Home/Answers/Connecting a controller to a Mac
Should you connect a controller to a Mac by Bluetooth or cable?
Put the controller in pairing mode and click Connect in System Settings, Bluetooth, or plug in a USB cable that carries data. Both are free and built into every Mac, and the right choice depends on the controller: some charge only on a cable, and Xbox pads work wired only on macOS 15 Sequoia or later.
We put every common controller in one table with its pairing button, its cable rule and the macOS version it needs. InputConfig, the free app Rockstar Health makes, only matters when a game ignores the controller or when the controller is one macOS does not read, such as the Switch 2 Pro Controller.
Every controller, one table
| Controller | Bluetooth pairing | Cable | macOS needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| PS5 DualSense, DualSense Edge | Hold PS and Create until the light bar flashes | Works at once and charges | 11.3 Big Sur |
| PS4 DualShock 4 | Hold PS and Share until the light bar flashes | Works at once and charges | 10.15 Catalina |
| Xbox Series, Xbox One with Bluetooth, Elite 2 | Hold the pairing button on the top edge until the Xbox button blinks fast | Only on macOS 15 Sequoia or later | 10.15 for Xbox One, 11.3 for Series |
| Switch Pro Controller | Hold Sync beside the USB-C port until the lights run | Charges only, so pair by Bluetooth | 13 Ventura |
| Joy-Cons | Hold Sync on the rail, and pair each one on its own | Charges only | 13 Ventura |
| 8BitDo | Set the switch to D, then hold Pair for three seconds | Depends on the mode | Depends on the mode |
| Switch 2 Pro, Joy-Con 2, Switch 2 GameCube | macOS does not read them | InputConfig reads them on USB-C, as an experimental feature | Not supported by macOS |
A controller pairs with one device at a time, so unpair it from a console or a phone first, or it keeps jumping back.
Bluetooth or cable: what we would use
On a MacBook. Bluetooth, because it saves a port. The first time you plug in a new accessory, macOS may ask whether to allow it, and nothing reaches the Mac until you click Allow.
On an iMac, Mac mini or Mac Studio across the room. A cable, if input stutters. A Mac under a desk with the sofa across the room sits at the edge of Bluetooth range.
For a wired pad that does nothing. Another cable. A charge-only cable is the most common reason, and some USB hubs drop controllers, so plug straight into the Mac.
Check that the Mac sees it
Open System Settings and click Game Controllers in the sidebar. If your controller is listed and its buttons light up on screen as you press them, the Mac side is done.
If it does not show up
Put it fully in pairing mode. A fast flash means pairing. A slow pulse means it is looking for the last console it knew.
Turn the console off. A PlayStation, Xbox or Switch nearby pulls the controller back to itself.
Forget it and pair again. Remove the old entry in System Settings, Bluetooth, switch the controller off and on, and pair fresh.
Try a data cable. If it works on a cable, the controller is fine and the Bluetooth pairing was the problem.
If a game still ignores it
Native Mac games that use Apple's controller framework just work. Older games, keyboard-only games, browser games and apps that were never games see nothing, and the Mac seeing a controller does not mean a game will. Minecraft Java Edition has no controller support at all. For those, InputConfig reads the controller and sends the keys and mouse movement the game expects, with ready layouts for more than 450 games and apps.
The full guide
The step by step setup lives on the InputConfig site: connecting each controller, step by step. InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store, open source under the MIT license, and runs on macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
Questions people ask
Do I need a driver to use a controller on a Mac?
Why does my controller show up in Bluetooth but not in the game?
Can I connect two controllers to one Mac?
How do I disconnect a controller from my Mac?
More answers
About these comparisons
Rockstar Health is a nonprofit that makes adaptive mobility hardware and free accessibility software, including InputConfig. Facts about other apps come from their own listings and repositories on the dates given, and we have not tested the community tools named here. If something is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.