Tool

Joy-Con drift test

Pair a Joy-Con or a Switch Pro Controller with a computer, press any button on it, let go of the stick and press Record. This page shows how far the stick rests from the center, as a number. A healthy stick reads close to 0. A single Joy-Con has one stick, so only one of the two cards will move.

Run the test on a Joy-Con or a Pro Controller

  1. Pair it over Bluetooth. Joy-Cons connect one at a time, each as its own controller. On a Mac, connecting Joy-Cons and connecting a Switch Pro Controller have every step.
  2. Press any button, so the browser shows the controller to this page.
  3. Put the controller down, or hold it without touching the sticks, and press Record 5 seconds at rest.
  4. Read the card under each stick: the verdict, the average and the largest distance from center, and the deadzone that would hide it.
  5. Press Start the circle test, roll each stick slowly around its edge for two full turns, then press Finish the circle test.

I have not tested a Joy-Con with this page myself. If the Joy-Con does not appear after a button press, try a second browser, because browsers differ in which controllers they show to a page.

Read the numbers

The numbers are distances from the center on a scale where 1 is full tilt. The verdict comes from the largest one:

  • Centered. Under 0.03. The stick rests where it should.
  • Slight offset. From 0.03 to 0.08. Most deadzones cover it without anyone noticing.
  • Noticeable drift. From 0.08 to 0.15. A camera or a pointer creeps unless the deadzone is raised.
  • Strong drift. Over 0.15. The deadzone needed to hide it starts to cost real stick travel.

These bands are my rule of thumb, not a standard. What matters is whether the largest number is smaller than the deadzone of whatever reads the stick.

If your Joy-Con drifts

Climb this ladder, smallest step first:

  1. Update the console and the Joy-Con. Nintendo's steps begin with the latest system update and the latest controller firmware.
  2. Calibrate the control sticks. Nintendo has you do this on the console, with any skin or cover taken off the Joy-Con first.
  3. Hide it with a deadzone. On a computer, set one just above the number. For anything InputConfig drives on a Mac, the inner deadzone is on the stick row. Joy-Cons on a Mac has the steps.
  4. Ask Nintendo. Its page says a Joy-Con whose sticks cannot be calibrated needs service. In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland it repairs this fault at no charge until further notice, even after the 24-month warranty.

Those terms are from Nintendo's support pages as I read them on October 6, 2026, and they differ by country.

A deadzone hides drift. It does not repair the stick, so run this test again in a month and compare.

If the controller does not show up

Climb this ladder, smallest step first:

  1. Press a button. A browser hides every controller from a page until a button is pressed while that page is in front.
  2. Click the page, then press again. The tab has to be the active one when you press.
  3. Reconnect it. Unplug the cable and plug it back in, or turn the controller off and on so it pairs again.
  4. Check that the computer sees it. On a Mac, a connected PlayStation, Xbox or Switch controller is listed in System Settings under Game Controllers. If it is missing there, the fix is pairing: controller connected but not working on a Mac has every step.
  5. Try a second browser. Browsers read controllers in different ways, so one that is missing in one browser can show up in another.

What this test can miss

The page samples the sticks once per screen frame, about 60 times a second on most screens, for five seconds. A stick that drifts only now and then can pass, so run it twice, and once more after rolling the sticks around. If both sticks read exactly 0.000 at rest, something between the controller and the page is probably applying a deadzone of its own. The stick drift test page explains each number in more detail, and what stick drift is covers why it happens.

It works. Now give it a job

A tester tells you the controller is fine. On a Mac, InputConfig is the app I make for the next step: it turns the buttons and sticks you just tested into keys, the mouse pointer, clicks and scrolling, in any app or game. It is free, and its Live Visualizer draws the same live picture inside the app, with the touchpad and motion sensors a browser does not pass to a page. Test it here, then put it to work there.

Questions

How do I test Joy-Con drift?

Pair the Joy-Con with a computer over Bluetooth, press any button on it, let go of the stick and press Record 5 seconds at rest. The page shows how far the stick rests from the center. A healthy stick reads close to 0.

Does Nintendo fix Joy-Con drift for free?

In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, Nintendo's support page says it repairs this Joy-Con stick fault at no charge until further notice, even after the 24-month warranty. Its page for the Americas says a Joy-Con that cannot be calibrated needs service and names no price.

Can I test a Switch Pro Controller for drift here?

Yes. Pair it over Bluetooth, press a button, and both sticks are measured. On a Mac the Pro Controller needs macOS 13 or later.

Can I fix Joy-Con drift without sending it in?

Nintendo's own steps are to update the console and the Joy-Con and to calibrate the control sticks. On a computer a deadzone a little larger than the drift hides it, and that does not repair the stick.

Related

Download InputConfig on the Mac App StoreFree. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.