Questions
Xpadder for Mac
There is no Xpadder for Mac. Xpadder is a Windows program, and its official site offers no macOS version. If you used it to play keyboard games with a gamepad, or to run the desktop from the couch, a Mac does the same job with a mapper. I make a free one, InputConfig, because my hands do not work well with a keyboard and mouse, and this is how I use my own Mac.
What Xpadder did, and the Mac equivalent
| In Xpadder | In InputConfig on a Mac |
|---|---|
| A picture of your controller with a key on each button | The Live Visualizer: a live drawing of the pad that lights each control as you press it. Click a control and the editor opens at its row |
| Assign a key by clicking a button on the picture | Scan: press the real button and the row is bound to it |
| Stick as mouse or as WASD | Mouse Motion rows, or four Keyboard Key rows on the stick directions, with deadzones |
| Sets, to switch layouts with a button | Chords for a second layer, and the Next preset app action |
| Turbo and toggle | Turbo, repeat, toggle and timed macros |
| Profiles you load per game | Presets that switch on their own when a game comes to the front |
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
Be careful with "Xpadder for Mac" downloads
Download portals list "Xpadder for Mac" and "Xpadder for macOS". Since the maker publishes no Mac version, a Mac file with that name did not come from the maker. A Windows program cannot run on a Mac without Windows, and inside a Windows virtual machine it only affects apps in that virtual machine. Use a native Mac app instead: InputConfig is on the Mac App Store, and its source is public on GitHub under the MIT licence.
A layout without building one
Most people used Xpadder for a handful of the same jobs. InputConfig ships ready presets for them: a desktop layout that moves the pointer and clicks, web browsing, media, and gaming layouts, and the Smart Preset Maker has layouts for more than 450 games and apps. Start from one and change only the rows you want different. The built-in presets are listed with every row, and each one is a file you can download.
Switching in five minutes
- Install InputConfig from the Mac App Store and allow Accessibility access when it asks.
- Pair the controller in Bluetooth settings, or plug it in.
- Pick a built-in preset, or search the Smart Preset Maker for your game or app.
- Open the editor on any row you want changed, press Scan, press the button, and pick what it sends: a key, a key combination, a click, scrolling, or a macro.
- Activate. The menu bar icon turns it off, and the emergency stop shortcut stops everything at once.
When you do not need a mapper
If a Mac game already supports controllers, it reads your pad directly and you can change its buttons in System Settings, Game Controllers, in the sidebar. A mapper is for games and apps that only understand the keyboard and mouse. The best controller mapper for Mac page lists every other option, including the ones that are not mine.
Checked on 22 September 2026.
Questions
Is there an Xpadder for Mac?
No. Xpadder is Windows only. On a Mac, a mapper such as InputConfig does the same job: controller buttons to keys, sticks to the mouse, in every app.
Is there a free Xpadder alternative for Mac?
Yes. InputConfig is free and open source on the Mac App Store. There is an optional tip, and it unlocks nothing.
Can InputConfig open Xpadder profiles?
No. It cannot read Xpadder files. Rebuild the layout with Scan, or start from a ready preset in the Smart Preset Maker.
Which controllers does it work with?
PlayStation, Xbox, Switch Pro and Joy-Con, 8BitDo, Stadia and Steam Controllers, MFi pads, and most generic USB gamepads, arcade sticks, wheels and flight sticks, which it reads as raw HID devices.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.