Xbox Controller For Mac
Hi all, I can't get my Xbox One Controller to work with Parallels. I'm running Windows 10 which I believe includes the drivers built in. But when I plug in my Xbox controller and select 'Devices', 'External Devices', 'Controller' in Parallels nothing happens (though windows does make the USB ding sound).
I'm pretty partial to the Xbox One controller, and I thought to my self: 'Self, wouldn't you like to play your Mac games with the Xbox one controller??' So, I decided to look into how to do this, and it's actually very simple to do. You can get this done in less than 5 minutes. In this simple tutorial i show you how to connect your Xbox One controller to your Mac or Macbook. Just follow me step by step and you will be enjoying your games in no time. This is for macOS 10. May 23, 2019 Xbox 360 Controller Driver 0.16.11 for Mac OS X The Xbox 360 console software is updated periodically with new features, download the latest firmware to take advantage of them.
Whether you’re trying to no-scope that enemy on COD or score a last-minute slam-dunk on NBA, the touchpad just doesn’t do it.
So, we thought we’d share the best tips on how to connect an Xbox 360 controller to your Mac, to make them tense gaming moments a little easier.
Before you do: Clean up your Mac
BUT, before we get into all the juicy techy stuff, let’s remind you of how beneficial cleaning up your Mac can be.
Before installing any new hardware, it’s important to have an un-cluttered file space so the new software can run efficiently, and you can keep an eye on what’s where.
Xbox Controller For Mac Download
With CleanMyMac X, it’s easy. It’s one-click cleaning approach and powerful scanning means you can swiftly dispose of useless documents and apps which may be slowing your Mac down.
So, to get optimal controller connectivity, you should download CleanMyMac and tidy up your digital space – prior to any installations. Now, onto how to use an Xbox 360 controller on a Mac.
How to use the Xbox 360 controller on Mac
Not many of us know it, but there could be a handy use for all those old Xbox 360 or Xbox One controllers lying around. But, before you get set up, you need to have the correct hardware installed on your Mac to enable connectivity.
Here’s how.
First of all, you will need either a wired or wireless Xbox controller. Both work fine, but for all those passionate gamers with a tendency to erupt, a wireless device would be best to save any damages to wires (or opponents). These wireless receivers can be bought for around $20 on Amazon, and can handle up to 4 Xbox 360 controllers.
Free Drivers
Obviously, Macs don’t have an in-built driver for Xbox controllers as Apple are in no way affiliated with Microsoft. Similarly, Microsoft doesn’t supply drivers for Mac users for their hardware, which leaves us wanting users having to find our own way.
So back in 2006, it was music to gamer’s ears to hear that Tattie Bogle had developed their own driver free of charge to users across the gaming globe. However, this driver hasn’t been updated since 2012, and is therefore sticky when it comes to compatibility with MacOS X.
For a more streamlined approach to this conundrum, download GitHub’s free driver – it’s maintained and updated frequently and is free to all Mac users.
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1. Install the driver
How To Use An Xbox Controller For Mac
After opening the GitHub link, double click on the DMG file visible under ‘Assets’. This will start the installing process, where you will have to follow the appropriate instructions.
Remember though, as with any new program installation, it will reboot your Mac, so don’t panic. After the restart, you should be able to find ‘Xbox 360 Controllers’ in the system preferences.
2. Connect the Xbox 360 Controller to your Mac
Now you’ve installed the driver, the next step is to connect the controller, which is simple and only needs to be done once.
Firstly, you need to plug the USB receiver into a free USB port on your Mac. Once plugged in, the USB receiver’s light should start blinking
Press the big Xbox logo button on the controller so it lights up green
Press the button on the USB receiver
Press the connect button on the controller, which can be found at the top - in-between the left and right toggles
The top left quarter of the circle around the Xbox button should now light up, indicating you are the first controller connected
Now the controller and Mac are linked - so in the future if you want to connect again, all you need do is press the big Xbox logo button to get going. Told you it was simple!
3. Test the Controller
As with all things techy, there’s always loopholes. So, it’s important to test the connections to ensure the controller works before we embark upon a mobile-gaming-gallivant.
Go to ‘System Preferences’, ‘Xbox 360 Controllers’ and you’ll see a screen like below.
This is a control pad, which indicates whether all the buttons on the controller are working properly. That’s about all you can do on this, as well as shutting the controller down by clicking ‘power off’.
4. Configuring for multiple games on your Mac
We all have different tastes in games - some of us like sports and some of us like military, there’s no right or wrong (asides from Half-Life, that’s just awesome and it’s not up for debate).
With these different games come different control configurations, which can get tedious when you only have one type of controller.
For full flexibility of use, there are many tools and apps available which allow you to play any game with any Mac compatible joystick or controller – even the ones that are not compatible with joysticks.
5. Use Joystick Mapper
Out of the many apps to choose from, Joystick Mapper is our pick. And at only $4.99 from the App Store, it’s real value for money – especially when considering the amount of effort it takes to develop such a complex tool.
Here’s how it works –
Once you download the Joystick Mapper app, you need to create a pre-set for your game preferences. To do this, open the app and click ‘Add new pre-set’.
Enter a name for future reference such as ‘My Game’, and for each joystick, click ‘Add a new joystick’.
Now that you’ve identified the joystick, you need to ‘bind’ joystick inputs to keyboard or mouse movements - which is easier than it sounds.
Click on ‘Add new bind’, and then ‘Scan’, and press the button of your game controller that you’d like to use. Next select a mouse or keyboard action, and that will ‘bind’ the chosen inputs.
Simply repeat this process until you’ve bound all the buttons you’d like to use.
If by chance you’re using a controller other than an Xbox 360 or Xbox One, you can replicate these actions and apply them to different controllers. To do this, simply click the ‘Clone’ icon in the top right corner. To put the pre-set into action, set a checkmark before the preferred pre-set/profile you’ve created for the game you’re about to play. Now, you’re good to go!
BUT – don’t close the Joystick Mapper app before starting the game, it needs to keep running to work. Simply select ‘cmd + H’ to hide the window.
Declutter your Mac to make more room for games
Remember, all of these processes won’t work as effectively if you have a messy Mac.
On average, there is a whopping 62GB of junk found on Macs, with jam-packed caches and folders full of useless documents cluttering the hard drive.
This considerably slows down the performance of your Mac, preventing quick and easy installations, and can even hinder the controller connectivity.
CleanMyMac X is an app dedicated to cleaning your Mac head-to-toe. It scans everything on the computer - even old folders that have been evading your wrath for years - identifying what needs to be removed.
The Mac is inspected rigorously, and with its smart one-click clean-up, CleanMyMac sweeps away the unwanted rubbish to organize folders and speed up performance.
Furthermore, CleanMyMac X is free to download. So, what are you waiting for? Download it for free here.
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Mac’s trackpad and keyboards are not the best controllers in the world, so if you want to play some games, better get yourself an Xbox One Controller. It is simply the best gamepad you can play with. Comparing with Windows 10, where Xbox One Controller is natively supported, macOS works a bit strange with Microsoft’s gamepads. Luckily enough, connecting Xbox One Controller to Mac is very simple. Sometimes it works natively and wirelessly, but sometimes it requires wired connection and third-party app (driver). This article has all you need to know about connecting Xbox One Controller to Mac.
Tip. Xbox One Controller works better with Windows 10, so our advice is to use Windows 10 (Bootcamp is fine). In addition to better gamepad compatibility, you will get better performance in your games.
How to Connect Xbox One Controller to Mac Wirelessly?
First, make sure you have an updated controller which supports Bluetooth connection. As we mentioned in the article How to Connect Xbox One Controller to PC, only update Xbox One Controller (2016) supports Bluetooth. You can find out which model you have using the picture below:
- Make sure Bluetooth on your Mac is enabled. You can simply ask Siri to turn it on, use menu bar or open System Preferences > Bluetooth and press Turn Bluetooth On.
- Now it is time to take your Xbox One Controller and press big Xbox One button at the center of the gamepad. It will start blinking slowly. At the back of the gamepad, there is a small button in between LB and RB. Press and hold it until the Xbox logo on the gamepad starts blinking swiftly.
- Now you should see the Xbox Wireless Controller. Press Connect. Xbox One logo on your gamepad should stop blinking. This means the connection is set and you can start playing games.
Pretty straightforward, isn’t it? The thing is some games do not “see” Xbox One Controller connected to the Mac using this method. It all depends on the developer. If you can open game and gamepad works perfectly, you can stop reading this. If the gamepad is connected but seems to be not working, proceed to the next section of this article.
How to Connect Xbox One Controller to Mac via Micro USB Cable?
If the wireless connection does not work with your games, find a micro USB cable and connect your gamepad to the Mac. The gamepad will vibrate, but Xbox logo won’t light up. That is fine, don’t worry. MacOS has no built-in driver for the wired connection, so we are going to help this system learn how to work with your gamepad.
Tip. Although we are talking about Xbox One Controller, this method allows you to connect Xbox 360 to Mac as well.
- Open this link and download file 360ControllerInstall_0.16.10.dmg. Open it and follow the on-screen instructions. Important: this procedure requires administrator-level access, therefore make sure you know administrator password.
- Restart the Mac after the procedure is done and open System Preferences.
- At the bottom of the screen, you will see new Xbox 360 Controllers entry. Click it.
- Go to Advanced tab and make sure Enable Driver is enabled. Gamepad won’t work if this option is turned off. Again, you will need to enter the Administrator password in order to enable the driver.
- You will see Xbox One Wired Controller (Wired) in the drop-down menu at the top of the window.
- Switch to Controller Test and make sure all input elements work fine.
- Your controller is ready to rock.
As you see, there are plenty of options allowing you to disable vibration, spoof controller as an Xbox 360 Gamepad, map buttons, invert sticks, etc. Spend some time messing around with app’s elements and you will be able to use your Xbox One Gamepad with Mac like a boss.