Tool

Joy-Con tester

Pair a Joy-Con with a computer over Bluetooth, press any button on it, and this page shows each button as you press it and the stick as you move it. The rest test then measures the stick for drift. Each Joy-Con connects as its own controller, so test them one at a time.

Check a Joy-Con in this order

  1. Slide the Joy-Con off the Switch and hold the small Sync button on its rail until the lights run back and forth.
  2. Pick it in the computer's Bluetooth list. On a Mac, connecting Joy-Cons has every step.
  3. Press any button, so the browser shows the controller to this page.
  4. Press every button once, the two rail buttons included, and watch what lights.
  5. Let go of the stick and press Record 5 seconds at rest, then run the circle test.

I have not tested a Joy-Con with this page myself. If nothing appears after a button press, try a second browser, because browsers differ in which controllers they show to a page.

What is different on a Joy-Con

  • One stick. A single Joy-Con has one stick, so only one of the two stick cards moves.
  • Held sideways. A lone Joy-Con is a small gamepad turned a quarter turn, so the stick's up may not be the drawing's up.
  • A pair is a different controller. On a Mac with both connected, macOS may also show a combined Joy-Con Pair that behaves like a full-size gamepad.
  • The drawing is a full-size pad. It was drawn for a Pro Controller. Use the checklist and the numbered list to see exactly what a Joy-Con sends.

For drift alone, the Joy-Con drift test has Nintendo's own steps and repair terms.

What this page cannot test on a Joy-Con

The browser's Gamepad API carries buttons and sticks, with rumble on some browsers. It does not carry the motion sensors, the IR camera or the NFC reader. On a Mac the limit is lower down as well: macOS does not pass through a Joy-Con's IR camera, NFC, accelerometer or gyroscope, so no Mac app reads them either. A control that stays dark here is not proof it is broken, so check it once on the Switch.

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.

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 a Joy-Con online?

Pair it with a computer over Bluetooth, press any button so the browser shows it to this page, then press each button and move the stick. The rest test measures the stick for drift.

How do I connect a Joy-Con to a computer for the test?

Slide it off the Switch, hold the small Sync button on its rail until the lights run back and forth, and pick it in the computer's Bluetooth list. On a Mac this needs macOS 13 or later.

Can I test both Joy-Cons at once?

Each Joy-Con is its own Bluetooth device and its own controller. With two connected, a list at the top of the tester lets you pick which one to test. On a Mac, macOS may also offer the two as one combined pair.

Can I test Joy-Con motion controls or the IR camera here?

No. A browser reads buttons and sticks. On a Mac, macOS itself does not pass through a Joy-Con's IR camera, NFC, accelerometer or gyroscope.

Related

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