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Which apps connect Joy-Con 2 to a Mac?
InputConfig, the free Mac app Rockstar Health makes, reads each Joy-Con 2 on its own, over USB in the charging grip or over Bluetooth with a setting, and maps it to keys, clicks and the pointer without changing your Mac's security. macOS supports the original Joy-Cons but not the Joy-Con 2, so every route to a Mac is an app that speaks their protocol.
Three community apps connect them too, and two of them share the name JoyCon2Mac while doing very different jobs. We compare all four by what they give you and what they ask of your Mac. InputConfig marks its own support as experimental.
Every app, side by side
| App | What the Mac sees | What it asks of your Mac | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|
| InputConfig | Keys, clicks and the pointer, each Joy-Con 2 on its own, motion included | The Accessibility permission. USB in the charging grip, or Bluetooth with a setting | Experimental since version 1.8 |
| loyahdev/joycon2mac | A fixed set of key presses | An ordinary app download | 1.0, August 2025. Its author notes bugs remain |
| OZORDI/JoyCon2Mac | A virtual DualSense and a mouse from the optical sensor | System Integrity Protection and AMFI switched off, for the current release | 0.1.5, September 2026. Not a normal install yet, by its readme |
| switch2mac | A virtual gamepad, without rumble or motion | macOS 15 or later on Apple silicon | A beta |
Read from each project's GitHub page in October 2026. The community projects are unofficial and unaffiliated with Apple or Nintendo, and we have not tested them.
Telling the two JoyCon2Mac projects apart
The name alone does not say which one a download is. loyahdev/joycon2mac turns the buttons and sticks into key presses and asks nothing unusual of your Mac. OZORDI/JoyCon2Mac is a driver and companion app that presents the pair as a virtual controller and a mouse, and its readme says not to treat it as a normal consumer install yet. Check the repository a download came from before you open it.
Our view on switching off SIP and AMFI
System Integrity Protection keeps software from changing protected parts of macOS, and AMFI checks that code is signed before it runs. The driver project's readme suggests using a Mac you are comfortable using for driver development and switching both back on afterward.
We would not switch either one off on a Mac someone relies on for work or daily life. The keyboard project asks for neither, and neither do switch2mac or InputConfig.
What InputConfig reads from a Joy-Con 2
Read. The stick and its press, the face buttons or arrows, SL and SR, L and ZL or R and ZR, Minus or Plus, Capture or Home, the C button, GL or GR, and the motion sensors.
Not read. The two as one combined pad, the optical mouse sensor, rumble and NFC.
Still true. macOS itself does not read them, so games that read controllers through macOS do not see them.
If you want Nintendo pads that just work
The original Joy-Cons pair over Bluetooth with no extra software, one or two at a time, and games see them. The original Switch Pro Controller works the same way. If you own both generations and want games to see your controller, pair the originals with the Mac.
The full guide
The step by step setup lives on the InputConfig site: Joy-Con 2 on a Mac, 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
What is JoyCon2Mac?
Is JoyCon2Mac safe to install?
Can I use a Joy-Con 2 as a mouse on a Mac?
Does InputConfig work with Joy-Con 2?
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.