Tool

Controller trigger test

Pull each trigger slowly all the way and let it go. This page shows its value live, from 0 to 1, with the lowest and highest it reached and how many different levels it reported. A healthy analog trigger rests at 0, reaches 1, and climbs through many levels on the way.

Read the result

  • Lowest above 0. The trigger never fully lets go. A game can read that as a light, constant pull: a car that creeps, a weapon half raised.
  • Highest below 1. The trigger never reaches full. Top speed or full brake is out of reach.
  • Two levels only. The trigger is on or off. That is normal for ZL and ZR on a Switch Pro Controller and for pads with trigger stops switched on. On a DualSense or an Xbox pad it means a fault, or a browser that reads the triggers as plain buttons.
  • Many levels. An analog trigger working as it should.

Pull slowly, because a quick pull skips levels. A healthy trigger reads 0 at rest and 1 at the end, every time.

If a trigger reads wrong

Climb this ladder, smallest step first:

  1. Press Reset and pull again. The lowest and highest values are kept until you reset them.
  2. Change the connection. Try a cable if you are on Bluetooth, to rule out the link.
  3. Try a second browser. Browsers read triggers in different ways, and one may report plain on and off where another reports the full range.
  4. Check it outside the browser. On a Mac, controller trigger not working on a Mac separates a hardware fault from a settings one.

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 cannot test

The adaptive trigger resistance of a DualSense is not something a browser can switch on or measure, so only the travel is tested here. The page also samples once per screen frame, so the count of levels is a floor: the trigger may report more than the page had time to see.

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 controller triggers?

Connect the controller, press a button on it, then pull each trigger slowly all the way and let go. The page shows the live value with the lowest and highest it reached.

Why does my trigger only show 0 or 1?

Either the trigger is a switch by design, as ZL and ZR are on a Switch Pro Controller, or the browser reads that controller's triggers as plain buttons. Try a second browser before you call it a fault.

What should L2 and R2 read at rest?

Zero. A trigger that rests above 0 never fully lets go, and a game can read that as a light, constant pull.

Related

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