x360ce for 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.
There is no x360ce for Mac, and a request for one on the project's GitHub was closed as not planned. x360ce, the Xbox 360 Controller Emulator, makes a controller Windows does not recognize look like an Xbox 360 controller, so a Windows game that only understands Xbox pads will accept it. A Mac works differently, and most of the time it does not need anything like it. What you need depends on what you are trying to play.
On this page
Know why a Mac game does not need it
Mac games that support controllers read them through Apple's Game Controller framework, and that framework already knows the PlayStation DualSense and DualShock 4, Xbox One and Series pads, the Switch Pro Controller, Joy-Cons and MFi controllers. There is nothing to emulate, because the game sees the real pad. You can even change its buttons per game in System Settings, Game Controllers, in the sidebar.
If your pad is not one Apple knows
This is the case x360ce users usually mean: a generic USB gamepad, an arcade stick, an older pad, a wheel. Apple's framework ignores these, so a Mac game that reads only that framework will not see them, and on a Mac there is no Xbox emulator to fix that.
- You: Open InputConfig, search the Smart Preset Maker for your game, or map each button and axis with Scan.
- InputConfig: Reads most of these pads as raw HID devices, listed here, and sends keys, clicks and pointer movement.
- Check: Any game that takes the keyboard now responds to the pad.
The Smart Preset Maker has layouts for more than 450 games and apps, so search it first.
If you play Windows games in CrossOver or Whisky
Windows games running through CrossOver, Whisky or Apple's Game Porting Toolkit have their own controller layer, and that is where controllers go missing or show up as the wrong one. That is covered step by step on using a controller with CrossOver games on a Mac. When nothing else works, a keyboard layout through InputConfig gets through, because the game receives ordinary key presses.
What InputConfig does not do
- Emulate a controller. It does not create a virtual Xbox controller, and it cannot make your keyboard act like a gamepad. It works one way: controllers, MIDI devices and the Mac's own keyboard, mouse and trackpad in. Keys, clicks, pointer movement, scrolling, macros, MIDI and system actions out. For a game that only accepts a controller, use a controller Apple supports.
- Read a wired Xbox 360 controller. macOS does not support it, and a sandboxed app cannot read its wired protocol either. A newer Xbox or PlayStation pad is the reliable fix.
Checked on 22 September 2026.
The short version
- A pad Apple knows. Mac games see it as it is. Nothing to emulate.
- A pad Apple ignores. Map it to the game's keys with InputConfig.
- A game that only takes a controller. Use a pad Apple supports.
On a Mac the answer is either a supported pad or the keyboard route, never an emulator.
Questions
Is there an x360ce for Mac?
No. x360ce is a Windows program, and a request for a Mac version on its GitHub was closed as not planned.
Is x360ce safe to download?
The project's GitHub page (read October 27, 2026) says every signed build is published on its Releases page, and to download and run digitally signed files only. It is a Windows program, so a download that claims to be x360ce for Mac did not come from that project, and I would not run it. That is caution, not a test.
Can I make my keyboard act like a controller on a Mac?
Not with InputConfig. It turns controllers and other devices into keys and mouse, not the other way round. I do not know of a sandboxed Mac App Store app that creates a virtual gamepad.
Why does my generic USB gamepad work in InputConfig but not in a Mac game?
Because the game reads only Apple's Game Controller framework, which ignores pads it does not know. InputConfig reads the pad directly. Map it to the game's keyboard controls and the game will respond.
Does a wired Xbox 360 controller work on a Mac?
No. macOS does not support it. An Xbox One or Series controller, or a PlayStation pad, works over Bluetooth or USB.
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