and a Rival works as a mouse right away, with the pointer, both clicks and the wheel. The extra buttons are the part that needs care. SteelSeries GG is the maker's app for them, and it has a Mac version, but SteelSeries describes GG on macOS as having fewer features than on Windows. For giving every button the Mac can see its own job, InputConfig is the free Mac app I make, and it works alongside GG.
The button counts below come from SteelSeries' own Rival 5 and Rival 600 pages and from reviews I read on October 21, 2026. SteelSeries' support articles about GG on Mac would not open for me, so what I say about GG comes from their search summaries, and I mark it that way. Button counts differ by model, so I name the model each time. There is a broader page for SteelSeries mice on a Mac if yours is not a Rival.
On this page: 11 sections
Steps
- Plug in the Rival, or pair a Rival 3 Wireless or Rival 650 with its receiver or Bluetooth, and check the pointer and wheel.
- Install SteelSeries GG only if you want lighting, sensitivity or onboard settings, and give it the Input Monitoring permission if it cannot find the mouse.
- Open InputConfig, add a row, set the device to This Mac's mouse or trackpad, press Scan and press a side button.
- Pick an output, and turn on Block the button's own action if the button also goes back or forward.
- Save and Activate, then try it, and add a per-app preset if the same buttons should differ between apps.
Know what each Rival has and what works with nothing installed
The Rival name covers several mice, and the layouts are different. I would trust the count on your box over any list.
- Rival 5. SteelSeries says it has nine programmable buttons, including a five-button side panel built for the thumb and a quick-action toggle switch. A review I read describes the toggle as working like two buttons, plus a sniper button and a pair of ordinary side buttons.
- Rival 600. A comparison I read lists three side buttons and nine programmable inputs. SteelSeries' page says the mouse's processor can store sensitivity settings, lighting, key binds and macros onboard so they work without software.
- Rival 3 and Rival 3 Wireless. I could not confirm the button count for the Rival 3, so I will not state one. SteelSeries' page for the wireless version says it uses 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth 5.0.
- Rival 650. The wireless sibling of the 600. I did not read a page for it, so Scan to see what your own sends.
With nothing installed, a Mac gives you the pointer, left and right click, the wheel and whatever the mouse reports as back and forward. System Settings, Mouse sets tracking speed and scroll direction. SteelSeries support, as the search summary put it, says extra buttons have no default action on macOS until you assign one. That is the gap a button mapper fills.
Find out what each button sends
Press Scan in InputConfig and press each button, with SteelSeries GG quit so it is not holding the mouse. Here is how I expect a Rival to behave. The right-hand column is a guess until Scan says otherwise.
| Button | How it reports | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Left, right and wheel click | Standard clicks | Leave left and right alone |
| Side buttons and the Rival 5 panel | Most likely mouse buttons, Button 4 and up | Scan each one and bind it |
| Quick-action toggle (Rival 5) | Not sure, since it may be handled inside the mouse | Flip it while on Scan and see |
| Sensitivity button behind the wheel | Handled inside the mouse on most gaming mice | If Scan stays empty, only GG can change it |
| Sniper button | Depends on how it is set in GG | Scan it, and set it in GG first if it stays silent |
I have not tested a Rival myself, so I will not say which of these scan. If Scan names a button, it is yours, and if it stays empty, that button talks only to SteelSeries. The mouse tester shows the same in a browser.
Bind the side buttons
- You: Add a row, set the device to This Mac's mouse or trackpad, press Scan and press the first side panel button.
- InputConfig: Names it, and More buttons holds Button 9 to Button 32 if your model reports that high.
- Check: Choose Mission Control, Save, Activate and press the button. Mission Control opens.
A five-button thumb panel is a lot to learn, so I would start with three jobs you do every day. Back and forward on the two nearest the thumb, Mission Control on the next, and Copy and Paste or a screenshot on the rest. Mouse side buttons on a Mac has the full setup.
Macros and multi-step jobs on a Rival
A macro runs several steps from one press. In the row's Options, tick Run a sequence of steps (macro) and add key, shortcut and click steps, each with a wait and a hold time. A Rival 600 or Rival 5 side button can copy, wait, switch app with Command Tab and paste in one press. A row can also run a Siri Shortcut, which reaches anything the Shortcuts app can do.
If you already stored macros in the mouse's own memory through GG, those run inside the mouse. InputConfig macros run on the Mac, so they can use Mac-only outputs like System Function, Open App and Start Dictation. How to make a macro on a Mac has the steps.
Make each button do more
Each row can have a hold action and a double tap action, each a full second output. A side button can go back on a tap, close the tab on a double tap and show Mission Control on a hold. Turn on Block the button's own action for the side buttons and the middle button, so a browser does not go back twice while the preset runs. Left and right click cannot be blocked.
For different layouts per app, list an app under Automation & Gaming Utilities in a preset, then turn on Switch presets when the front app changes in Settings, Advanced. Only one preset runs at a time, and Control Option Command period is the emergency stop. Hold and double tap shows the timing.
Ideas for Rival users
- Photo and video editing. Put undo, redo, zoom in and zoom out on a Rival 5 panel, with a per-app preset for Final Cut Pro or Lightroom.
- Gaming on a Mac. Bind panel buttons to the keys a game lists. Some games read the mouse directly, so a running preset can double a press, and I would test in the game.
- Browsing and research. Back, forward, close tab and reopen closed tab on four panel buttons turns the thumb into a tab strip.
- Keys from the mouse. If a button sends a keyboard key and you want it to do something else, set it in GG to F13 to F20 and bind that. F21 to F24 are not passed to apps by macOS.
If a button will not scan
Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Use a rear port. Plug the mouse straight in, not through a hub. SteelSeries' own advice, as I read it, is a direct port.
- Quit GG and scan again. GG may own a button, and it may not pass it on.
- Give GG the Input Monitoring permission. SteelSeries says GG can fail to see a device without it. In System Settings, Privacy & Security, Input Monitoring, switch it on, and if it is already listed, remove it, restart the Mac and add it again.
- Look for firmware. One Apple Community user had a SteelSeries dongle misread as a keyboard, fixed by updating firmware in SteelSeries software.
- Activate the preset. Rows only fire while a preset runs.
- Check Accessibility. InputConfig needs it to press keys.
What it cannot do
- Change sensitivity, polling or lighting. GG does that, and the settings can be saved to the mouse.
- Read buttons that stay in the mouse. Sensitivity buttons and some toggles send nothing to macOS.
- Tell two mice apart. Every mouse counts as one, so two Rivals cannot get different jobs for the same button.
- Fix GG. If GG itself will not open on your Mac, that is a question for SteelSeries support.
The short version
- Basics. Plug in and go, no software needed.
- Light and sensitivity. Set them in GG and save them to the mouse.
- Buttons. Scan, bind what the Mac sees, and move key-sending ones to F13 to F20.
Do the hardware settings in GG once, then let InputConfig give the buttons their Mac jobs.
Questions
Does the SteelSeries Rival work on a Mac?
Yes, as a mouse with no software. SteelSeries GG has a Mac version for lighting and settings.
Does SteelSeries GG work on Mac for the Rival 5?
GG has a macOS version, but SteelSeries says its Mac feature set is smaller than on Windows. Check your model appears in GG when it runs.
How many buttons does the Rival 5 have?
SteelSeries says nine programmable buttons, including a five-button side panel and a quick-action toggle.
Why are my Rival side buttons not working on Mac?
Extra buttons have no default job on macOS. Assign one in GG or InputConfig, and try a direct USB port.
Do I need Input Monitoring for SteelSeries GG on Mac?
SteelSeries says GG may need it to see the device. Turn it on in System Settings, Privacy and Security.
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