On the front page, you can selectively adjust joystick operation. Once the Xbox One controller is connected to your Mac successfully, you can set some options to make the controller easier to use. Once you’re sure it’s connected, you’re ready to go! Setting Other Options for Your Xbox Controller To test the connection, press a few buttons on your controller and make sure they show up on the preference pane. The image on the controller will react to the buttons you press on your controller. If the controller is not connected properly, you’ll see “No device found” in the drop-down menu.ħ. If you do not have the controller connected, connect it now via micro USB cable. In this preference pane, you’ll see a screen to test your controller’s connection. Click on the “Xbox One Controller” preference pane that’s just been installed.Ħ. Open “System Preferences” from the Apple menu.ĥ. Once your Mac restarts, you can connect the controller via USB cable.Ĥ. Restart your Mac when prompted by the installer.ģ. Once you’ve downloaded 360Controller, open the package and run the installer. Since there is no native kext and Microsoft, one of Apple’s major competitors, has not made one, we need to rely on the kindness of strangers.ġ.
These “drivers” install a kext (kernel extension) to tell macOS how to work with the Xbox controller. It does require macOS 10.11 or up, so it won’t work with a Mac running anything below El Capitan.
360Controller is the most up-to-date of the options, and you can download it from GitHub. Xone OSX was the best of several options, but it has since been deprecated.
Unlike the PlayStation 4 controller, the Xbox One’s controller requires some third-party software to work properly. Connect an Xbox One Controller to Your Mac With the correct profile or a little setup, you can use either of these controllers while emulating games on your Mac.
As of now, this is the only way to connect an Xbox One controller to the Mac.Īs a sidebar, if you’ve come here looking for how to connect your PS4 controller to your Mac, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s basically native! Just connect it to your Mac with a wire or Bluetooth and it should be immediately compatible with any controller-compatible games. Xbox One wireless controllers also have a micro USB port on the top, so they’re relatively easy to connect to your Mac. It’s also the most reliable for any type of controller connection. In every other case, the Xbox control needs to be connected with a wire to work. We were not able to test the functionality for this post. Since that’s essentially a plug-and-play operation, we won’t cover that here. Those controls have the correct Bluetooth transmitter in them, and macOS will automatically support the connection. Microsoft will help you figure out which version you have.
Wireless over USB doesn’t work, but strangely, Bluetooth does work, but only on controllers made after August 2016. The functionality has caused kernel panics since macOS El Capitan (10.11), and it had to be disabled to make the rest of the software usable. If you try to connect an Xbox controller wirelessly with its USB dongle, you won’t be able to establish a connection. Wireless functionality is fortunately spotty on the Mac. You’ll need to do a little bit of prep work to get the Xbox One controller functioning with macOS.
Connecting an Xbox One Controller to your Mac is not quite as easy. No hard edges, everything is in easy rich, comfortable with any hand size, and intuitively laid out. The total lack of major changes over the years is a testament of just how “right” Microsoft made the Xbox controller. It’s a case study in usability and ergonomics. The Xbox One controller is one of the finest handheld controllers on the market.