Questions
Two of the same controller on one Mac
Yes. Pair each one the usual way: the Mac takes two DualSenses, two Xbox pads or two of anything else, and games with local co-op pick them up as player one and player two. The trouble with two identical controllers is that they share a name, so anything that tells controllers apart by name can mix them up.
In InputConfig 1.6, the free mapper I make, two pads of the same model are numbered, each player's layout stays on that player's pad, and two PlayStation controllers each keep their own light color and rumble.
On this page: 9 sections
Pair both controllers
- Put the first controller in pairing mode (PS and Create on a DualSense, the pair button on top of an Xbox pad) and click Connect next to it in System Settings, Bluetooth.
- Do the same with the second. It shows up under the same name, which is normal.
- Open Game Controllers in the System Settings sidebar and check both are listed.
Cables work too, and a wired pad counts the same as a paired one. The per-brand steps are on how to connect a controller to a Mac. Pair them one at a time and put a sticker on the first, so you always know which is which.
Give each player a layout in InputConfig
One preset holds both players. Each input device group reads one pad.
Step 1: Pick player one's pad
- You: Connect both controllers and open the preset in the editor. Click the name at the top of the first input device group, and under Game controllers choose the first pad, for example DualSense Wireless Controller.
- InputConfig: Ties that group to the first pad.
- Check: The group's header shows the plain name.
Step 2: Add player two
- You: Click Add a new Input Device. In the new group's menu choose the second pad, which is listed with a 2 after its name: DualSense Wireless Controller 2.
- InputConfig: Ties the second group to that exact pad.
- Check: The new header ends in 2.
Step 3: Bind and test
- You: Bind each group: player one on W, A, S and D, player two on the arrow keys, or whatever the game asks for. Scan fills a row when you press the control. Then Activate the preset.
- InputConfig: Reads each group from its own pad only.
- Check: Press a button on player one's pad. Player two's rows stay quiet.
Auto-detect, the first item in the same menu, reads whichever controller sits in that group's slot. It is fine for one player. For two of the same model, pick the pads by name, never Auto-detect.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
When one player's controller is away
A group set to pad 2 reads nothing while pad 2 is off, rather than falling back to pad 1 and firing both players' rows.
- A stand-in from the same family. When no controller of that name is connected at all, one of the same family stands in, so a DualSense Edge can take a DualSense's place, or an Elite an Xbox pad's.
- A waiting header. Otherwise the group's header says it is waiting for that controller, with a Use the connected controller link that switches it to whichever pad is there.
A missing pad never turns one player into two.
Give each pad its own light color
With two PlayStation controllers connected, each one gets its own light color, rumble and, on a DualSense Edge, its own back paddles.
- You: Click a controller's entry at the top of InputConfig's sidebar and pick its Light Bar color there, then do the same for the other.
- InputConfig: Paints each pad its own color.
- Check: One player is blue and the other red.
A preset that sets its own light color paints every pad that color while it runs. Leave the preset's color unset if you want the two told apart. Xbox controllers have no light bar; their Xbox button stays lit.
1.6 also fixed two identical controllers switching on and off together and sharing one motion zero, so each pad keeps its own gyro zero.
Tell them apart on screen
The Live Visualizer shows a panel per controller, with its name. Each panel has one menu, and under Connected you pick which connected controller it reads. Press a button on one pad and watch the right panel light up, and you know which is which. The Live Visualizer page covers the rest.
If the two pads get mixed up
Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Check each group's device. Both groups are probably reading one pad. Open each group's device menu and pick a different pad, the plain name for one and the name with a 2 for the other.
- Replace Auto-detect. A group on Auto-detect follows a slot, not a pad. Pick the pad by name.
- Check the light color. If both pads light the same color, the preset sets its own color. Leave it unset and pick each pad's color in the sidebar.
The number after the name is what keeps the players apart.
Other pairs
- Two Joy-Cons. Each is its own controller, so two people can take one each, held sideways. See Joy-Cons on a Mac.
- A GameCube adapter. Its four ports are four controllers (experimental in 1.6). See GameCube controllers on a Mac.
- Two-player arcade encoders and adapters. 1.6 gives each player a controller of their own. See two-player arcade encoders on a Mac.
- Different controllers. A DualSense and an Xbox pad have different names, so there is nothing to mix up. Two controllers on a Mac covers that case and keyboard-only two-player games.
Different models never get mixed up; only identical twins need the numbered names.
The short version
- Pair both. One at a time, in System Settings, Bluetooth. The shared name is normal.
- Pick each pad by name. The plain name for player one, the name with a 2 for player two.
- Color them. Set each PlayStation pad's Light Bar from the sidebar, and leave the preset's color unset.
Name the pads, not the slots, and each player keeps their own controls.
Questions
Can I connect two PS5 controllers to one Mac?
Yes. Pair each one in System Settings, Bluetooth, with PS and Create held until the light bar flashes. Both appear under the same name, and games with local co-op see two players.
How do I know which controller is player 1?
Games decide that themselves, usually by the order the pads connected. In InputConfig you choose: pick the first pad by name in one input device group and the one marked 2 in the other.
Why do both controllers control the same player in InputConfig?
Both groups of the preset are reading one pad. Open each group's device menu and pick a different pad, the plain name for one and the name with a 2 for the other.
Can two DualSense controllers have different light colors on a Mac?
Yes, in InputConfig 1.6. Click each controller's entry at the top of the sidebar and choose its Light Bar color. A preset with its own light color overrides both while it runs.
Can I use two Xbox controllers on a Mac?
Yes. Pair both over Bluetooth, or use cables on macOS 15 Sequoia or later. They work the same way as two PlayStation pads, without the light bar.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.